News

New brewpubs tapping into craft popularity

By Bill Moss, Published: January 14, 2016

Entrepreneurs are tapping into the popularity of craft beer with plans for two new microbreweries downtown plus a hard cider tasting room this year.

The Sanctuary Brewing Co. pioneered downtown microbrewery scene when it opened on First Avenue East last August. The brewery is going strong, and has set a launch of a bunch of beers on Sunday, Jan. 31.  Sanctuary is not along in the pursuit of hoppiness. It's set to get company in 2016 when two more microbreweries open along with a local hard cider tasting room that also plans local craft beer taps.

Basic Brewery

Linda and Rich Wenger plan to open Basic Brewery at 131 Third Avenue West in the 1,600-square-foot space that was home to the Folderol winery.
The Wengers formed Basic Brewery in 2015.
“Our idea is simple,” they say on their website, “serve Western North Carolina’s best local beer and our own delicious handmade beers. At Basic Brewery we feel that the focus should be on making great beer. Simple right? While it seems improbable just ask yourself....did the best cookies you ever had come from a $million-plus dollar factory or did they come from a home kitchen? The same is true for beer.”
A $13,000 renovation is under way, according to the landlord’s application from the Henderson County building permits department.
“We’re planning on opening in mid to late February,” Richard Wenger said. “We’d like to feature beers of local breweries within the Western North Carolina area that maybe are not doing distribution now — some of the smaller breweries that you can’t buy in the grocery store, guys that are just kind of coming up to speed.”
Wenger might include himself in that category. A home brewer for the past 15 years, he plans to install a barrel-and-a-half microbrewery in the basement of the Third Avenue West space. He does have experience at the retail level though.
“I formerly started a distillery in Greenville, S.C.,” he said. “In that process it’s brewing and distilling. You have to make what’s called a distiller’s beer so it’s brewing and distilling.
“We are initially looking at 12 taps and we’ll kind of adjust from there,” he said. “We’d like to have many guest beers. We’d like to highlight some of the other great beers in the area. There’s really this class of tourist who’s basically a beer tourist that is interested in trying beers that are locally brewed.”
Basic Brewery will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Flat Rock Cider Works

For a taste of hard cider plus local craft beer people will soon be able to check out Flat Rock Cider Works, downtown Hendersonville’s the first hard cider tasting room.

“We’re still in permitting process with the health department,” owner Jim Sparks said. “We’ve got all the heavy lifting done. We hope to open up by end of the month. It’s kind of out of our control.”

In addition to a sampling of craft beer and the hard cider he and his partner Jim Reavis make at their Naked Apple cidery in Flat Rock, the tasting room will sell local jams, jellies and honey.

“We’ll have local cider, local beers and just promote the local agriculture in the area,” he says.

Stag’s Head Brewery

If he can get the construction permits, Jonathan Ayers hopes to open his Stag’s Head microbrewery behind New Pointe Builders and the Yoga and Massage center at King and Caswell streets.
“Apparently this property was the red headed stepchild of downtown for a long time,” said Ayers, whose father, Jim, owns New Pointe Builders. “They used to knock buildings down and dump stuff in that lot.”
Ayers plans a geotechnical engineering to see if he can build on it. He’s homebrewed for many years and has been preparing for the day when he would open his own microbrewery.
“When I decided to start this business about two years ago I went back to school,” he said. “I’ve taken all the continuing education. I’m going to get my degree from Blue Ridge. I’ve got one already.” He has his certificate from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling and has a master brewers designation as well.
“We’re going to focus on about 10 flavor profiles,” he said. “Then we’re going to have continuously rotating taps so when you come in there’s always going to be something new and something exciting going on. I would like to have some taps with the other guys here in town.”
As for hours, “We haven’t got that far yet,” he said. “Sometime around lunch and shut down midnight. We’re going to be open all day.” For food, “we’re going to have a variety of food trucks that will come out on site.”

Sanctuary beer launch

Sanctuary plans to make a party of its newest beers on Sunday, Jan. 31, starting at noon. The brewery on First Avenue East, which  started serving its own brews last month, will debut Bobby Beer Jr., a Kolsch; Don't You Love Manny, a Wit; Caturday, Winterfell and Little Pig IPAs, Red Viper 90 Schilling ale, Weekend Joe coffee stout, Carolina Panther chocolate porter, Hendo Weisse, cranberry Saison and raspberry Saison and Rye So Serious? red IPA. The beer release party features the Stipe Brothers at 3 p.m. and the Carolina Catskins at 5:30 p.m.