Carolina Beer Guy: DSSOLVR brewery joins the Asheville scene

BOSTON STRONG: After years of planning, DSSOLVR co-owners Vince Tursi, left, and Mike Semenec will open their Lexington Avenue brewery on Dec. 13. Photo courtesy of DSSOLVR

It has been an incredibly busy year for beer in Asheville, and, as 2019 winds down, another downtown brewery is set to open on busy Lexington Avenue.

On Friday, Dec. 13, DSSOLVR will become the 40th active brewing company in Buncombe County. It’s also the culmination of years of planning and work by co-owners Vince Tursi and Mike Semenec.

The dream started for Tursi, who previously brewed at Burial Beer Co., and Semenec when they were working and living in Boston. They wanted to open a brewery, but, in Tursi’s words, “I would get a better job, and [Semenec] would get a better job, and the timing never worked out.”

After opening Night Shift Brewing in Everett, Mass., just north of Boston, and Lord Hobo Brewing in nearby Woburn, Tursi moved to Asheville and worked on the Forestry Camp Bar and Restaurant, which is also home to Burial’s production brewery. “The last two years, I’ve been chipping away, trying to make [DSSOLVR] happen,” he says.

Tursi notes that the downtown space had “the urban feel” the partners wanted, and Lexington Avenue would generate the foot traffic he says the brewery needs. The property also “had the historical element” that they yearned to focus on. “We wanted to restore an old building and keep it alive,” he says.

Tursi adds that DSSOLVR’s rooms in the historic Tyler Building once housed a thrift store but had sat empty for years. Built in 1928, the hillside construction presented challenges when it came to renovating the 8,000-square-foot space and prepping it for a 15-barrel brewing system (purchased in 2017) and a 3-barrel pilot system. There’s a 1,000-square-foot area of the building that will be used for sour beers.

“We ended up taking out a bunch of walls,” Tursi says. “To bring the shell up to where we could even start construction took us a year.”

Tursi says he’s been brewing a lot of beer the past two weeks to get ready for the launch. DSSOLVR has a canning system and will start with canning a cream ale and a kölsch. Packaged beer for sale on opening day. The taproom will also serve a hoppy pilsner, a double IPA, a session IPA and more, all of which will focus on local malts and agriculture.

“We will be brewing a decent amount of English- and German-style [beers],” Tursi says. “At the same time, we will be brewing American-style beers.”

While he notes that there could be some initial distribution, Tursi and his DSSOLVR crew would rather have patrons visit the brewery first. “We put a lot of effort into building this space,” he says. “It’s unlike any taproom I’ve been in before.”

DSSOLVR is at 63 Lexington Ave. Tasting room hours on Friday, Dec. 13, are 5-10 p.m. Regular hours are 5-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. For more details, visit dssolvr.com.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Tony Kiss
Tony Kiss covers brewing news for the Xpress. He has been reporting on the Carolina beer scene since 1994. He's also covered distilling and cider making and spent 30 years reporting on area entertainment. Follow me @BeerguyTK

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Carolina Beer Guy: DSSOLVR brewery joins the Asheville scene

  1. Small

    Using our water and producing loads of wastewater all to peddle your poison. No More Breweries!

    • DreadT

      Wait a minute, I thought the water was already poison because of fluoride and chlorine?

  2. Jay

    amazing brewery!! was there last night and was blown away. These guys are raising the bar.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.