Tonight, Dec. 12, Henderson County commissioners voted to offer a $3.75 million economic-incentive package for an unnamed company; word is, that company is California-based craft brewer Sierra Nevada. (***This post was updated at 9:18 p.m. with more from the meeting***)
The Henderson County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing tonight, Dec. 12, to consider granting economic development incentives for a company that wants to open a facility in the county. Will the move pave the way for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. to build a massive new facility in the area? (For meeting updates, follow @JakeFrankel via the hashtag #avlbeer.)
A Dec. 12 public hearing regarding incentives package for an unnamed company may be for Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
From Christmas to solstice, the holidays are everywhere. But what if you need a break from the festivities? This week’s CalCast offers a respite from holiday cheer with a few events that don’t feature Santa and his elves.
Reporter Jake Frankel and beer columnist Anne Fitten Glenn discuss the state of beer business and culture in Asheville.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company executives dropped by the Thirsty Monk last night while visiting Asheville on a site-scoping tour. More accurately, it was a family visit.
As part of this week’s cover package on the local beer business, we prepared an extensive timeline of the high points in its evolution, from when the Smoky Mountain Brewery first opened its doors in 1993 in Waynesville to Asheville Brewing Company’s current plans to start offering the area’s first canned brews.
Brewer and American Brewers Guild graduate Steph Weber says she’ll be opening a brewpub called Twin Leaf (@TwinLeafBeer) in Asheville “as soon as humanly possible!”
The old adage that the business of booze is recession-proof — or recession-resistant, anyway — seems to be panning out for local brewers. Despite tough economic conditions the last few years, the local beer scene has been abuzz with new breweries, expansions and growing acclaim. Since 2008, Asheville has birthed four new independent, locally owned […]
1993: Smoky Mountain Brewery opens in Waynesville. It closes four years later. 1994: Oscar Wong and John McDermott start Highland Brewing Co. in the basement of Barley's Taproom in downtown Asheville. 1997: The Blue Rooster, Asheville's first brewpub, opens next to Barley's featuring Highland beers exclusively. It closes a year later. Laughing Seed Café co-owner […]
At Echoview Farm in Weaverville, hop bines curl upward toward the sun. Hops helps bring out the particular flavors in different styles of beer, owner Julie Jensen explains. And while Western North Carolina’s moist climate is not ideal for large-scale hops production, certain specialty varieties are being cultivated at Echoview, Hop’n Blueberry Farm and through […]
Beer is primarily a tasty water delivery method. Water makes up approximately 90 percent of what you’re imbibing in beer. And while beer lovers geek out about varieties of hops and yeast and malts, we often ignore the crucial ingredient of water.
Even the most well-intentioned beer list can fail if servers don’t know how to sell it. Enter Beer 101, a Course for Servers.
New bar comes to town, local creperie makes good and Green Sage opens a south location.
Ten trees arrived at the Wedge Brewery, their roots wrapped in burlaped balls of dirt, on the the back of a flatbed truck. “They look kind of funny up there, on the truck,” said Julia McAffee of Chicago who was there to drink beer, not plant trees. “I had no idea people did things like […]
Separating rumors from reality
Greg Koch, Stone CEO and co-author, will be in Asheville on Friday, October 28, promoting his new book and telling stories. And, of course, drinking and sharing Stone Brewing beers.
Greg Koch is one of country’s leading impassioned craft-beer brewers, and he’s coming to Asheville on Oct. 28 to brazenly promote his latest book and discuss craft beer.
Munich-based beer lovers have celebrated Oktoberfest for more than two centuries. The brewcentric festival has evolved into a multiweek smorgasbord of hearty German food and drink attended by millions. The fest is emulated by cities around the world, especially those with a stout brewing culture — and Asheville is no exception. In my opinion, Oktoberfest is one of Germany’s biggest gifts to the rest of the world (along with the Christmas tree).
For weeks, Asheville has seen rumors swirl that New Belgium is considering the city for a new brewery and looking for economic development incentives. Today, Sept. 22, City Council member Jan Davis publicly confirmed the rumors at a Council of Independent Business Owners forum. He tells Xpress that while he welcomes the company, he’s skeptical about the need for incentives.
With rumors flying about local governments’ closed sessions on economic development (a New Belgium brewery?), government incentives for private business are once again in the news. Whether they’re spat on as “corporate welfare” or lauded as “job creation,” they remain controversial as ever.
