ASHEVILLE
The opening of two more breweries in Asheville is shining more light on the city's nationally known craft-brewing community. Buncombe County is now home to 10 professional breweries, counting Asheville Brewing's two locations.
But some are wondering how many more breweries the city can support.
With the launch of Craggie Brewing Co., and the scheduled opening later this month of the Lexington Avenue Brewery (also known as the LAB), Asheville has more craft breweries per capita than any other city in the U.S., said Julie Johnson, the editor of All About Beer magazine.
"Asheville is a big-league beer destination," she said. "People are aware of Asheville as a beer destination."
With each brewery having its own niche, there's no set number on how many a city can support, she said. "You can have a block of restaurants and no one says it's too many," she said. "Right now, it's just generating more interest."
The challenge is making products customers will embrace, said Oscar Wong, the majority owner and founder of Highland Brewing Co., the city's biggest and oldest craft brewery, which began 15 years ago this month. "Beer has a much wider range than anyone imagined," he said.
Building a new brewery isn't quick or easy. It took two years for brewer Bill Drew and his partner, Jonathan Cort, to conceive and open Craggie Brewing, which opened Nov. 20. A few blocks across town, the Lexington Avenue Brewery has been in planning and construction for three years, with a goal of opening before the end of this month.
The new breweries will liven up the scene, Drew said.
"The coming out of Craggie and the LAB will bring people here to visit," he said. "There are beer drinkers and (pub and restaurant accounts) for all of us."
The LAB, in the former T.S. Morrison's store, will include a restaurant, music room, and in a unique twist, an upstairs hostel.
"It took longer than I figured," said co-owner Mike Healy, who partnered with Steve Wilmans to build the brewery. "I remain extremely excited about it."
Ben Pierson, who previously brewed at Jack of the Wood (Green Man Brewing), has beer now cooking in the tanks.
As for the competition, "the thought has crossed my mind," Healy said. "But we have a traditional brew pub that will bring in the business we are looking for. Over the past three years, so many people have walked down the street and poked their heads in to see what's go. Beer enthusiasts are always excited to find a new beer."
More bottled beer may be the coming trend, said Jason Caughman, a co-founder of Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain. Pisgah is now distributing 22-ounce bottles of its brews, which will help expand sales, he said. Until now, more than 90 percent of Pisgah's sales have been draft.
"There are a limited number of tap handles," said Pisgah's David Quinn. "Brewers are looking to get 22-ounce bottles in people's hands. That's Asheville's future."
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