USA, NC: Asheville Brewing moves production from Merrimon Ave. to Coxe Ave. in Asheville

Asheville Brewing Company begins moving all of its beer production to its main Coxe Avenue site in Asheville. The Merrion Avenue “mothership” will remain open as a taphouse, pizzerria and discount cinema, Asheville Citizen-Times reported on August 17.

“The seven barrel brewhouse at Asheville Pizza and Brewing, 675 Merrimon Ave., will find continued life at the company’s downtown location, 77 Coxe Ave.,” company president Mike Rangel said.

Beer has been made on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville since December of 1997 when the site first opened. At the time, there were only two other breweries in Asheville - Highland Brewing and Green Man at Jack of the Wood.

Former Two Moon brewer Doug Riley has remained with Asheville Brewing since it acquired the Merrimon location in 1999.

“That little brewery has made a lot of beer,” said Rangel. But the space was cramped and it no longer made sense to use as a brewing location,” Rangel said.

“It will take about 60 days to move the brewing equipment from Merrimon to Coxe and install the system there,” Rangel said. “The old Merrimon brewery space will be converted to a cooler to store beer made on Coxe Avenue,” he added.

By shifting all production to Coxe, all of the company’s seven brewers will work in the same location, and it will cut down on trips between the two venues, Rangel said. It will also let the company brew more one-off and specialty beers. This year alone, Ashevile Brewing is on track to make 60 specialty ales along with its core regular line.

“To remove the brewing system from the building, the Merrimon location will likely close its game room for a day,” Rangel said. Work on the conversion will likely begin in coming weeks.

19 August, 2015