USA, NC: D9 Brewing Co. to open second location in Hendersonville

A new microbrewery, taproom and coffee shop is slated to open in downtown Hendersonville this spring, BlueRidgeNow.com reported on January 8.

The city will become home to the second location of D9 Brewing Co., in the former Swanson’s piano store. D9 was born from two friends brewing beer in a garage. They later opened a small commercial facility then a microbrewery/taproom in Lake Norman in 2014.

In 2019, they decided to branch out to other areas of North Carolina.

“We grew up the business just like any other small brewery,” said Andrew Durstewitz, D9 co-owner and co-founder, who is also an engineer. “Really what we decided in 2014 would be our differentiator was this idea of being unquestionably original, so we always want original products to be brought to the market.”

A third location will also open this year in Charlotte. Each location will offer a menu of “core” beers from D9 as well as brews unique to the taste preferences of that community.

“Each location is going to be beer-specific to the brewer and their innovation process,” said Megan Miller, D9 marketing director.

D9 offers ciders on tap and wines from partner brands, and in Hendersonville will sell coffee from Main Street Coffee. The microbrewery, taproom and coffee shop will be downstairs, and an Airbnb will be upstairs.

D9’s developer, Van Hook Construction, bought the building and let Durstewitz know about the property for a potential location. It was a “no brainer” to take the opportunity, Miller said.

“It (Hendersonville) has a nice, vibrant brewery scene already growing there and we wanted to become a part of that,” she said.

Durstewitz added that the city is growing and D9 wants to be a part of that growth.

“We are super excited to be a part of the local community and being a part of the area and the craft brewing culture that has built up around there,” he said. “I think that we’ve got some pretty interesting and original products in mind for the local community that we can’t wait to share.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, soft openings will be held for the new locations. Durstewitz plans to have “a big fun party for everyone” once restrictions are lifted.

“COVID has had an impact, absolutely,” Durstewitz said. “It’s been painful and we’ve had to pivot quite a bit. Luckily, D9 does the majority of its business in distribution so in that part of our business we actually saw a 26% increase, but a 50-60% decrease in retail. We believe that’ll come back, especially to more tourist-based areas like Asheville and Hendersonville.”

D9 Brewing Co. Hendersonville will be located at 425 North Main Street. Pints range in price from $5.50 to $9 each. Four-packs can be purchased in person and online at shop.d9brewing.com. Prices range from $9.99 to $15.99 each.

07 January, 2021