USA, NC: Blowing Rock Brewing opens second brewery in North Carolina

For nearly a year, Blowing Rock Brewing Company has produced its artisan beers for the Blowing Rock Ale House in its state-of-the-art brewery, located in a building behind the restaurant in downtown Blowing Rock, NC, Boone Mountain Times reported on April 10.

But its larger scale brewing operation, for its bottled beers to be sold at retail outlets, has been located out of North Carolina. Until now.

“Effective this month, Blowing Rock Brewing Company is moving the larger scale brewing for its Blowing Rock Legacy Series of brews to our new brewery in Hickory, N.C.,” said Todd Rice, a founder of Blowing Rock Brewing Company, along with Jeff Walker. “This will become our company’s second brewery in North Carolina.”

Rice and Walker have named their new beer making facility Boone Brewery at Hollar Mill. The brewery will produce Blowing Rock Brewing Company Legacy Series brews, originally introduced in 2008. The series includes Blowing Rock High Country Ale, IPA and four seasonal brews: Winter Ale, Blowing Rock Bock Spring Lager, Summer Ale and Oktoberfest.

“Our Legacy Series brews and the four seasonal varieties are available at retail statewide,” Rice said. “These were formerly brewed in Pennsylvania, and while we have long planned to bring the brewing to North Carolina, it’s finally happening now.”

In North Carolina, Blowing Rock Brewing Company beers are distributed by Tryon Distributors and can be purchased at Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Ingles, Total Wine & More and locally at the Blowing Rock Market and at Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants in Boone.

The company will continue to operate its original High Country brewery, located behind the Blowing Rock Ale House.

“Each of our artisan Blowing Rock Ale House Series brews remains hand crafted at our small-batch, state-of-the-art brewery at our Ale House Restaurant and Brewery in Blowing Rock,” Rice said. “We also offer the Ale House Series in limited quantities to local proprietors in the High Country and ‘off the mountain’ by request.”

Longtime brewmaster Ray Hodge joined Blowing Rock Brewing Company in 2012 and is currently in charge of the brewery in Blowing Rock.

11 April, 2014