USA, NC: Basic Brewery now open in Hendersonville

A new craft brewery is opening on March 19 at 131 Third Ave. W. in Hendersonville, NC, and even though its name is Basic Brewery, beer drinkers will find it to be anything but basic, BlueRidgeNow.com reported on March 18.

Owners Linda and Richard Wenger will feature 15 local beers on tap with their own creations coming towards the end of the summer.

“We want to be known as a place where you can come and sample beers from other towns and plan your beer journey from the beers you taste here,” Rich Wenger said.

The idea is that people can taste a beer at Basic Brewery and then they can travel to those breweries and see what else they have to offer.

The couple will feature beers from Asheville Brewing Company, Brevard Brewing Company, Blind Squirrel Brewery located in Newland, Sylva’s Innovation Brewing Company, French Broad Brewing, Twin Leaf Brewery and Foothills Brewing from Winston-Salem.

Customers can also enjoy Naked Apple cider from Flat Rock Cider Works, a selection of white and red wines as well as soft drinks.

Unique bottle and can offerings will be available, including a coconut ale from Miami Brewing Company.

After mulling over the idea to open their own craft brewery for several years, the Wengers began scouting locations across Henderson County.

However, Linda and Rich Wenger are no strangers to the beer industry as the couple has been in the business for about 15 years. Rich Wenger started as a home brewer and then the couple became the parents of Dark Corner Distillery in Greenville, S.C., before selling the company and coming to Hendersonville.

The Wengers began location hunting in May, but once the two came across the historic building on Third Avenue West, which used to be Falderal Winery, they said it was a “no brainer” decision with the proximity to Main Street and heavy traffic patterns.

Hendersonville also feels like home to the couple, who moved to the area about three years ago.

“It’s laidback like we are,” Rich Wenger said. “There are friendly people, beautiful views and nice weather.”

Over the past five months, Basic Brewery has been a construction zone with Linda and Rich Wenger doing most of the renovations themselves, including building a 20-foot bar to complete the taproom.

The space, about 1,300 square feet, is an open area and goes along with the couple’s theme of Basic Brewery, Linda Wenger said.

“We wanted a simple feel,” she said.

“We wanted a place where people can feel welcomed, comfortable and be relaxed,” Rich Wenger added.

Along the walls, the couple features artwork from a local Carolina artist. The high top bar tables were created out of recycled materials like sprinkler pipes and granite counter tops.

Other furniture pieces were purchased from local antique shops around Hendersonville and the Asheville area.

“It’s eclectic,” Linda Wenger said. “We wanted to have different things and wanted something different.”

In the back of the space, there is a bookshelf with many games, and food will be available. A popcorn maker was the couple’s first purchase for their brewery.

Towards the end of the summer, the owners plan to start brewing their own beers to bring to the menu, possibly featuring brown ale or pale ale and some experimenting with herbs or spices.

“The really cool thing is (that) the system is so small, if you make some something and it doesn’t work out, we can flush it down the drain and not really lose a lot of money,” Rich Wenger said. “We can afford to be experimental.”

The couple will be brewing with a 1.5-barrel system, which produces about 45 gallons of beer. The system also allows the couple to brew beer quickly since it takes about two weeks to get a beer ready to serve to customers.

When the Wengers start brewing, they’re looking forward to getting feedback from their customers.

“We can be quick to respond to what customers have to say about our products, and we can afford to try different things that may or may not work,” Rich Wenger said.

23 March, 2016