USA, NC: Westville Pub to open its own five-barrel brewhouse in Asheville

After 15 years in business on Haywood Road in Asheville, Westville Pub is set to expand its footprint by 50 percent and open its own five-barrel brewhouse, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported on May 30.

That's a significant change for owner Drew Smith, who believes the secret to longevity lies in starting simple and making small, not jarring, adjustments along the way.

"I believe in small tweaks in business in general," he said. "We deal with tons of regulars. It’s scary to even take a sandwich off the menu.”

But he says luck is on his side.

Triple Seven Brewhouse, under construction in the space next door to Westville, pays homage to the pub's address, 777 Haywood Road. The brewhouse will be in the former Center for Holistic Medicine, which has moved upstairs.

Smith imagines all those sevens have brought him luck. But good fortune can only carry a business so far.

Westville, one of the earliest of the new-guard businesses on the Haywood Road corridor, has held the neighborhood's attention by catering to its bread-and-butter: the locals.

"You do what you do, and do it well, and people will keep coming." Smith said. "When I hear people say Westville Pub is their home base, nothing could make me happier.”

Plans for the new five-barrel brewing system aren't particularly fancy, in keeping with Westville's ethos of homespun authenticity.

“We’ve never been crazy complex," Smith said. "We have a different demographic we’re targeting. We want to keep it simple and consistent.”

Expect, then, pub standards: a pale ale, a pilsner, an IPA. No major bells and whistles. "We'll just start out simple and make a great product that our customers can enjoy and we can charge less for."

Triple Seven's head brewer has yet to be announced. While there's no word on when exactly the beer will start to flow, Triple Seven is already legally able to start brewing. "As soon as the dust settles," Smith said.

The newly expanded space will also allow Westville Pub to upgrade the kitchen, which means more focus on house-made baked goods, deli meats and other facets of the culinary program.

Baked goods are handled by Meg Schearer of Whisk AVL, which operates out of Westville's kitchen, providing the pub with fresh-baked breads and daily desserts. “It’s neat to hear people say, 'Let’s go get dessert at the pub,'" Smith said.

The new brewery space, which will be accessed from within the pub, will have a tasting room and more seating for Westville, as well as more TVs for watching sporting events, per customer demand.

Triple Seven joins Oyster House Brewing Company, Upcountry Brewing Company and the recently opened Archetype Brewing, all brewing beer on Haywood Road. There's also Urban Orchard Cider Co. and Bar, which makes its own cider.

Smith sees the cluster of brewing businesses as a boon to the neighborhood.

"Early on people asked if competition would be good for our business," he said. "But I say it's not competition; it’s community building."

01 June, 2017