USA, NC: Fourth Creek Brewing Co. aiming at spring opening in Statesville

Beer drinkers will have to wait at least until spring to tap into Statesville’s first brewery since the 1930s, the Statesville Record & Landmark reported on November 22.

Jonathan Nobinger, who planned to open Fourth Creek Brewing Co. in downtown Statesville by the end of the year, said last week it will be several months before the brewery can be up and running.

“The saying is ‘twice as long, twice as much,’ and I thought I had factored (for) that and doubled that number, but it’s been double of the double,” Nobinger said of the startup timeframe.

The long, narrow 3,100 square-foot building at 226 W. Broad St. will house a system capable of brewing 75 gallons of beer at a time, said Nobinger. He added that he was ordering the equipment last week, and that it would take a couple months to install in the now-vacant building.

In the meantime, Nobinger said he’ll be able to work on building out the space.

“We’ve done some of that now, but we’re waiting on the money,” he said. “Then we can begin the inspections and permitting. The city has been great. They’ve been so helpful, but it’s just become one of those ‘hurry up and wait’ (situations).

Nobinger said last week that he was still “hammering out” financing, and that he hopes the brewery will be ready by April, just in time for North Carolina Beer Month and the festival season.

“(That) would be a good time to be open anyway,” he said. “It will work out in our favor and give us some time to build up our inventory. We don’t want to sell out in the first weekend.”

20 November, 2017