USA, NC: Dry Falls Brewing Co. officially open in Hendersonville

What started out as a dream shared by a father and son is now a reality, as Dry Falls Brewing Co. officially opened on Friday, November 2 in Hendersonville, BlueRidgeNow.com reported.

After years of planning and preparations, Jeff and Evan Gollihar are ready to welcome the Hendersonville community to their new spot, and looking forward to seeing how the brewery will flourish in the future.

“I’m very excited,” Jeff Gollihar said while putting the finishing touches on the space on November 2.

The family initially looked at Seventh Avenue for a potential location, but decided on an old body shop on Kanuga Road. With a lot of elbow grease and determination, the space has been completely renovated.

The beer menu includes clever labels such as the Blushing Otter (a witbier) and the Paddle Faster Pale Ale. Other brews include the White Water Wit, Busy Bend Blonde, Simply Citra IPA, Mt. Delay IPA, Amber Waves, Kitty Conscience, Bent Nickel Brown, Mud Creek Milk Stout, “Blue Tape” Blueberry Blonde, Cherry Vanilla Milk Stout and Mud Creek Milk Stout (Nitro).

All beers are brewed in house by brewmaster John Duncan, who goes by Duncan, and has 25 years of experience in the industry. A porter is still in the brewing process and will be ready to add to the menu in about two to three weeks.

Prices range from $2 for a 4-ounce taster to $3-$3.50 for an 8-ounce glass and $5-$6 for a 16-ounce pint. A couple of ciders will be offered from Urban Orchard Cider out of Asheville. Snacks and soft drinks will also be available, and popcorn in the future.

The idea for the brewery began a few years back, when the family was at Sick-N-Twisted Brewery in South Dakota sampling beers. They began to toss the idea around and ran with it. Jeff began with a small brewing extract kit and was immediately hooked on the process.

Evan and Jeff brewed as a hobby at first, purchasing home-brewing equipment. The father and son built a small working brewery inside Jeff’s garage, and as the process flourished, they started having friends and family over to share pints.

Becky Gollihar finally pushed her husband and son into going all of the way with their interest and dream. She also played a large role in selecting the brewery’s name, which pays tribute to the Dry Falls waterfall.

The brewery will always be a family business that focuses on supporting the local tax base, Jeff Gollihar said.

“We always want to help promote and support other local businesses,” he added.

Future plans for the brewery are mostly still to be decided. The first on the list is to turn the space that is now a private event room into a pub-style restaurant.

Other breweries around Hendersonville have been extremely supportive, Jeff Gollihar said, adding that they have been there to help out when needed.

“It is a community,” he said.

The public has also expressed excitement and anticipation of the brewery’s opening, he added.

Following suit with the modern-day brewery model, Dry Falls will have a rotation of food trucks and live music.

Dry Falls Brewing Co. is located at 425 Kanuga Road and is pet friendly. The family has three basset hounds themselves, two of which would often accompany the Gollihars when they brewed in the garage back in the day.

The building includes a large bar area, a small bar seating space and several high-top tables. The owners are looking into creating outdoor seating when the weather warms up.

Current hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

04 November, 2018