E-Malt.com News article: USA, NC: Currahee Brewing Company to launch in Franklin by spring

For the last 15 years Brandon Hintz and his wife Jodi have been vacationing in Macon County and, after purchasing a place in Scaly Mountain a year and a half ago, decided to start a business there. With Hintz' experience as a brewer with Sweetwater Brewery in Georgia and after opening a successful brewpub (Hop Alley Brew Pub) in 2013 in Alpharetta, Ga., a business in craft beer seemed like the logical choice, Macon County News reported on October 1.

"Our brewpub in Georgia became a success and I had always wanted to expand into a production brewery at some point," said Hintz. "After discussing different locations we could go to, Franklin was the one spot we kept coming back to due to the proximity to our place on Scaly as well as the people there. Combine that with the love of craft beer that people have, coupled with the more attractive beer laws in North Carolina specifically, it was somewhat of a no brainer to open in Franklin."

Setting out to bring a production brewery, tap room and biergarten (beer garden) to Franklin, Hintz and his business partner, JT Schroeder, began searching for a commercial property in Franklin, and with the help of Town Planner Justin Sester, were turned on to the commercial lot off of Lakeside Drive, adjacent to the Little Tennessee River.

"After looking at quite a few options in the area, we were turned on to the property off Lakeside Drive by the city planner, Justin Setser," said Hintz. "My business partner, JT, and I went and visited the property and loved the location. Being on the river and right in the heart of Franklin, it made it an obvious choice for us." In addition to the location and an up and coming craft beer industry currently flourishing in Western North Carolina, Hintz said setting up a shop in Franklin was an even easier decision to make thanks to the people of Franklin. "Everything with the Town of Franklin has been very professional, but very easy going, and frankly, it’s been refreshing to deal with a municipality that has shown a commitment to grow their city and is happy to work with a new business, particularly one like ours," said Hintz.

Hintz and Schroeder have been debating an expansion to Franklin for quite some time, even before Lazy Hiker Brewery opened this summer. As a fan of Franklin's first brewery, Hintz hopes the two businesses can work together to grow the industry. "When we first started planning this we actually weren’t made aware of Lazy Hiker also planning on opening in Franklin," said Hintz. "That said, when we did hear about it, we were even more encouraged about opening in Franklin. I’ve been to their brewery a couple times and they are making great beer, but between the two of us, I hope we can strive to attract beer enthusiasts to Macon County, and specifically Franklin as a pseudo “little Reno to Asheville” in the beer world. We also hope to collaborate with other breweries in the surrounding area as well."

Franklin's second brewery, which will be called Currahee Brewing Company, will be a production brewery with a tasting room complemented by a beer garden overlooking the Little Tennessee River. "While our brewpub has been a success, my background is in production brewery side as I used to be one of the brewers at Sweetwater Brewery, and wanted to go back to what I truly love to do."

The Franklin brewery and Hintz' existing business in Alpharetta will be completely separate of one another. "We want our brewery to stand alone in the South," Hintz said. "The name of our brewery will be Currahee Brewing Company. While we expect to provide a lot of the traditional IPA and other hoppy style beers, we plan to release a number of 'sour' style beers and my favorite, Belgian/Trappist style beers."

Hintz noted that ideally, Currahee Brewing Company hopes to be pouring their first beer by the end of spring/beginning of summer, but that is mainly going to depend on the permitting process.

"On behalf of my business partner, my wife Jodi and myself, we are extremely excited to establish our roots in Franklin and hopefully grow our company there," said Hintz. "We truly look forward developing lasting personal relationships with the people of Franklin and Macon County and grow with the area."


02 October, 2015