Asheville Breweries “Closed Indefinitely” Due To Hurricane Helene Flooding

Massive flooding in Ashville, brought on by Hurricane Helene has led to numerous brewery closures

The mountainous regions of the Carolinas have been devastated by epic floods brought on by Hurricane Helene, and Asheville, NC, one of the East Coast’s most vibrant brewing centers, has been hit hard.

The Citizen-Times is reporting  on the status at a number of Asheville breweries that go from bad to worse…

Highland Brewing, one of the region’s oldest craft breweries, which runs two locations in Asheville, is “closed indefinitely. “Helene has caused devastation around WNC,” the brewery wrote on Facebook. “We are working to communicate with our team to ensure their safety & whereabouts.”

Sierra Nevada Brewing’s East Coast operation in Mills River, NC is “temporarily closed,” according to the company’s social media.

New Belgium Brewing’s Asheville campus is also closed for the foreseeable future, the company wrote on Facebook. “We’re heartbroken at the devastation throughout WNC, and we can’t wait to be able to welcome back our community.  “You truly are at the heart of what we do.”

Ginger’s Revenge, who make alcoholic gluten-free ginger beer, is closed until further notice. “We are devastated by the destruction of hurricane Helene to our city,” its Facebook post read. “Thinking of our friends, families, and neighbors during this time.”

Hi-Wire Brewing’s headquarters “and its RAD Beer Garden were submerged in water on Friday amid flooding,” according to the Citizen-Times. Via social media Hi-Wire shared that its Biltmore Village Production Brewery & Taproom was also inaccessible and that all of it Asheville locations were closed until further notice. “The devastation in our community is overwhelming,” the post read. “Homes and businesses have been destroyed, and lives have been tragically lost. Our hearts go out to our team, friends, and neighbors during this difficult time.”

Housed inside a yeast factory producing brewers yeast since 1995, White Labs Brewing, which started in 2012 as a way to showcase the influence yeast and fermentation, has “temporarily closed” its Asheville kitchen and taproom.

Wedge Brewing announced its closure on Thursday on its Instagram account and hasn’t posted on social media since.

Wicked Weed Brewing  took to Instagram  to announce its closure last Friday and hasn’t updated its status since then.

12 Bones Brewing’s two locations are both closed. “We will have more to say when we can assess the damage at our beloved River location,” the company posted on Instagram. “Right now our prayers are for the safety of our staff and community.”

(Courtesy Pisgah Brewing)

And as we’ve reported, Pisgah Brewing, which is located in Black Mountain, NC, just miles from one of America’s most precious watersheds, opened last weekend to offer flood victims access to clean water that in happier times would be used in their brewing operations.

Brewery owner Dave Quinn told the Washington Post that he normally “keeps two 4000-gallon tanks of clean water in reserve, though he wished he had filled more tanks before the storm. “We’ll probably give 1000 people water today,” Quinn said. “I wish we could keep going nonstop.”

###

(American Craft Beer will continue to update this article as we learn more)