USA, NC: Brewery, wellness studios to open as one-stop neighborhood hangout in Asheville

A local couple is on the path to bringing fitness and entertainment to the Asheville community at a hybrid brewery-wellness center.

This month, Josh and Shannon Brewer acquired the keys to the former Down Dog dog park, bar and yoga studio that closed last spring at 51 Sweeten Creek Road. The Brewers will transform the newly leased commercial building into a craft beer taproom with wellness studios.

Josh Brewer, who started as a home brewer, sought a place to open a brewery in Asheville after years as a professional brewer in Eastern North Carolina. Shannon Brewer recognized an opportunity to share her expertise in wellness with an audience in a joint venture.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we do a wellness studio and brewery together and it’s like whole-person wellness ― it’s mental, physical, spiritual, social and community — everything all together,” Shannon Brewer said.

The months-long renovation plan to upgrade the nearly 4,000-square-foot facility, spruce up the patio, and get beer production churning is intended to be complete in time for a November/December opening.

The entrepreneurs envision a place for the community to gather and find inner peace by participating in a yoga class or relaxing with a cold craft beer.

Josh Brewer said he imagines Brewwell as a local hangout due to its placement in the Sweeten Creek neighborhood surrounded by other local commercial businesses, restaurants and breweries like Hillman Beer and 7 Clans Brewing.

“It’s an area that has some strong established businesses and hangout places here,” Shannon Brewer said. “It’s growing and evolving, and I think we’ll continue to see it grow and evolve so it’s exciting to be getting in on the earlier stage of the second wave.”

A receptionist will greet guests entering the front of the building seeking to spend time on the wellness side of the business.

The two existing studios will host regularly scheduled classes like yoga, Pilates and meditation. The workshops and seminars may include practices like sound healing and reiki, and specially scheduled one-to-two times per month.

“Whatever people are interested in,” Shannon Brewer said. “I’m hoping to curate a collection of opportunities for people to explore and find the thing that sparks their element of interest.”

Instructors and other professionals will be contracted to lead the sessions.

The design theme is one Shannon Brewer has dubbed “Scandinavian boho industrial” as it will have a clean-line modern style with metal trusses overhead, natural materials like wood, terracotta and plant accents, and a color scheme of black and white contrasting with the copper beer kegs.

The taproom will be in the back half of the building and offer table, bar and lounge seating.

The existing bar will receive a facelift and drywall will be installed on the back wall from which the beverage menu will hang.

Nearly 600 square feet will be partitioned off the area to create a designated beer production space.

Six copper tanks will hang above the bar. The perks of the unique beer brewing and draft method are that it will save floor space for operations and storage while getting beer directly to guests in the taproom. Also, it will be easy to clean as it uses replaceable bags in the tanks.

Josh Brewer, said the “tank beer” set-up is popular in Europe, but Brewwell will be the third brewery in the U.S. to use them.

Beer is funneled from the brewery to the copper kegs through ceiling piping, and then a draft line will run from the kegs to the back wall of the taps.

Several additional taps behind the bar will be reserved for local guest beverage companies providing options like Prosecco, wine, kombucha and sour beers. Non-alcoholic options on the menu will include zero-proof beer, fruit smoothies, handcrafted sodas and sparkling teas.

Josh Brewer plans to introduce the brewery by releasing Czech-style pilsners and dark beers, a German-style Helles, an English-style pale ale, a nitrogen stout and Indian pale ales.

Light snacks will be on the menu, but visitors will be encouraged to patronize guest food trucks, pop-up vendors and neighborhood restaurants.

The patio will offer covered and open spaces and an elevated section that will back up to Sweeten Creek.

Enhancements will include a new awning and seating.

The fencing will be changed to create a more open and inviting social space.

“We want it to feel community-oriented. People can come in and be themselves, relax and hang out. It's a little bit more of an open feeling,” Shannon Brewer said.

The patio and taproom will be accessible from the side parking lot. A window at the back of the building will be replaced by a door for an additional entryway between the taproom and the patio.

The parking lot at Brewwell is limited to about a half-dozen spaces but additional parking will be available across the street.

Although the venue will no longer be a dedicated dog park, dogs will be welcomed at the brewery but in a traditional sense on a leash and on the patio with their human counterpart.

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