Asheville - Craggie's closing a sad beer chapter

[Banjo]

Beer Guy: Craggie's closing a sad beer chapter
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20121122/ASHEVILLESCENE/311220039/Beer-Guy-Craggie-s-closing-sad-beer-chapter?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Entertainment|s& nclick_check=1

The beer business is a tough way to make a dollar. My buddy Oscar Wong, founder of Highland Brewing, has said many times that the way to make a small fortune in brewing is to begin with a big fortune. To build a brewery and make it work is a real challenge.

This week, that battle was lost by Craggie Brewing, which will close on Dec. 1 after three years of business, having never reached profitability.

It’s possible that Craggie’s space at 197 Hilliard Ave. may still be part of the beer scene here. Craggie owner Bill Drew says negotiations are under way to put another brewery in that building, which would employee two of Craggie’s staff. Let’s hope so.

So what happened to Craggie? Many may have an opinion on that. When it opened in 2009, the beer makers had just a few months of being Asheville’s newest brewery before Lexington Avenue Brewery opened at the end of the year, stealing some of that excitement and thunder.

Craggie never really found its place on the beer scene. Selling beer is an extremely competitive business with national, regional and local brands in the mix.

And, coming up with a unique brew that people will embrace is always a challenge, too. The brewery did think outside the box with products like Toubab Brewe (in honor of Asheville’s world music group Toubab Krewe) and Antebellum Ale, made with a Civil War recipe. But it wasn’t enough.

Craggie becomes the first Asheville craft brewery to go bust (the old Blue Rooster on Biltmore Avenue was actually a pub and restaurant, which did not make its own beer).

With its closing, Asheville-Buncombe drops to nine breweries, but not for long. Wicked Weed will open on Dec. 21 on Biltmore Avenue, returning the local brewery tally to 10.

Home sweet home
On a brighter note, a Habitat for Humanity house sponsored by the Asheville Brewers Alliance has an owner and occupants. Last week, the ceremonial keys were passed to Tammy Nash, who closed on the property about a month ago.

The Brewers Alliance not only donated $10,000 on the cause, but brewery workers got out there and lent manpower to the project, too. You can’t beat that.

Oksar Blues update
The big new Oskar Blues brewery in Brevard is set to make its debut Dec. 12 with the start of brewing and the opening of a very cool balcony tasting room overlooking the operation. On New Year’s Eve, Oskar Blues will host a rare reunion of Western North Carolina’s popular rock band Jupiter Coyote, in what is sure to pull a big crowd.

Oskar Blues will produce 40,000 barrels of beer in its first year, easily making it the biggest brewery in the Carolinas.

Highland Brewing, which currently holds the crown, will make just over 30,000 barrels this year.