Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will open its much-anticipated Taproom and Restaurant at its brewery in Mills River, NC, on March 10.
The Taproom and Restaurant is a showpiece for the brewery, featuring seating for nearly 400 visitors, 23 beer taps and a creative, chef-driven menu designed both to incorporate and complement great craft beer.
Sierra Nevada’s experimental 20-barrel pilot brewhouse is the centerpiece of the Taproom and Restaurant. Set just a few yards away from the dining room, the brewhouse will supply limited rotating draughts exclusive to the restaurant, and a real-time draught menu will be on the brewery website. Guests will be able to watch the beer-making process in action from seats at the bar or as they pass through the brewery on their way into the dining room.
The Taproom and Restaurant menu will focus on farm-to-table, small plate, and sharable food sourced from conscientious suppliers. It will include whole-animal cooking and ingredients from local farms and markets with a focus on top-quality produce and proteins. Sierra Nevada beer will be a staple ingredient in the food, and the staff will suggest unique and inventive pairings to complete the dining experience.
“Western North Carolina, and specifically the Asheville area, has a reputation for great beer and love of good food,” said Brian Grossman, second-generation brewer and co-manager of the Mills River brewery. “The Taproom will be our place to showcase the quality and flavors of what we do here at Sierra Nevada. Beer and food have always been a great match and we want to create new ways to combine the two and elevate what’s considered beer-friendly food.”
On March 28, Sierra Nevada will host its inaugural Burly Beers and Barleywines festival at the Mills River brewery, and the Taproom and Restaurant will provide a Southern-style feast included in the ticket price.
Taproom and Restaurant General Manager Rob Robinson and Executive Chef Brian Hough are industry veterans who have assembled a talented team of chefs, bakers, bar staff, and servers. The Taproom and Restaurant maintains Sierra Nevada’s “quality first” emphasis and aims to add a new twist to the Asheville-area dining landscape.