Sierra Nevada continues work on its new Mills River brewery south of Asheville

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Some folks might be lulled into a false sense that Sierra Nevada Brewing’s new East Coast brewery in Mills River just south of Asheville is already open. After all, Sierra Nevada has been brewing there for months, and it held a big summer beer party and hosted some 5,000 beer drinkers at the site.

But the new Sierra Nevada facility is far from finished. It is massive (I like to call it an amusement park of beer) and there are many details to attend to. Here’s more from a recent Sierra Nevada blog post:

We’ve been making beer in Mills River for months, so now the work is focused on the experience—the finishing touches that make a visit to the brewery so much more than just a tour of a factory. These projects, while much smaller than others we’ve tackled, are in many ways more difficult. The crews completing them are craftsmen and experts in their fields; to watch them work is nearly magical. At the end of each day, one can look at a space, and by the next morning, it’s transformed into something completely different. Like Santa’s elves, the craftsmen labor long into the night adding beauty to formerly unfinished and semi-industrial spaces: sculpted wood reclaimed from the site, dramatic light effects and even green living walls. …

By January, we expect the Taproom and Restaurant to be completed, and in early 2015 the balance of the site work (hiking/biking trails, river access, and amphitheater) should be finished as well. It’s been a long time coming after years of hard work. At times, patience has been at a premium. Thankfully, the planning has paid off, and the results are truly exceptional.

Sierra Nevada is offering limited hard hat tours to people who want to sign up and watch the work in progress. Check it out.

March photo gallery of construction at Sierra Nevada’s new Mills River brewery.

Above image courtesy of Sierra Nevada.