ASHEVILLE – A local couple is working to bring fitness and entertainment to the Asheville community with a hybrid brewery and wellness center.
This month, Josh and Shannon Brewer got the keys to the former Down Dog dog park, bar and yoga studio at 51 Sweeten Creek Road, which closed last spring. The Brewers will convert a newly leased commercial building into a craft beer taproom with a wellness studio.
Josh Brewer started out as a homebrewer and spent many years as a professional brewer in eastern North Carolina before looking for a location in Asheville to open a brewery. Shannon his brewer recognized an opportunity to share his own expertise in wellness with an audience in his joint venture.
“I said, ‘Why don’t we do a wellness studio and a brewery together? It’s like whole-person wellness. It’s mental, physical, spiritual, social, And the community, it all comes together,” Shannon Brewer said.
A months-long renovation project to upgrade the roughly 4,000-square-foot facility, spruce up the patio and stir beer production is expected to be completed in time for a November or December opening.
Entrepreneurs envision a place where the community can come together and find inner peace by taking a yoga class or relaxing with a cold craft beer.
Josh Brewer said Brewwell is located in the Sweeten Creek area, surrounded by local businesses, restaurants and breweries such as Hillman Beer and Seven Clans Brewing. He said he imagines it to be a local hangout.
“This is an area with some strong established businesses and hangouts,” Shannon Brewer said. “It’s growing and evolving and I think it’s going to continue to grow and evolve, so it’s exciting to be part of the early stages of the second wave.”
fitness elements
A receptionist greets guests who enter the front of the building wishing to spend time with the wellness side of the business.
The two existing studios will host regular classes including yoga, Pilates and meditation. Workshops and seminars may include practices such as Sound Healing and Reiki, which he specially schedules once or twice a month.
“Anything that people are interested in,” Shannon Brewer said. “I want to curate a collection of opportunities for people to explore and find elements that interest them.”
Instructors and other professionals are contracted to lead sessions.
Brewing side
The design theme, dubbed “Scandinavian Bohemian Industrial” by Shannon Brewer, features overhead metal trusses, natural material accents such as wood, terracotta, and plants, and black and white contrasting walls. It has a clean, modern style with a color scheme. Copper beer barrel.
The taproom is located in the second half of the building and features table seating, bar seating, and lounge seating.
The existing bar will be renovated with drywall installed on the back wall where the drinks menu will be hung.
An approximately 600-square-foot area will be sectioned off to include designated beer production space.
Six copper tanks are suspended above the bar. The benefit of our unique beer brewing and drafting method is that you can save floor space for working and storage while serving beer directly to your guests in your taproom. Additionally, the tank uses a replaceable bag, making it easy to clean.
Josh Brewer said the “tank beer” equipment is popular in Europe, but Brewwell will be the third brewery to use it in the United States.
Beer is delivered from the brewery through ceiling piping to copper barrels, from which a draft line runs to the back wall of the faucet.
Several additional taps behind the bar are reserved for a local guest beverage company offering options such as prosecco, wine, kombucha, and sour beer. Non-alcoholic options on the menu include zero-proof beer, fruit smoothies, handcrafted sodas, sparkling tea, and more.
Josh Brewer plans to introduce the brewery by releasing a Czech-style Pilsner and dark beer, a German-style Helles, an English-style pale ale, a nitrogen stout, and an Indian pale ale.
The menu will include light snacks, but visitors are encouraged to take advantage of guest food trucks, pop-up vendors, and neighborhood restaurants.
Brewwell’s Creekside Patio
The patio offers covered open space and an elevated section leading to Sweeten Creek.
Improvements include new awnings and seating.
Fences will be modified to create a more open and inviting social space.
“We want it to feel community-oriented. People can come here and be themselves and relax. It feels a little bit more open.” Shannon Brewer said.
The patio and taproom are accessible from the side parking lot. Windows on the back of the building will be replaced with doors, creating an additional entrance between the taproom and patio.
Parking at Brewwell is limited to approximately six spaces, but additional parking is available across the street.
Although the venue will no longer be a dedicated dog park, dogs will be welcome at the brewery, but in the traditional sense on leashes and alongside their humans on the patio.
brewwell
where: 51 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville.
opening: Tentatively scheduled for November or December 2024.
information: For more information, visit brewwellavl.com or follow us on Instagram @brewwellavl.
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Tiana Kennel is a food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow us on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this kind of journalism.Citizen Times subscription.
