Good Times Are Brewing!
A little over four years ago, Tim Herdklotz and Carson Coatney sold their first beer. It was the only beer they had on tap, and they sold their craft through Basil's. This weekend, Booneshine Brewing Company, Inc. will be celebrating its Grand Opening.
In the beginning, it was just the two of them. “We did everything. We brewed the beers. We sold the beer. We distributed the beer,” Tim explained. The two were both homebrewers in Boone, but after meeting through mutual friends they came together and decided they wanted to do something more.
Six years ago, that something more became Booneshine Brewing Co. “When someone first threw out that name as a possible name for our business, we kind of laughed at first,” said Tim. “But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. We can highlight the things that make Boone and the High Country shine.”
Both Tim and Carson’s love for Boone spans back many years. For Tim, the “boonerang” brought him back to the High Country after attending App State and leaving for a job in Atlanta. Carson landed in Boone after school 20 years ago and has been here ever since. Along with Booneshine, Carson also owns Melanie's Food Fantasy and Stick Boy Bread Company and Stick Boy Kitchen.
When they first purchased the building for the brewery and restaurant, they sat down with fellow Boone entrepreneurs whose businesses resided on the eastern side of town; Jeremy Bollman of Hatchet Coffeeand Chris Grasinger of Center 45. They wanted to come up with an identity for that side of town, and all agreed on the name East Boone. Since then, they have been promoting it through their own companies.
The Booneshine restaurant space is like an Appalachian patchwork quilt; made up of many different products locally created in the town. The barstools and tables were made by Charleston Forge, the leather on the barstools came from Caroll Leather, and the ham on the menu is from none other than Goodnight Brothers Country Ham - all located in the Industrial Park where Booneshine resides.
“We feel like we’ve created a place where community can happen. That is the most exciting part for me,” Tim smiled. “We absolutely love Boone. That’s why we’re here. We’re both just committed to doing what we can to make it a better place.”
Haven’t visited the new brewery and restaurant yet? Head over to East Boone this weekend and join the celebrations and ribbon cutting for Booneshine Brewing Co.’s official Grand Opening! Lets make #booneshine together.