ASHEVILLE — By most measures, 2010 was an exciting year for local beer.

It's the first year Asheville won the title "Beer City USA" outright, an unofficial nomenclature celebrated to the hilt that summer by the area's first Beer City Festival.

It was also the year Lexington Avenue Brewery opened in downtown Asheville. Nine years later, LAB has closed with owner Mike Healy's decision to move on.

But momentum continues for the local beer scene, and Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective, a group of seven innovative breweries, is the latest to stake a claim.

This spring, the collective will open a restaurant and brewery, The Canarchy Collaboratory, in the former Lexington Avenue Brewery.

Canarchy is a collective of some of the most interesting names in craft beer: Oskar Blues Brewery; Cigar City Brewing; Perrin Brewing Company; Squatters Craft Beers; Wasatch Brewery; Deep Ellum Brewing Company; and Three Weavers Brewing Company.

But the group is more than a collection of big names.

It's also an opportunity for craft brewers to enjoy the purchasing power of a larger entity, while still enjoying autonomy, said Doug Hofeling of Salt Lake Brewing Co., which operates the Squatters and Wasatch brands.

Hofeling will also oversee food operations in Asheville.

"The Canarchy Collective is a collection of like-minded brewers who want to maintain authenticity and local culture, but know it can be difficult to go it alone in the saturated craft beer market," he explained.

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The collective wields its synergy in many ways, including increased purchasing power for raw ingredients like grain and hops, and harder-to-find eco-friendly materials like compostable to-go containers.

"We're very much into sustainability and locally sourced materials and ingredients," he said. "Wherever we are, it's important to have that buy-in to the community."

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He knows that's also a good ethos to have for an outsider trying to set up shop in Asheville, "And that's also a big thing in craft beer in general, and we're very cognizant of that."

Expects collaborative beer to flow

That collaborative spirit will be reflected in brewery operations, led by Wayne Wambles of Cigar City Brewing, who Hofeling said "has a chest full of medals and a solid reputation for being one of the more innovative brewers in the country."

Working with a 10-barrel system, the Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective will invite Asheville's brewers to collaborate with brewers from around the country.

The results will be displayed on one of Collaboratory's two dozen or so taps, as well as in the collaborating brewers' own breweries.

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That means a flood of new beers coming to local pint glasses all over town. "What we provide is space where they can do those collaborations," said Hofeling.

Canarchy will also provide some innovative toys, including a centrifuge and a Cigar City-developed infusion tank called a Spinbot.

"We want to give the brewers all the flexibility in the world to do what they want to do," Hofeling said. "There's not a type of beer or style of beer that exists now that we can't do there."

Food will be sustainable, locally sourced

The restaurant is likely to open in mid-April after substantial renovations to the former LAB.

The menu is still being solidified but will be dedicated to sustainability, Hofeling said.

"It will permeate every part of the food menu," he said, adding that the restaurant would sell only "clean-labeled" food and will reach out to local ranchers and farmers for meat.

Fish will all be sustainably farmed and caught, and all meat and eggs served will come from humanely treated animals.

There will be a special focus on eliminating plastic use, with no plastic serving containers or straws on site.

Sourcing is another way the collective can wield its purchasing power, Hofeling said.

"We pioneer ways to make it financially viable to bring the best possible ingredients you can find in a region, at a price point people can afford," he said.

The menu is still under development but will likely involve plenty of smoke and elevated American-style pub fare.

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Though former LAB chef Polo Alonso has been retained for the project, the menu will be something entirely different.

"I am not unaware of the level of cuisine in Asheville," Hofeling said, naming Cúrate and Chestnut among his favorite local restaurants.

"The level of cuisine in Asheville is excellent, and we plan on matching that with ours."

Canarchy Collaboratory will serve beer, obviously, as well as wine and a full bar.

The restaurant will open for brunch, lunch and dinner, and will offer more seating space than the LAB did, as well as a spacious event space and an upgraded sound system.

"As a collective, we're very excited about this project," Hofeling said. "This is one of the first things we've done as a collective — and the first thing we've ever done that sits on its own, outside of all the brands, but still containing all the brands."

Find it this spring at 39 N. Lexington Ave.