Asheville-based Hi-Wire Brewing to expand east, taproom slated for Durham

Mackensy Lunsford | The Citizen-Times

Show Caption Hide Caption Asheville beer Owners of the first and sixth breweries in Asheville talk getting started, the recession, and Asheville beer.

ASHEVILLE — Durham will soon get its own piece of Asheville's booming brewery scene, courtesy of Hi-Wire Brewing.

Brewery co-owners Chris Frosaker and Adam Charnack announced Monday plans to open a third taproom, the “Durham Fun Zone,” in downtown Durham later this year.

The taproom will be at 800 Taylor St. at the Golden Belt, a historic 320,000-square-foot mill once home to textile and tobacco facilities. The Durham facility will have 8,844 square feet of interior space, as well as a 1,678-square-foot covered patio and beer garden, according to a release from Hi-Wire.

Charnack said the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle is Hi-Wire's second-largest market behind Western North Carolina, and one of the first to benefit from the brewery's expanded distribution reach.

"We've felt for some time like it's a second home to us, and we've been looking for ways to root ourselves in the community," Charnack said. "So while a taproom outside of our two primary breweries wasn't necessarily part of our day-one business plan, we've realized how important it is both for Hi-Wire and for our fans to have more ways to connect with the brewery."

The new game-oriented taproom will feature shuffleboard courts, soccer pool tables, table tennis and 24 taps.

On the menu will be Hi-Wire's full lineup of beers, including year-round brews like Hi-Wire Lager, Bed of Nails Brown and Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA.

The taproom will also serve Hi-Wire seasonals, sours and one-offs, as well as wine, local cider and guest taps from neighboring Durham breweries.

Space will be dedicated to potentially develop a pilot brewing system.

Strategic growth has always been a part of the Hi-Wire vision, which opened just five years ago.

"We are kind of a crazy company," co-Frosaker said in a 2017 interview. "We're always talking about growing. It's pretty much my day-to-day job."

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The brewery has a location on the South Slope but turns out most of its brews from the Big Top facility at 2 Huntsman Place, where the company will celebrate its fifth anniversary July 28 with circus-themed attractions.

The Durham taproom is slated for a fall opening, but will use its website and social media accounts to announce construction, hiring and opening date updates.