Deschutes Brewery battle down to Roanoke and Asheville?

The scramble to land the Deschutes expansion brewery is heating up, and the finalists appear to be Asheville and Roanoke, Virginia.

While Deschutes management is not commenting on possible locations, Charlottesville, Virginia, was once been believed to be in the mix. But Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said the brewery is now examining other potential locations after Albemarle County, Virginia, supervisors declined to rezone as much land as would be needed to lure the project, which will bring it at least 100 jobs.

McAuliffe told the Charlottesville Daily Progress newspaper that he was hopeful the brewery would pick Roanoke. "Listen, there is a lot of competition," he was quoted as saying. "I think it is between us and probably a city in North Carolina."

The governor has visited the Deschutes brewery in Bend, Oregon, and has said he wants to visit all 121 breweries in Virginia.

Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina had previously been identified as a potential sites, but this week, the head of that state's craft brewers guild said he had not had contact with the company for some time. "I’m hopeful, but I’m not aware of any circumstances that would indicate to me that Deschutes is still considering South Carolina," said Brook Bristow.

Next week, Deschutes president Michael Lalonde will return to Asheville for an informal visit with area breweries and to learn more about the thriving craft beer scene. Western North Carolina has more than 40 craft breweries, including three big national players: Sierra Nevada in Mills River near Asheville, Oskar Blues in Brevard, and New Belgium, which will open next month in West Asheville on the French Broad River. About half of the area's breweries are in Buncombe County.

The Asheville area is regarded by many as the nation's East Coast craft beer destination.

The brewery competition between Asheville and Roanoke played out once before in 2012 when the cities were both on the radar for the Sierra Nevada brewery, which ultimately came here.

Lalonde is not expected to make any official announcement while here, nor is he believed be to be visiting other states on this trip. The company has said it will make its decision by year's end and would like to begin production at an eastern brewery by 2019.

Deschutes is a highly regarded western brewer that does not distribute its beers yet in most of the eastern half of the country.