Has it been two years already? For co-owner Andrew Durstewitz it seems like just yesterday he opened the D9 Brewing Company doors. On Saturday he and co-owners Aaron Burton and John Ashcraft will celebrate their 2-year anniversary with a Halloween party and a special unveiling of their new taproom.
“We’ve just been working so hard, heads down, it’s amazing to look up and see how far we’ve come,” Durstewitz said. What started as a 1-barrel operation in a small space on Bailey Road has grown to fill a 12,000-foot warehouse space with a 10-barrel production, award winning, craft brewery.
“In just two years’ time we’ve literally gained five times the fermentation capacity,” Durstewitz said. And next week, adding to the growth, D9 will have its first bottling line in.
The company prides itself on its “reimagined” international IPAs, ancient sour ales, Cascadian dark ales, and various imperial and oak-aged beers. This year its Dry Hopped Systema of Naturae – Scuppernong & Lily earned a Great American Beer Festival gold medal for experimental beer.
“2016 was the first year someone in the Charlotte area brought home a gold, and ours is the first sour to win a gold in North Carolina,” Durstewitz said. NoDa Brewing Company in Charlotte also won a GABF gold this year for NoDajito in the “herb and spice beer” category.
Adding to the excitement of 2016 at D9 is the completion of its new taproom, a 2,000-square-foot area that offers more of the “craft beer experience,” Durstewitz said.
“Everything we do is about educating people about our brand,” he said. “We want people to see that they are in a manufacturing space. We want them to get to know more about the beer and the people behind it.”
With a gold medal, new taproom, Halloween, and lots of beer, the D9 trio has the makings of a perfect anniversary party. This Saturday, they host the second annual Hallowversary bash at D9, 11138 Treynorth Drive, complete with live music, food trucks and costume contests, and featuring 13 specialty Halloween beers.
The “13 Beers of Halloween” are eccentric flavors that push the envelope, Durstewitz said, and each has a story behind it. D9 is revealing on Facebook one beer per day in advance of Saturday’s event. It’s a way for the brewers to have some festive fun and further flex their craft beer muscles.
“These flavors wouldn’t fly at any other time, but they’re fun for the celebration,” Durstewitz said.
The Hallowversary begins at 5 p.m. Saturday and is open to the public.
Details
Saturday, Oct. 29
5-10 p.m.
D9 Brewing Company, 11138 Treynorth Drive
About the contributor:
Christina is a local multimedia content producer and digital strategist. Formerly the editor of CorneliusNews.net, she is thrilled to work with the OTC team to once again help tell the ever-evolving Cornelius story. She lives nearby with her husband, Nate, and a small menagerie of 2- and 4-legged beasties.
Christina Ritchie Rogers
Christina is a local multimedia content producer and digital strategist. Formerly the editor of CorneliusNews.net, she is thrilled to work with the OTC team to once again help tell the ever-evolving Cornelius story. She lives nearby with her husband, Nate, and a small menagerie of 2- and 4-legged beasties.
