Henderson County, NC
D9 Brewing Company’s indoor-outdoor bar that opens onto Hendersonville’s Main Street has become a popular place to gather in the NC mountains.
The roll-up garage door front draws passersby. They peek inside the industrial-chic space formally home to a piano store and chat with patrons who snagged the prized street-side seats.
The brewery and taproom opened in April, one of three new locations that debuted at the same time for the Lake Norman-based brewery. Currently, D9’s flagship beers are on tap. By fall, the head brewer in Hendersonville will serve his own creations alongside the flagship ales.
Although D9 is the sixth brewery in downtown Hendersonville, it is the first on Main Street.
“I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a Main Street as vibrant and active as Hendersonville’s,” says Scott Hettig, head brewer and general manager of D9 in Hendersonville. “People park and walk the length of the street and do shopping and stopping and eating. You really can’t beat it.”
Since its founding in 2014, D9 has emerged from the crowd of craft breweries by specializing in sour beers and brews with unexpected ingredients. The brewery won a coveted gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016, followed by a bronze in 2018.
One of its best-sellers is a session IPA with tangerine called Swell Rider, which brings a citrus taste without being overpowering. An especially creative sour, Wormhole, is brewed with coffee, lime and spearmint.
Hettig not only enjoys introducing people to D9, but also suggesting nearby breweries.
“Hendersonville is really coming into its own as far as the brewery scene,” Hettig says. “We have a bunch of good ones here, so we’re in really good company.”
For more info about D9 and other Hendersonville breweries, go to www.CheersTrail.org.
