The Hendersonville Cheers! Trail welcomes two new breweries, as well as a winery tasting room and bistro. The popular trail now includes 17 stops serving wine, beer, cider and mead from downtown Hendersonville throughout the Blue Ridge Mountain countryside.
Burning Blush Brewery, which opened in late 2019, creates a pub-style atmosphere. You can’t miss the building with its stately rock façade along Boylston Highway in the Mills River community.
Inside, striking multicolor murals by local artists cover the walls. Brewer Whit Lanning studied at Brewlab in Sunderland, England, and you can feel the Old World influences in the place, from iron chandeliers to an antique bar. Lanning’s core beers trend toward the lower end of the ABV spectrum. An English bitter, German-style pilsner, Vienna lager and Baltic porter are tasty reflections of his European training.
Just around the corner, Mills River Brewing Co. opened its new 8,600-square-foot location in January. The brewery began life in 2015 in an Arden strip mall but quickly outgrew that location. When searching for a new spot, owners Joey Soukup and PJ McCarthy looked to Mills River, their hometown and the brewery’s namesake.
Beers are named after Mills River landmarks and trails, such as Middle Fork IPA, Big Creek amber ale and Mullinax stout. Juju’s Craft Cookery operates an on-site food truck featuring a creative menu with locally sourced ingredients. Wings, burgers, nachos and fries pair well with a pint.
Burntshirt Vineyards in Hendersonville recently opened a second location in nearby Chimney Rock. The tasting room and bistro overlook the iconic Chimney Rock landmark and Hickory Nut Falls.
Taste a selection of 20 estate-grown wines, and choose a favorite to pair with lunch or dinner. Standouts include a French-style dry rosé, a Meritage red blend and a pleasantly sweet apple wine. The bistro serves an upscale yet approachable menu with Southern classics, seafood dishes and shareable small plates.
To learn more about these stops and plan your route along the Hendersonville Cheers! Trail, visit www.CheersTrail.org or call (800) 828-4244.