ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — They say good things come in threes, and that is certainly the case for French Broad River Brewery, the latest Asheville business to celebrate its grand reopening since Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina.
FBRB will officially commemorate its comeback at a Grand Reopening Party from 1-10 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 9, at its 101 Fairview Road address, located just outside of Biltmore Village. The event also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the brewery and the release of its annual “Septemberfest” beer.
A community-powered reopening
While the “grand reopening” is this weekend, FBRB technically reopened its doors in late April 2025. According to owner Paul Casey, the four month wait to celebrate was because FBRB wanted to ensure a reopening celebration could celebrate not just the brewery, but the community which kept it afloat.
“When we finally got our permit, we didn’t have enough time to plan. We didn’t have enough time to bring everybody together, thank all the people and the community that supported us, thank all the contractors that helped build this thing back,” Casey explained. “We just decided to get going as quickly as we could and that gave us a little time to plan ahead. And so, that’s where we ended up, here in August. It’s 25 years of us being in business, but also an opportunity to give a shoutout to all the people who helped us get back to where we are today.”
“Truly a local brewery”
Casey described FBRB as “truly a local brewery,” and sure enough, many of the planned festivities at this Saturday’s celebration will be familiar to FBRB regulars.
The Saylor Brothers, the FBRB Wednesday night bluegrass band, and Jerry’s Dead, the Thursday night Grateful Dead cover band, will be providing live music, while weekly vendors at the brewery will congregate in the parking lot.
Even the return of the “Septemberfest” beer is a tradition annually anticipated by fans of FBRB beer.
“We’re excited to have it back as well,” said Aaron Wilson, FBRB head brewer and general manager. “We’ve been building our lineup back little by little over the past few months.”
Behind the bar inside the brewery, the row of FBRB’s signature yellow taps is nearly restored, though a few gaps still remain. Wilson promised that wouldn’t be the case for long.
“We’re trying to add more and more of the beers that you’ll find only in the tasting room or in the market for a limited time every week or every two weeks,” Wilson said. “So, hopefully by fall, we’ll have all the taps back up and rolling. But we’re off to a good start.”
Brewing gratitude
Casey is looking forward to having an occasion to thank the community directly.
“For me, as the owner, I just want to take the opportunity to thank everybody for their support over the last – we’re coming up on a year, almost, right?” Casey said. “I just want to take the opportunity to thank everybody for keeping us top of mind, checking in on us, making sure we’re okay while we tried to check in on them to make sure they were okay.”
Though the grand reopening will celebrate the last 25 years of FBRB, Casey is ready to look toward the future, too.
“Let’s just come together, let’s group hug,” Casey said. “Everybody, you know, be thankful for what we have today and let’s start moving forward.”
For more information about French Broad River Brewery, visit www.frenchbroadbrewery.com.
