Sneak peek: Asheville brewery Hi-Wire heads to South End

It’s the brewery’s first Charlotte location.

What to expect: A roll-up garage door and satellite bar will sit on the opposite side of the building, leading to a gaming area and beer garden, with soccer pool, shuffleboard and foosball.

• Dogs will be welcome both inside and outside of the brewery.
• The walls are covered with murals, hand spray-painted by Asheville artist Ian Wilkinson.

The menu: The main bar will include 20 taps of Hi-Wire beer, three wine taps and one draft cider.

• The wine selection will include a cabernet, a sauvignon blanc and sangria.
• The cider on draft will come from Noble Cider in Asheville.
• There will also be non-alcoholic options like kombucha and Liquid Death water.

What they’re saying: “We definitely want to make sure we have NA (non-alcoholic) beer options for people,” Katy Talbert, the taproom manager told Axios.

Details: The 8,743-square-foot taproom and 2,000-square-foot patio will be located at 330 W. Tremont Ave.

• Neighbors will include Benny Ferrovia’s, Common Market South End and Pins Mechanical Co.
• There’s space for more than 500 people inside and outside, and it has a large parking lot to match— we counted over 60 spots.

The big picture: Hi-Wire will launch three more locations in 2022, including one in Nashville, Tennesee, Birmingham, Alabama and one in Cincinnati, Ohio— bringing them to eleven spots ranging from the mountains in Asheville to the beach in Wilmington.

What they’re saying: “With our upcoming Charlotte location, we are set to truly become North Carolina’s ‘Mountains to Sea’ brewery,” Hi-Wire co-owner Chris Frosaker said in a statement.

Why it matters: Tremont Avenue’s transformation mirrors that of South End over the last decade. It’s booming.

Context: None of these businesses existed on Tremont Avenue five years ago.

• Yes, but: Common Market South End is the remaining neighborhood staple. It sat on Camden Road until July 2016, but the location was demolished and replaced by investment advisor, Dimensional Fund Advisors.

Between the lines: Hi-Wire is the second Asheville brewery to announce a Charlotte location this year. Axios’ Symphony Webber and Emma Way reported on Burial Beer Co.’s expansion to Plaza Midwood, which opened on June 11.

Take a look inside: 

Go deeper: Use our list of breweries to explore a new space this weekend.

Editors note: This story was originally published October 7, 2021 and updated on June 30, 2022 to reflect Hi-Wire’s opening date.