Sierra Nevada Taproom and Restaurant
Mills River, North Carolina
Named after the Sierra Nevada mountain range near the original brewery site in Chico, California, Sierra Nevada Brewing opened its second location in Mills River, North Carolina, in 2014, allowing the brand to expand its reach to the East Coast. Building on a 40-year reputation for quality, bold-flavored brews, Sierra Nevada prides itself in operating as a Platinum LEED-certified facility with sustainable practices such as sending the brewery’s spent grain to local farmers and employing its own wastewater treatment. Many of the building’s wooden components came from trees that had to be cleared during the brewery’s construction.
“The facility’s got a very rare, natural feel to it,” said Rhonda Fayssoux, the on-site events coordinator at the brewery.
Unlike typical bar fare, Sierra Nevada Brewing sources most of its menu ingredients from local farms and its own Estate Garden and beehives. Groups can savor these farm-to-table dishes in one of the brewery’s private dining spaces.
“We do a lot of corporate training events and appreciation dinners for customers or clients,” said Fayssoux.
Planners can book the Taproom for smaller events or take advantage of the 225-seat event space upstairs, which functions more as a private catering facility with beautiful handmade wood furniture, a private lounge, a balcony, an event stage, a full-service bar and a shuffleboard table.
During the immersive 45-minute brewery tour, guests can rub whole-cone hops in their hands, look into the whirling mash tun through an observation window and sample some sugary wort on its way to the fermentation tanks. The tour concludes with a complimentary beer tasting.
www.sierranevada.com/brewery/north-carolina/taproom
The Knickerbocker
Grand Rapids, Michigan
New Holland Brewing brews and distills at three locations in the Grand Rapids area: a production facility on the north side, a pub and restaurant in downtown Holland, and a brand-new brewpub and distillery, the Knickerbocker, on Grand Rapids’ historic west side. The Knickerbocker offers an extensive listing of craft beer, wine, cider, cocktails and seasonal dishes made from scratch, providing something to satisfy everyone’s palate.
“It’s a unique Michigan experience to try our handcrafted beer,” said Megan LaSorsa, director of retail marketing for the company.
The Knickerbocker offers five flexible meeting venues to accommodate the needs of every group. The Bride Street Beer Garden creates a fresh open-air setting for up to 125 guests; the Barrell Stave Loft on the second floor can accommodate another 125 guests. The Trees is a spacious 125-seat indoor beer hall aptly named after the towering artificial trees that line the room. Smaller groups can enjoy more intimate space in the Zeppelin Lounge cocktail bar or the Butcher’s Table private dining room.
“There are so many ways to divide the space. It could be a corporate meeting, a happy hour cocktail party, a plated dinner — we have so many configurations available,” said LaSorsa.
For an exclusive after-hours event, planners can work with the brewery to set up pairing stations with savory appetizers and spirits, or organize a guided tour through the distilling and brewing facilities.
“We’re both a distillery and a brewery, so it’s exciting to see how those two operations interact with each other,” said LaSorsa.
