As Green Man Brewery enters its 25th year, the company is continuing to build its presence in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
Green Man will celebrate its quarter century in business starting on Thursday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day), and running through the weekend, culminating with a block party featuring live music, food trucks and several beer releases.
The significance of the milestone isn’t lost on Green Man owner Dennis Theis, who bought the brewery 12 years ago. This year, several legacy breweries have either shuttered (Marin Brewing) or their owners signaled their plans to retire (Hair of the Dog, Hale’s Ales).
Green Man’s longevity, according to Theis, is due to the brand and the beer, and being nestled in a city that’s become known as a craft beer hotspot with a flood of tourists.
“The brand is very compelling and transcends time,” he said. “It’s just a steady, amazing, cool, iconic brand, in my opinion. We have loads of followers and supporters, and through COVID, we’ve certainly got to renew our engagement with our local fans and local Asheville folks because there were no tourists.”
Theis recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary closure of Green Man’s two taprooms — Dirty Jack’s and the Green Man Mansion — in downtown Asheville at 5 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day 2020. Those taprooms have since reopened and the tourists have come back to the beer-centric city each weekend.
“Every Saturday is like a festival,” he said. “That’s what’s fueling the growth here. There’s just not enough barstools and tap handles to feed all the tourists that are here on the weekends.”
Green Man will add a restaurant to its corner of downtown Asheville with the purchase of a 10,000 sq. ft. property that will be split between food service and storage, Theis said. Construction to modify the location’s industrial-grade kitchen has already begun and the goal is to offer takeout food beginning in May with a menu of fish and chips, burgers and salads. Theis said the company is toying with the idea of adding a rooftop deck that would oversee the mountains.
“Since my time here, we’ve never had food or liquor,” he added. “We’re gonna get into the restaurant game because — not that it’s a particular passion of mine — but it’s such a glaring need for food, and we want to do it right.”
For breweries the size of Green Man, which produces around 10,000 to 12,000 barrels annually, Theis believes the taproom model is the “formula for success.” Green Man had a record year with its taproom business in 2021, he said. Between its taprooms and distribution, 65% of Green Man’s overall business came from Asheville — and up to 80% from North Carolina, he added.
“It’s all about the home market and your taprooms, that’s how we’ve continued to stay relevant and drive growth,” he said.
According to Theis, Green Man was “more profitable than ever” in 2021, and its taprooms were “soaring.” Although distribution is no longer the main focus of the company, Theis said its local distribution via Budweiser of Asheville grew +7% in 2021 and is up +4% year-to-date. Those gains were in large part due to 15-packs of Wayfarer IPA, which the company launched in January 2021 and has sustained the business through the pandemic, becoming its top-seller, Theis said.
Being around since 1997, Theis admitted there are risks for aging brands to become stale or irrelevant. Green Man has avoided those pitfalls by offering taproom beers that appeal to younger drinkers and upping its social media game.
“We offer beer that is consistent and approachable,” he said. “We don’t put marshmallows or gummy bears in any of our beer. But we certainly always have a hazy or two on tap. We certainly always have a kettle sour, Berliner weisse, gose on tap. The younger generation definitely wants more approachable beer, and IPAs are hazy now.”
Green Man has also branched out with beyond beer offerings, including a 4.5% ABV ginger beer Gingers Have Soul, canned wine, a cider in partnership with Urban Orchard Cider Co., and a single-malt whiskey with Asheville distillery The Chemist.
Looking ahead to the next 25 years, Theis said Green Man will focus on its taprooms and restaurant in Asheville.
“We’re a family business 100%,” he said. “My kids might have an interest, I know one of them definitely does [in the business]. Twenty-five years from now, I’m going to be 77 years old. Hopefully, I’ll be going here for a beer and some fish and chips, and having a good laugh and enjoying this great brand. At the end of the day, we just want to bring joy to people.”