Sierra Nevada’s North Carolina operations is a showcase for sustainable-based artisan craft brewing operations and for creating a wonderful customer experience.

Overview of Sierra Nevada’s North Carolina Operations

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Why You Should Visit

 A Grand Setting – About 200 acres of beautiful rolling hills, majestic trees, and numerous creeks showcase the Sierra Nevada Mills River Estate. The creeks flow into the nearby French Broad River. As you drive up the specially engineered, winding, half mile entry road named Sierra Nevada Way you’ll feel like the arriving guest at an exclusive Mountain Château.

Study in Sustainability – Local, state, and national groups have recognized Sierra Nevada  for their leadership and commitment to environmental friendly operations. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” is a key and integral component of Sierra Nevada’s philosophy and business model.

Sierra Nevada uses the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines for sustainable operations. Designed, built, and implemented with a commitment to pursue LEED certification from the beginning, the Mills River operation is an education in sustainable philosophy. As you self-tour the grounds, markers point out many of the design elements incorporated.

If you want more than a self-tour, sign up for the Mills River Natural Resources tour that showcases Sierra Nevada’s sustainability practices and initiatives and LEED features.

A Variety of Quality Beers That Complement Fresh Local Food – North Carolina is known for its love of food and passion for quality craft beer. Sierra Nevada’s restaurant chefs focus on “small plate, sharable, whole animal and farm-to-table dishes sourced mainly from local suppliers”. The restaurant and small-scale pilot brewery (in the Taproom) uses fresh homegrown vegetables and herbs from the Mills River Estate Garden just behind the brewery. With 23 different flavorful beers on tap, the perfect beer accompaniment is readily available. Knowledgeable servers can help you select the best pairing.

You can also take your beer outdoors and enjoy the expansive “Back Porch” and Beer Garden. Once outdoors, you can stroll the grounds, play family friendly games, or just sit and relax. An Amphitheater supports regular concert events.

During my visit, Sierra Nevada introduced their seasonal Oktoberfest beer. To make 2015 Oktoberfest, Sierra Nevada partnered with one of Germany’s oldest breweries—Brauhaus Riegele. I really enjoyed the rich malty and nutty flavor of this beer.

Behind the Scenes Brewery Tour – You can take a brewery tour and learn the details of Sierra Nevada’s approach to creating world-class quality beers. The attention to detail that has gone into this brewery design is stunning. Whether you are a brewing novice or a Beer Geek, there is a tour for you. I was lucky enough to get a brewery tour from Founder and CEO Ken Grossman. What a great experience!

A grand space with attention to detail, fresh food, great beer, nature friendly design, and lots of family entertainment. I’m ready to go back today.

A big thanks to my talented wife Patricia who took the photographs.

Want to see more photographs? Check out the slide show below.

Read about my 2013 visit to Sierra Nevada in Chico, CA by clicking here.