Like many Charlotte residents the owners of District 9 Brewing Company, John Ashcraft, Aaron Burton and Andrew Durstewitz, are transplants. Identifying the Queen City as a place of opportunity they moved here and put down roots, which spread quickly as they realized the community shared their love for craft beer.
They acquired a taste for craft beer like many brewers do, through trial and error, with a turkey pot in the garage. I think from the very first batch we brewed in my garage, the dream was there. says Ashcraft. They started with brewing kits and went on to experiment with their own recipes. Receiving positive feedback from fellow craft beer lovers, and realizing the potential of the growing market, they became licensed to brew.
John recalls, We started planning, put a deadline on our dream and turned it into a series of goals. We self-funded our venture and this year was really a test of the market to see if we could expand successfully. Our goal for 2013 was to sell our first licensed keg. We sold hundreds of pints on our grand opening alone.
At District 9 Brewing Company it’s all about Ale. They started with their flagship beers, Experiment #12 Pale Ale, Outpost Black Tea Ale and Battle Hymn Black IPA. They have since evolved and have grown their repertoire to include brews such as a Peruvian Chocolate Ale, a pumpkin ale called Head of the Horseman and their Barely Legal IPA, continuously experimenting with ingredients and new recipes.
The ingredients in our beer carry different weights of importance depending on what were brewing. The water, for example is great straight from the tap for our dark beers with few additions, but we have to add some minerals when we brew IPAs for the flavor and aroma to pop. Some of our recipes have several hop additions and many types of grain in the bill while others are simple. From grain to glass, it take just over two weeks to brew. We do, however, have one ale aging for three months before it will be ready to our standards
The high standards at D9 have paid off, as their brews are being met with growing demand. Their plan for 2014 is to grow their space and upgrade to a ten barrel system. They also plan to begin taking commercial accounts, to meet the growing needs of both local and far-reaching businesses. Regardless of where their brews travel, Ashcraft attributes their success to the local community.
The best part of the business is sharing our beer with the community. Our purpose is to brew outstanding beer that unites people. We brew beer we love and hope other people enjoy it as much as we do.
For more information visit District 9 online at www.d9brewing.com.
