I mentioned last time that I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to get back to my brewing roots once again. I could not be doing that if it were not for the entrepreneurial spirit of one Michaela Lemmon.
When I told the Brevard team that UpCountry would be putting the Asheville Brewery up for sale (please click this link if you missed that news), Michaela immediately stepped up and asked my plans for the Brevard location. She and I started chatting and we hit upon the perfect plan. Michaela would take over taproom operations, while I would operate our small 3.5 bbl brew system. While she has put a lot of faith in me, I have absolutely no doubts about her ability to take UpCountry Brevard and make it bigger and better than ever.
So a little info about Michaela Lemmon. Her family is originally from Upstate NY, though she spent most of her childhood in Salisbury, NC. From there she moved to Columbia, SC to attend college and study biology. During her three years at Columbia College, Michaela both swam and played softball. (Damn, girl!)
She transferred to Brevard College in 2019 and her first job in town was bartending at UpCountry. Michaela worked all through college and graduated with a BS in Health Sciences and a minor in Biology. She became the Taproom Manager for UpCountry at the same time that she went back to school to be a nursing assistant. All this while also working two nursing jobs. (Side note from John: it was this level of dedication and work ethic that convinced me Michaela has what it takes to be successful.)
I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to come out and see for yourself what changes and improvements Michaela makes to the UpCountry Taproom in Brevard. We are open 7 days per week; 2pm to 9/10pm. And when you visit, be sure to say hi and give her a huge shout out and kudos from me.
Cheers, John