Yes, it’s been a whirlwind 20 years for the Pyatt family. What started as a Christmas gift in 1994, from Jetta Pyatt to husband Billy, led brothers, Billy and Scott Pyatt to give home brewing a try.
Soon after the 5-gallon stovetop kit, the Pyatt brothers tackled a 15-gallon test batch on the driveway. That led to the Pyatts, ‘going commercial’ — opening Catawba Brewing in 1999, and selling its first keg to the Mellow Mushroom in Asheville.
That beer was soon followed by a wonderfully drinkable brown ale and a perfectly malt/hop balanced IPA named ‘Firewater.’ In 2006, the Pyatts added a taproom to the production brewery in Morganton — and Catawba Valley Brewing Company was on a roll.
Catawba’s home run came in 2006 when the Pyatts brewed a small batch of white ale for a Halloween party. To this day, that beer, ‘White Zombie,’ is Catawba Brewing’s best seller — accounting for 13,000 barrels of Catawba’s production in 2018.
Catawba Brewing's 20th anniversary celebration beer releases 7-20-19
Catawba Brewing has two Asheville locations — a large tasting room, with a chandeliered event space, and 7-barrel test brewery on Banks Ave., in Asheville’s South Slope, and a tasting room in Biltmore Village. Catawba expanded production in Morganton, adding a 30-barrel brew house, moving its previous 10-barrel brew house to a prime near-downtown location in Charlotte.
Catawba Brewing Charlotte is a showcase for the company’s success, with an indoor-outdoor tasting room, a dedicated, private Barrel Room event space, which is home to Catawba’s barrel aging program.
In 2017, Catawba Brewing acquired Palmetto Brewing in Charleston, with those beers now available at all Catawba Brewing locations.
Throughout the growth, Catawba Brewing has always made, “Having Fun,” a priority.
“We make people happy,” said Billy Pyatt. “And we have many reasons to celebrate.”
Anniversary celebrations
The anniversary week will be celebrated at all four Catawba locations, with music, fun and giveaways, culminating in a day of celebrations Saturday, July 20. Each day July 15-19, both Asheville tasting rooms will have one pint glass with an emerald green band around it, in honor of the 20th anniversary. The glass will be hidden in the day’s serving glassware; the person served the emerald glass gets a special $20 gift card, valid for anything at the Catawba tasting room. The guest who is served the emerald glass during the July 20 anniversary party at the South Slope taproom will receive a $200 gift card.
• Beer releases: A nod to the past, present and future
Catawba will be releasing four anniversary beers Saturday, July 20.
“To celebrate our roots, we’re bringing back one of our original IPAs that we don’t make anymore,” said Brian Ivey, Catawba’s marketing director. “Plus, we’ve brewed the release with some remarkable folks. To tip our hat to the present, we’ll have an anniversary barrel-aged White Zombie. For the future, we’ve tapped into what we see as a lasting, growing trend: NE-style IPAs.”
• South Slope anniversary party
Noon – 11 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at Catawba South Slope, 32 Banks Ave., Asheville — sip anniversary beers, get a limited-edition anniversary T-shirt, enjoy live music, bites from the Blind Pig and sweet treats from Three Eggs Cakery — plus, have the chance to win a $200 gift card from the “get green” special pint glass.
For details on the celebrations, check each Catawba location’s Face Book page. To learn more about Catawba Brewing, visit www.catawbabrewing.com.
