WILMINGTON — Watermans Brewing Company could be open today. It’s officially summer, and thousands of tourists and locals alike stream past the brewery’s location near the bridge to Wrightsville Beach daily. And while Watermans does plan to open very soon, it won’t happen until the beer is ready.
Owner Bob High said that the massive overhaul of the old Fibber McGee’s building was complete, the food menu was finalized and both front- and back-of-the-house staff had come together (you can check our sneak peak of the process from April here). But none of that is as important to High as the beer.
“Man, I know it, we could be open right now. I know we’re probably missing some $10,000 days. But we’re really all about the beer,” High said. “We’ve got great staff, a beautiful new building, and kick-ass food. But I really, really want people to come here for their first time and be just blown away by our beer. And we’re real close. Close enough to taste it.”
Head Brewer Zac Brown said he was grateful for High’s patience.
“We’ve been working to get everything dialed in. It takes time, and I’m glad we’re waiting and doing it right. You can’t fake good beer. You can go to the middle of nowhere, there will still be a good brewery there. And in Wilmington, we’ve got good breweries. So, when we open, we want to make sure our beer is on tap. And we want to make sure it’s good,” Brown said.
Beer, front and center
Watermans brew haus features several custom features, many hand-built by Brown. The room is literally and philosophically at the center of the brewery; it is also very much on display – it’s the first thing you see when you walk through the building’s double doors, as well as being prominently visible from the bar and dining room area.
“The beer is very much front and center,” Brown said. “I’ve never really been quite this exposed.”
For the last week, Brown has spent most of his waking hours in that brew haus, working on five new beers; he hopes to have most of them ready for opening day.
“The first thing we’re working on, which I’m excited about, is an ESB (extra special bitter),” Brown said.
The ESB is a nod to the San Francisco brewing scene where Brown cut his teeth. It’s also part of Brown’s professed love of complicated beers beyond the world of IPAs.
“I love IPA, don’t get me wrong,” Brown said. “But we also want to create balanced beer, which is what makes an ESB difficult and rewarding.”
Brown also said he was working on a special “beachable” beer, a hopped wheat ale, an IPA and his own take on a pale ale with Mosaic and Chinook hops.
“Hops are the name of the game right now,” Brown said. “But it’s more complicated than just dumping them in there. One, you don’t just want overkill – you want flavor. And two, you have to find the right ones – and ones you can reliably get. The market’s crowded, and before you lock into an expensive contract, you want to make sure you like what you’re getting.
“Eventually, we’re have our flagship beers, but right now we’re still experimenting a little to get it all dialed in,” Brown added.
Brown already has longer term projects lined up, including a lager – a process that can takes between weeks and months – and has a few ideas for some stouts and darker beers for fall and summer.
“This is what I’m here to do, this is what I love,” Brown said. “You know as soon as the tank is empty, I’ll be brewing another beer.”
Although Brown and High don’t have a set opening date, they both said it would be “very soon.” What is Brown most looking forward to?
“I’m looking forward to having Wilmington try our beer. I can’t wait. We’ve put so much into this place, literally 70 dumpsters of old rotted walls and floor came out of here, we rebuilt almost everything by hand, piece by piece. It’s been a long journey. We’re right there. It’s exciting,” Brown said.
Waterman’s Brewing Company is located at 1610 Pavilion Place, between Eastwood Road and the Path to the Sea Bikeway. For more information and updates on their grand opening, you can check out its Facebook page.
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
