Foothills Brewing - Cottonwood Endo IPA

Foothills Brewing opened for business in 2005 with a brewpub/restaurant location on Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem, NC.  At first, co-owner and brewmaster Jamie Bartholomaus was pretty much alone in the brewhouse, crafting Foothills’ beers from homebrew recipes he had developed while attending the University of Georgia in Athens.  These days he’s got a bit more help; strong growth since those early days means Foothills now has more than 20 employees just on the beer side of their business alone.

Bartholomaus got his start in the beer world as a homebrewer, which eventually led to him working for Athens, GA’s now defunct Blind Man Ales.  After relocating to North Carolina, he did a stint with the respected Olde Hickory Brewery before jumping into business for himself with Foothills.  Since then business has grown steadily, although the last couple years have been quite dramatic (2011 saw a 46% increase in production compared to just one year prior).  After maxing out their brewpub system, Foothills acquired a new, larger, 48,000 sq. ft. facility a few miles to the southwest, which they put into production at the end of last year.

In 2011, Foothills also acquired the brewing division of Carolina Beer & Beverage, including their Carolina Blonde and Cottonwood Ales brands and all their brewing equipment.  This gives Foothills a critical upgrade: the ability to bottle their beers and package them for retail sales instead of relying solely on draft accounts.  It also means more people are now getting a chance to try their excellent brews!

For more info on the brewery, the restaurant, or their nine year-round and eight seasonal beers (including their legendary Sexual Chocolate imperial stout, released annually for Valentine’s Day in very limited amounts) visit www.foothillsbrewing.com or call 336-777-3348.