[ Photo credit: April A. Morris ]
Make your own brew
The scent of simmering wort will replace the once-prevalent smell of fresh-baked bread when the Upstate Craft Beer Company opens this weekend in the former Claussen Bakery on Augusta Street in Greenville.
The combination brewpub, brewery and homebrewing shop is set to open Dec. 26 and feature 20 taps that will showcase all styles of beer. Launching the nanobrewery helmed by Jack McDonald and Chris Hardin will be a “12 beers of Christmas” series with one new beer release every day, said McDonald.
Upstate Craft Beer Company sets itself apart from other beer businesses by offering a “U-Brew” concept, which allows customers to be a part of the brewing process. Clients can choose from 20 pre-made recipes and collaborate with Hardin to 
customize their beer, said McDonald, then spend the next three to four hours brewing up a five- or 15-gallon batch on a half-barrel system. The brew is fermented and bottled or kegged on site.
“It’s great for groups of about four or five people. They can split the cost and split the experience,” McDonald said. “The idea is for you to come in, get as hands-on as you want. We do all the cleaning and fermentation, which takes about two weeks.”
McDonald shows off a temperature-controlled room lined with fermenters that look like a commercial brewery’s towering tanks, only much smaller to accommodate the U-Brew batches.
In addition to U-Brew, Upstate Craft Beer will offer beer served at communal seating. “The idea is to have people talk to each other instead of be on their cellphone all of the time,” said McDonald. A small kitchen will serve a deli-style menu featuring salads, sandwiches and flatbread pizzas, he said.
A homebrewing shop will offer supplies for the do-it-yourself brewer, including 70 types of grain and 70 varieties of hops. “You can think of it as a Cracker Barrel of beer. When you walk in you’ll have your retail section and then it opens into the tap room,” said McDonald.
The duo plans to offer half house-made beers and half guest beers, he said. Some of the Upstate Craft Beer Company selections include Interstellar Pale, MalIBU IPA and Imperial Stout Trooper.
“Every time you come in, you will have a new experience on the taps,” said McDonald.
