Transylvania County’s famous bike trails actually laid the path for Oskar Blues Brewery’s East Coast expansion in December 2012.
One of the main reasons owner Dale Katechis selected the area for the brewery is because he loves to mountain bike and “has been coming to bike the Pisgah National Forest for 10 years,” said regional marketing director Anne Fitten Glenn.
So it’s just “a natural fit,” she said, for the brewery to open the The Oskar Blues REEB Ranch, which she describes in a press release as “a haven for mountain bikers, a place to grow hops, pasture land for spent grain-fed cows, and a music and event space, all against the beautiful backdrop of Dupont State Forest.”
The new 145-acre farm is about eight miles away from the Brevard-based Oskar Blues Brewery and is the former Shoal Falls Farm property. Construction on the project is underway and rides through the property should begin soon, Glenn said.
The ranch will also be home to The Bike Farm (http://www.bikefarmpisgah.com), an bike guide and concierge service, owned by Cashion Smith and Eva Surls. The company plans to start property rides soon.
The name REEB Ranch references REEB Cycles (http://www.reebcycles.com), Oskar Blues’ bike company based in Colorado. The ranch will feature demo REEB Mountain Bikes and dirt jump rigs.
The property also includes direct Dupont State Park single-track access, pump track sessions, dirt jump progression lines and post-ride beers available alongside the swimming hole. On-site lodging includes a 1940s cabin at the base of two 43-foot waterfalls and an apartment on the top floor of a barn. Tent camping is also available.
Glenn noted that the brewery already hosts a great number of cyclists. There is a bike path from the brewery into the Pisgah National Forest. The brewery boasts ample parking, she said, so bikers will park, ride and celebrate with a beer after.
Many are also tourists, often attracted to the region because of the mountain bike trail options. “Forty percent of our business is tourist-based,” she said.
Oskar Blues also has a well-established commitment to biking culture in Western North Carolina, she noted.
The Bike Farm company already leads weekly bike tours from the brewery, and the Fletcher Flyer, a regional bike race, moved to Oskar Blues this year. According to the race website, 2014 marked the largest turnout in the event’s history.
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