In charge of the brewing itself is head brewer Evan Boose, a longtime Nine Mile team member. Boose started at Nine Mile in 2018 and worked his way up from prep cook to kitchen manager, then apprenticed with several Asheville brewers to develop his brewing skills. In May of last year, with Thomas’ blessing and with Nine Mile still paying his wages, Boose stepped out of the kitchen to study brewing full-time. He apprenticed with brewers Carl Melissas, Bert Menches, and Brian Bobo of The Wedge, with Matt Huntley of The Bier Garden, and at Catawba and Archetype Brewing. While Evan’s apprenticeships have concluded, the mentoring and camaraderie with other Asheville brewers is ongoing.

When asked about his brewing philosophy, Boose reflects, “Like cooking, brewing is a gift to the folks who are receiving it, so it’s about attention to detail and putting your heart into the process of creating every tasting note. The bitterness of really hoppy beers and the spiciness of our hotter dishes can really intensify each other, so we focused on beers that are refreshing, on the lighter side, and crushable.” Boose says that next up is a Brown Ale (a favorite style of co-owner Nate Ray) and a Czech-style Pilsner, and Nine Mile seltzers are also in the works.

While the Nine Mile team is still finalizing the selection of their flagship brews, they are currently serving four new beers at Montford: 

Each of the four beers is available at all three Nine Mile locations at $7 per pint. Customers may also order “One Love” mini-growlers for $20 (with $10 refills of the 32 oz. container). The Isabella Golden Ale is also currently on tap at two other restaurants in town (Strada and Creekside Taphouse).