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New Belgium Brewing Asheville Earns Trio of LEED Certifications

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New Belgium Asheville
New Belgium's Asheville location earns major sustainability certifications. (Credit: New Belgium/Facebook)

New Belgium Brewing Asheville isn’t just beautiful — it’s beautifully sustainable. The brewery says its North Carolina location has now “earned a trifecta of LEED certifications.”

LEED, short for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a U.S. Green Building Council certification program that recognizes businesses (and even homes) for top-notch sustainability design and strategy.

The organization awarded New Belgium’s Asheville with three separate certifications: the Liquid Center tasting room is LEED Platinum; The brewery is LEED Gold; The distribution center earned LEED Silver.

(TRAVEL: 7 Breweries Worth a Detour)

Designing an LEED Certified Brewery

New Belgium Asheville opened in spring 2016 — but before that, it was an 18-acre urban brownfield. The team worked with the City of Asheville to improve the site, which included developing a greenway and upgrading streets — projects which benefited the entire neighborhood.

“Our Asheville campus showcases thoughtful and efficient design, and honors the natural resources that we depend upon to make our product,” says New Belgium Building and Energy Engineer Bethany Beers.

(READ: New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert has a New Project)

Here’s a look at some of the other cool features that helped New Belgium Brewing Asheville earn LEED certifications:

Liquid Center – LEED Platinum

  • Low energy systems, like radiant floors and natural ventilation, are part of the design.
  • The addition of a PV array on the roof makes the building exceptionally efficient.
  • Above ground and underground cisterns capture rainwater for reuse.
  • Pollinator friendly landscaping supports Asheville Bee City designation.

Brewery – LEED Gold

  • Builders used locally sourced materials throughout the construction.
  • The brewery recaptures heat and water during brewing and packaging.
  • The sawtooth roof on the packaging hall allows natural light, as well as space for potential future solar PV.

Distribution Center – LEED Silver

  • More than 31 percent of the building materials were manufactured within 500 miles of the site.
  • The building process diverted 82 percent of construction waste away from landfills.
  • Native vegetation and landscaping covers more than half the site, which provides habitat for local species.

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New Belgium Asheville is in good company in Western North Carolina. Sierra Nevada’s North Carolina location, which is about 15 miles away in Mills River, is an LEED Platinum Certified brewery.

Jess Baker walked into a beer fest in 2010 and realized beer had come a long way from what her dad had been drinking since the 70s. She served as editor-in-chief of CraftBeer.com from spring 2016 to spring 2020, bringing you stories about the people who are the heartbeat behind U.S. craft brewing. She's a runner, a die-hard Springsteen fan, a mom who is always scouting family-friendly breweries, and always in search of a darn good porter.

CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.