Ready, set, brew!

Since getting special permission from the Boone Town Council to operate, Appalachian Mountain Brewery has been perfecting its recipes and looking into a wind turbine, head brewer Nathan Kelischek said.

A plan for what will be Boone’s first local brewer-distributor in recent years is starting to develop.

Expect a blond, a hoppy amber, an IPA, a stout and a pale ale, but expect to have input, with tastings to come in the next two months.

While the brewery won’t open until the summer, the tastings will provide two purposes: to spread word about the brewery and to help AMB perfect its recipes.

In addition, AMB hopes to put out seasonal brews and maybe a high gravity.

The property, which is located within view of the Boone Mall near the Employment Security Commission, could also host a wind turbine, Kelischek said. “But we haven’t finalized those plans yet,” he said.

AMB owner Sean Spigelman has said the brewery will be as sustainable as possible, with solar thermal brewing. The wind turbine would be part of that sustainability plan.

In addition to the brewed product, AMB would team up with Appalachian State University to educate brewers and financially assist start-up businesses, Spiegelman had said.

Currently, AMB is the only brewery with special permission to exist in town limits. Planning and inspections director Bill Bailey expects breweries to be included in the Unified Development Ordinance re-writes this year.