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Case Study: Zebulon Artisan Ales

In Asheville, where creativity is praised and there’s no shortage of IPA, Zebulon Artisan Ales is certainly alone and dancing to its own beat. From riffs on historical styles to how it serves beer, this small brewery isn’t what people expect.

John Holl Apr 30, 2019 - 10 min read

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Mike Karnowski is the cofounder and brewer of Zebulon Artisan Ales. The first thing he’ll tell you is that he’s a curmudgeon. He’s got opinions.

On a weekday morning, Karnowski is inside his 1,400-square-foot brewery that also houses the taproom. It’s a tan-brick building with two large garage-bay doors that open to a small parking lot in Weaverville, a small town about 10 miles north of Asheville. On this day, like most days, he’s thinking about doing something different.

He’s had a career in beer, but this is his first brewery. He wants to head into retirement from this job one day, but that’s a ways off, so in the intervening time, Karnowski wants to keep things interesting. He doesn’t want to fall into a rut, doesn’t want to become just another brewery.

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John Holl is the author of Drink Beer, Think Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Every Pint, and has worked for both Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® and All About Beer Magazine.

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