Ginger's Revenge is back at it with a second taproom on the way, this time in South Slope

ASHEVILLE - Timing and opportunity have accelerated a brewery's plans to bring more craft ginger beer to Asheville. 

Ginger’s Revenge will open at 32 Banks Ave. in Asheville’s South Slope district, tentatively in late August. It will be the second location for the ginger beer business.

In 2017, Ginger’s Revenge opened at 829 Riverside Drive in North Asheville. 

Cristina Hall Ackley, co-founder and president, said she and her husband and CEO, David, have had the idea of an expansion in mind for a while. Yet, they expected it would happen later. After Werhloom Honey and Meadery closed its Asheville tasting room this summer, the entrepreneurs seized the chance to make it their own. 

"We had been keeping an eye on real estate. It was something we thought would be more of a 2023 project, but this opportunity became available, and it just felt like the right timing," Ackley said. 

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More can be expected from the ginger beer brewery in the opening of the second space.

The South Slope location will allow the ginger beer company to show its versatility. 

“A second location gives us the opportunity to expand our brand offerings and experiment with new product ideas,” David Ackley said in a news release. “We look forward to building on the Ginger’s Revenge customer experience to bring something unique to the South Slope.”

It's being designed to encompass a lounge vibe and to have more room and options for beverages.

"We'll definitely still have the live music and community events and probably even more so than our existing location, whereas we foresee the South Slope lounge having more of that cocktail bar, very relaxing lounge vibe," Cristina Hall Ackley said. 

Ginger's Revenge brand is an illustrated rock band with band leader and drummer Ginger representing the original ginger beer. At the South Slope location, the guitarist and singer Lime Agave will have her time to shine as the inspiration for the lounge's decor. 

"When we opened up our first location, it was just David and I. It was just the two of us trying to do things," Cristina Hall Ackley said. "Now, we have a team of over 20 people. Our front-of-house team is really helping lead the aesthetics and taproom experience at the new location which is really cool to see and be a part of."

Seventeen taps will be stocked with an assortment of alcoholic, gluten-free ginger beers and exclusive small-batch selections, plus nonalcoholic ginger beers. Ginger's Revenge's flagship tasting room on Riverside Drive has eight taps.

"We're excited to have more tap real estate to try out new ginger beer flavors, to have some of our housemade nonalcoholic options on tap," she said. "That's always been important to us, to provide those options here because we have a lot of friends and people who don't drink."

Ginger’s Revenge flagships are original ginger beer, hibiscus lavender, lime agave and cranberry herb, plus a rotating seasonal selection. The brewers' recipes consist of nearly 95% organic ingredients.

A change in state legislation regarding alcohol laws that went into effect in July will permit the brewery to serve draft cocktails that showcase the many uses of ginger beer, she said.

Nonalcoholic beverages and traditional beer from guest breweries will be available, too.

The new facility is 2,500 square feet and neighbors many breweries, bars, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. Entrances for the ginger beer taproom will be accessible off Banks Avenue between Catawba Brewing and Buxton Hall BBQ, as well as off Buxton Avenue behind Green Man Brewery's Dirty Jack's. 

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Both Ginger's Revenge locations are family-friendly, though the South Slope lounge is expected to attract more of the adult crowd, Cristina Hall Ackley said.

In the Riverside Drive tasting room, guests may continue to visit the taproom to catch a live music performance or stop by for community events hosted weekly.

This year, Ginger's Revenge's production and warehouse space expanded by 3,600 square feet — or by nearly 50% — when a commercial space came available next door to the craft brewery's flagship location, which is inside RAMP Studios, she said.

"We felt like it was a good strategic move and we're slowly expanding in this space," Cristina Hall Ackley said. "We'll eventually build another walk-in cooler here. But it's really helpful to have this space right next to our existing space instead of having a warehouse 20 miles away."

Ginger’s Revenge

Where: 32 Banks Ave., South Slope, Asheville

Opening: Late August

Info: For details, visit gingersrevenge.com and follow on Instagram @gingersrev. 

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.