Oskar Blues Brewery has officially announced that it is developing a long-rumored “Beer & Bike destination” in Western North Carolina, not far from its Transylvania County brewery near Brevard. Dubbed the “REEB ranch”, the 145-acre property – formerly called Shoals Falls Farm – sits along Crab Creek Road near the edge of DuPont State Recreational Forest, just across the Henderson County line. The name “REEB” (Beer spelled backwards) is also given to Oskar Blues’ line of hand-made mountain bikes, REEB Cycles, which is based in Colorado.
There’s going to be a lot going on at the ranch. In addition to “direct trail access” to DuPont State Forest (although I think there may be some road riding to connect the two), Oskar Blues is planning on having a whole host of offerings there:
- The ranch will be the home of The Bike Farm, an existing guide and youth outreach program
- There will be REEB Cycles to demo
- Bike parks and trails – with a pump track and some huge jumps, reportedly – are being constructed on-site
- There will be a music and event space in the existing barn structure
- It will be a working farm, used to grow hops and cattle (fed with spent grain)
- There will be lodging on-site, including a cabin at the base of 40+-foot Shoals Creek Falls
We can’t wait until the official opening and we’re sure there will be lots more information to come. Until then, here are some links to more information about the REEB ranch and the goings-on there:
Official Press Release from Oskar Blues
The Bike Farm article in Bike Magazine
(While referring to Oskar Blues as “a partner”, the “cans of Dale’s Pale Ale” product placement is strong in this article. Love the subtle hints, even though this came out before the official announcement 🙂
