Aaron Skiles and Bill Hunter will be ready to tap their first kegs any day now at downtown’s newest brewery, New Anthem Beer Project.
 
Skiles, who serves as head brewer, has been home brewing for years and was at a turning point career-wise when he began putting together the business plan for New Anthem in 2014. Now, having successfully navigated the permitting process and the challenges of setting up a brewery in an historic building, Skiles and Hunter are eager to get the taps flowing.
 
The building at 116 Dock St. in downtown Wilmington houses a simple taproom with a large u-shaped bar. A large warehouse space in the back is designated for brewing and wholesale operations. The 10-barrel system will allow New Anthem to have up to 16 beers available, and Skiles said he hopes to have at least nine on draft on opening day.

He said that while the top priority is to service the taproom, New Anthem plans to set up wholesale accounts with local bars and bottle shops.
 
Skiles said his passion is for Belgian and French farmhouse style beers, but New Anthem will brew a full range of styles, and customer feedback will be an important factor in determining which beers are regularly on tap. Skiles said he looks forward to experimenting with flavors and styles.
 
“Brewers can take the same concept and flavor profiles and make noticeably different beers,” Skiles said. “One of the things I enjoy most about the brewing process is the ability to experiment.”
 
Skiles serves as a board member on the recently established Cape Fear Craft Beer Alliance. The alliance aims to bring together business owners, individuals and organizations to promote the growth of the craft beer industry in the region.
 
Skiles said members of the local brewing community, rather than viewing one another as competitors, are uniting to help one another with everything from sharing supplies and equipment to promoting beer tourism throughout the region.
 
New Anthem Beer Project will likely host a grand opening celebration in late October or early November. 
 
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