Mount Holly couple to open a brewery in Gastonia

A Mount Holly couple is set to open a new brewery in Gastonia next month.

Keepsake Brewery is the culmination of 10 years experience in the industry and a unique business concept, according to owner Bobby Myers.

Myers grew up in Pennsylvania and started touring breweries with his dad at a young age.

“When we were kids, we’d take a trip with my dad every summer, and went on a couple trips towards Boston and Milwaukee, and he thought that the beer industry was really cool. Even though he wasn’t a drinker, we did brewery tours,” he said. “He took a lot of interest in the story of like, in the modern economy so much of what we spend money on and how we’re able to participate in the economy is funneled to these really large corporations.”

“There was this interesting undercurrent with these small breweries popping up all over the country that were operating really successfully on a small, local, family-run level, and I think he saw, as a small business owner, he was really interested in that,” Myers added.

Over the years of touring breweries with his father and taking note of how they worked from a small business perspective, Myers’ interest in the industry grew.

When he turned 21, Myers relocated to California, where he figured he would began working in a brewery.

In 2020, Meyers moved to Charlotte and spent time working in local breweries before spending the entirety of 2023 in Germany, where he was formally educated and certified as a brewmaster.

After returning from his year abroad, Myers decided Gastonia was the perfect place to go into business.

“I just kind of saw the opportunity to have the exact brewery that I wanted to have,” Myers said.

Keepsake will sell five different brews including a Helles Lager, Pils, Pale Ale, Black Lager and one rotating seasonal brew.

“Everything that we make is all about balance and drinkability… they’re designed to be perfectly balanced,” Myers said.

All of the beers will be lower in alcohol content and milder in flavor with the goal of making Keepsake a place where people can come and spend time together without worrying about having too much too quickly, according to Myers.

The building is on the smaller side, which is perfect for a cozy brewery, Myers said.

Keepsake will be more of a beer garden, with picnic tables and umbrellas for customers to use, and snack trays with cheese, olives and more.

The brewery has also committed to packaging all beverages in reusable glass containers.

Each beer will be sold with a small deposit, which can be refunded when the bottle is returned.

While Myers will be working the brewery solo at first, his fiance and business partner Katherine Long will eventually join him as the financial advisor of the business.

Keepsake will open mid February at 211 Columbia St.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Mount Holly couple to open a brewery in Gastonia