Mystery Brewery Opening Its Doors in Downtown HIllsborough

February, 18, 2012 , by Khaner

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Unlike the implications of its name, Mystery Brewing isn’t exactly hard to find. Located in an old cotton mill right in downtown Hillsborough along the banks of the Eno River, Triangle beer hounds won’t have a hard time finding the area’s newest brewery.

“The name Mystery Brewing comes from a reference to the art of brewing,” said owner/brewer Erik Myers. “I was reading a book about the history of brewing, which was thought to be more of a mystery, an art or craft. So the name is really more of an homage as to how I think brewing is not only science, but also an art.”

Myers first came up with the idea for the company in 2006. After years of blogging about beer and going to craft beer shows, he wanted to make a run at starting his own brewery. Hoping to do it as an alternating proprietorship – leasing time and equipment from an existing brewery when it’s not in use – Myers raised $44,000 in funding to get Mystery started. After raising enough to get going, he ran into the “awesome problem” of North Carolina’s beer market hitting full-on boom cycle and breweries that were now at full capacity.

After riding out the recession, Myers made the decision to open his own brew house. Finding an old cotton mill in Hillsborough. The team moved in and Mystery got its formal start in 2011.

With a focus on local products (Myers puts out his own yeast traps), he describes Mystery’s brews as rustic and close to original beer as possible.

“Mystery is about seasonality,” continued Myers. “What makes us unique is we don’t have a specific line of beers. We explore local ingredients – what’s in season at the farmers market – and tie that to what people feel like drinking during that specific season.”

With a grand opening set for Wednesday, February 29th, Mystery will open its doors to the public and start hosting monthly brew tours. Mystery’s taproom and tasting room is set to open in March or April. Until then, local beer-goers can enjoy their concoctions at Tasty Beverage.

While the Triangle’s beer market is very competitive, many local brewers have been able to tap into the area’s demand for good, local beer. We hope Mystery gets a decent chance at channeling the staying power these local brands have enjoyed.