Trenton-based brewery opens tap room in Kinston
Aaron Avery, left and Hampton Peterman are two of the owners of Big Game Brewing, based out of Trenton. The company’s Tap Room is in Kinston and opened March 4. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News
There's a new brewery in town.
On March 4, Big Game Brewing established its tap room on U.S. 70, next to Neuse Sport Shop. The concept of the organization, created by Aaron Avery, David Houston and Hampton Peterman, started from a thought among friends.
“We worked together at a previous brewery in Trenton and thought, ‘Hey, we can do this,’” Peterman said.
At the tap room, there are 15 different beers from across the state, including ones from Wilmington, Asheville, Boone and Granite Falls. Inside, there are couches and shuffleboard in a cabin-like setting with fire pits and cornhole boards to accentuate the view of the river.
All three know Eastern North Carolina well — Avery and Houston are from Kinston, Peterman from Jacksonville — and the brewery is a way for them to showcase the feel of the area.
“We want to bring the love of great beer and anything outdoors — camping, hunting, kayaking, all of that,” Avery said. “This was an idea we wanted to bring to light and give Kinston another cool place to get together, relaxing with old friends and making new ones.”
Big Game Brewery will look to have its first batch of brews in the coming weeks, developing at least 10 for tap. Jones County Manager Franky Howard said the brewery — which will be based out of Trenton — could be wonderful for the area.
“They’ll be taking over the brewery space from the old Jones County economic development,” Howard said. “We relocated and established the brewery there as the space sat vacant for years. This will help create jobs in the county, creating tax base and revenue.”
Neuse Sport Shop President and CEO Russell Rhodes said he has high hopes for Big Game Brewing.
“We’re very excited to have them here,” Rhodes said. “They’re also a verified venue, so people across the state can find them on the app, and it brings commerce to both Lenoir and Jones County. We also have another opportunity to bring a craft brewery in town and provide another place for people to enjoy.”
Big Game Brewery is open from Sunday through Thursday from 12 p.m.-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m.-10 p.m. A weekly trivia night is set to start Monday, April 1 and food trucks are expected twice a week.
