Saluda Outfitters now offering craft beer, food

SALUDA — After spending a long day hiking or biking up the mountainside or kayaking or angling along the Green River, outdoor enthusiasts in Saluda have a new place to kick back, relax and enjoy a pint of cold brew and the company of fellow adventurers.

Saluda Outfitters hosted a grand opening ceremony of its newest addition, Green River Eddy’s Tap Room, on Saturday. Visitors had a chance to enjoy some of the 14 craft beers on draft inside the new bar area, sample some of the burgers and fresh-cut fries from the store’s newly opened food truck, and listen to live music and watch woodcarving demonstrations on the business’ recently built deck, which overlooks Main Street and Ozone Road.

Named after the outdoor recreation shop’s mascot, Eddy (a fish whose name is a reference to a calm spot in the Green River), the tap room offers customers a place to come to enjoy more than a dozen craft beers from breweries across the region, from Charlotte to Asheville to Atlanta, said Andy Hendrix, Saluda Outfitters’ operations manager. Among the more popular brews on currently on tap include the Wicked Weed Pernicious India pale ale and the Nantahala Brewing Dirty Girl Blonde ale.

The staff will rotate brews on draft, though the tap room will always have at least one cider and one porter on tap, Hendrix said.

Customers can also choose from 25 canned or bottled beers, as well as a selection of wines. The food truck out back will also serve burgers, french fries, tacos, vegan chili and more every Friday and Saturday, Hendrix said.

The shop — which opened last year — began construction on the bar area in February. The tap room matches the rustic atmosphere of the rest of the building, with the bar top built from hickory slabs sourced from Lake Lure and copper molded by Speckled Hen Forge, Hendrix said. Decorating the area are several woodcarvings by local artist Ted Travers.

Many, however, will prefer to enjoy their drinks outside on the patio, which has plenty of seating and fire pits installed for cooler evenings.

“It’s a fun place to hang out in the evening and see Saluda roll by,” Hendrix said.

The shop plans to have live music from 5 to 8 p.m. every Saturday evening on the patio, Hendrix said.

The tap room allows Saluda Outfitters to further expand its offerings to customers who already visit the shop for its selection of hiking, paddling, fishing and other outdoor equipment, as there is a large crossover between outdoor enthusiasts and craft beer lovers, Hendrix said. In addition, the store management hopes the cold drinks will entice more people to visit and check out the amenities it offers those interested in exploring Saluda’s great outdoors, he said.

“We want this place to be more than just a store or a bar,” Hendrix said. “We want it to be a community hangout. People can go out biking or paddling, then come by afterwards and share some war stories. This is a place where people can come to enjoy the community that is the outdoor scene.”

In addition to the tap room, Saluda Outfitters also recently opened a bike shop and service area in the business’ basement. On top of repairs, the shop will sell Giant brand bikes, as well as electronic bicycles, Hendrix said.

Saluda Outfitters is located at 435 E. Main St., Saluda, and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 828-848-4060 or visit saludaoutfitters.com.