There are two things you should know right away about Guidon Brewing Co. in Hendersonville’s downtown 7th Avenue district: where it is and what it means.
“There were already people settling in on the covered deck and at the bar, and Connie was serving up pints and samples while Mike ran around getting ready for ‘free hot dog night.’"
First, the location. Chances are, if you’re a Henderson County brewery visitor of any regularity, you’ve been within a baseball toss of it already. It’s literally right next to longtime local favorite Southern Appalachian Brewery, behind its outdoor stage and up the hill on 8th Avenue East. The building used to be a city Public Works Department facility, but now it’s been fully upgraded into a nice three-level taproom, a big outdoor deck and a separate game room/event space.
Now, what does the name mean? A guidon (pronounced GUY-don) is a type of military flag traditionally used on the battlefield as a rally point for a particular unit. Brewer/co-founder Mike Baer started the brewery with his wife Connie after he retired from the military, and the Guidon’s own guidon has particular significance with the black and gold colors representing his service in the Army, the B standing for the family name, the ‘4’ for the number of people in the Baer family and the ‘2’ representing the founders two countries of origin (Connie is from Germany).
Guidon opened in February of 2019 and it’d been bugging me that there was a
Hendersonville brewery I hadn’t been to yet, so I took advantage of a day too rainy for paddling at Lazy Otter Outfitters to stop by right at opening time. There were already people settling in on the covered deck and at the bar, and Connie was serving up pints and samples while Mike ran around getting ready for ‘free hot dog night.’ I did get to chat with them both while I had my (delicious!) IPA, and it was clear they’re excited about their first business venture. They’re keeping it busy with a creative slate of activities, ranging from dog training sessions to country line dancing lessons.
The 7th Avenue district is shaping up as a destination for beer drinkers, and I’m hoping that plenty of folks will find Guidon Brewing. Mike and Connie will be glad to see you!
How to Find It
Guidon Brewing Co. is located at 415 8th Ave. E, just on the edge of downtown Hendersonville.
Web site: https://guidonbrewing.com/
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/272YuX4HYavqfvjU9