New business in the works for former brewery in downtown Wilmington

Renovations and the permitting process have started for a new brewery to come to downtown Wilmington. Bill and Jan Oden opened Oden Brewing Company in Greensboro in 2019 and are now in the process of adding a second brewery and taproom in the former New Anthem Beer Project space at 116 Dock St.

The Odens have been Wilmington residents for decades and divide their time between the two North Carolina cities. They’ve been looking for the right spot in Wilmington for a while, Jan Oden said. They were originally considering the Soda Pop District when they learned about the downtown space after New Anthem closed earlier this year.

“So far, it’s all worked out,” she said. “It’s a really cool building. And it has enough of the vibe that our Greensboro place has that it makes sense.”

The Odens won a Preservation Greensboro award for renovating the Three-Centa Bottling Company, which was built in 1939 and was once Bill Oden’s great grandfather’s bottling plant. It’s now home to the family’s brewery.

The Wilmington space is even older, and dates to about 1916, said Chris Yermal, with Old School Rebuilder & Co. who is working on the project. It was once an automobile showroom.

“Each place will have its own personality,” Jan Oden said.

They are making some updates to the space, which could include reducing the size of the bar to make more room for seating. There will also be a place live music and they are hoping to be able to bring in food trucks. They plan to brew on site and offer cross-over beers from their Greensboro location, with about a dozen taps. Oden Brewing's Hints & Allegations Juicy IPA is a best-seller. Other popular brews include the La Curva Sud Italian Pilsner and the Deliberate Disregard Blonde Ale. They’d like to get permits to serve mixed drinks, as well.

The Odens hope to open in Wilmington in the coming months.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.