High and Dry Brewing in the Highland neighborhood has spent half its life navigating COVID-19.
On Saturday, Feb. 12, it will celebrate not only four years in business, but making it through a pandemic as a fledgling business. Andrew and Ashley Kalemba, along with other partners and friends, opened the brewery in February 2018 and were heavily influenced by the beer scene in Austin, Texas, where the two met. They wanted to open the brewhouse near a neighborhood where people could walk or take the bus. It’s that very neighborhood that Andrew Kalemba said helped them stay afloat during the pandemic, which is nearing the two-year mark in the United States.
“Exactly half of our life has been COVID-related,” Kalemba said. “Our core group of customers, this neighborhood, those awesome, loyal people, made this happen. It’s a lot of inspiration to throw a party.”
The party will last all day starting at 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. Tikka Spice and Doobie’s Smokehouse will be on-hand with food trucks.
Kalemba said music has been a big part of the scene at the brewery and that all those involved with the brewery are huge music fans. It’s only fitting, he said, that the celebration includes a day of local musicians. David Chavez will kick-off the day at noon, followed by Edgar Wonder, Big Sad, Jimmy Climbs, Justin Etre, Low Mellow, Hello Darlin’, Sweet Nothin’, and Billy and Bella. Red Mesa will headline the event and take the stage at 8:30 p.m.
All of these, he said, are bands the brewery worked with through the pandemic.
In another nod to music, the brewery is doing a special release of Dream Hammer, a chai vanilla wheat ale, that pays tribute to Black Sabbath. The Dream Hammer is a version of a beer they have not made since their first year. Kalemba said they had requests to bring it back.
“It’s not too heavy but it has all these warm spices,” he said. “It can work with cold weather and can work all year.”
They will release limited edition glassware, hoodies and tees to celebrate.
High and Dry is located at 529 Adams St. NE. Visit highanddrybrewing.com or find them on social media for more information.
