From Staff Reports

Despite rumors that New Belgium Brewing has purchased property in the Asheville’s River Arts District, the brewery has countered that no decision on its East Coast expansion will be made until sometime in late January or early February.

Asheville City Councilman Jan Davis confirmed the New Belgium’s interest in Asheville as a possible site for a new brewery at a Sept. 22 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners.

During CIBO’s candidates forum, Davis said that while he welcomes the company, he is skeptical about the need for incentives. However, Davis said economic incentives for the company are a possibility.

“We have an opportunity with the New Belgium brewery,” Davis said during the forum. “We’re going to have to make a decision on that — whether to help the brewery with incentives or encourage them to be here because of the quality of life.”

On Jan. 29, The Denver Post reported that “New Belgium Brewing is eyeing Asheville, N.C., and Philadelphia as potential sites for a new brewery.”

The newspaper quoted New Belgium spokesman Bryan Simpson as saying, “Asheville and Philly are leading our short list of sites.

“But we are not under contract for property anywhere,” Simpson told the Post in response to Twitter reports Jan. 25 that the brewer had chosen an Asheville location.

The Fort Collins, Colo.-based brewer had started with eight to 10 prospective East Coast sites, then narrowed the list to four earlier this year. Simpson declined to disclose the other two on the short list.

New Belgium, maker of the popular Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat, is the nation’s third-largest craft brewer, behind Boston Beer Co. and Sierra Nevada Brewing.