Oden Brewing Company Opens Wilmington Taproom

Jan Oden and her husband, Bill, recently opened Oden Brewing Company in downtown Wilmington. The Greensboro-based brewery and taproom takes over the downtown space formerly occupied by New Anthem Beer Project at 116 Dock St.

The move from New Anthem to Oden Brewing didn’t begin on the East Coast but rather in the West.

“There had been rumblings about New Anthem closing down, so we approached our attorney in Asheville, who had helped us get our first brewery started and who’d also helped New Anthem,” said Jan Oden. “About a week later, he calls Bill and says, ‘You’re not gonna believe this, but my brother-in-law is sitting in Palm Springs, California, right now with the owner of the New Anthem building.’ I mean, how crazy is that?”

From there, a brewing deal was brokered.

“June (2024) is when we signed the lease,” said Jan Oden, “and I’ve been here pretty much ever since.”

During that time, she along with the rest of her family (there are seven Odens altogether), were busy bringing the 100-year-old building, which since 1915 has housed everything from a horse stable to a car dealership, into the Oden Brewing brand.

And while most of New Anthem’s hardware was retained, including a 10-barrel brewing system, a few structural and aesthetic changes to the building were planned, including modifications to the front door, bar and windows along with carving out space for a live band. All the changes first had to pass muster with Wilmington’s Historic Preservation Commission. Chris Yermal of locally owned Old School Rebuilders led the renovation.

Oden Brewing’s front entrance, above which hangs the brewery’s signature horseshoe, is massive, allowing a full view from the street of the bar and seating arrangements. A smaller entrance and large picture window straddle either side. On the far end of the building, the brewery shares a tall, scrappy shade tree with its neighbor, Duck and Dive.

“We opened that big door, and people were just streaming in,” said Jan Oden, recalling the recent opening. “It was so exciting.”

The brick, dimly lit interior is mostly Jan Oden’s doing, with pictures of period figures and floral prints hanging from picture rails. Other wall hangings include those made by their daughter Charlotte Oden, a local artist, who has also had a hand in creating labels for the brewery’s cans.

At the horseshoe-shaped bar, patrons can’t miss a bronze-sculpted mermaid looking wistfully onto the horizon. Behind the mermaid is a sea of more than a dozen taps, all Oden brews with names like Escape into Sunshine Summer Ale, Steel Sister Dortmund Lager and Berry Blast Fruited Gose. Others of a slightly more memorable, if not irreverent, nature include Hints and Allegations Juicy IPA, Deliberate Disregard Blonde Ale and Oaty-Wan Kenobi Oatmeal Stout.

Head brewer Brian Carter, who’s been with Oden since its Greensboro opening, will join assistant brewer Dani Bearss, formerly with Wilmington-based Waterline Brewing Company.

Plans at Oden include providing outdoor seating in the front and building out the area behind the brewery to make room for food trucks and even more seating. A weekly run club that begins and ends at the brewery with a cold, frosty beverage is also in the works.

“Our intention is to always welcome whoever comes through the door and greet them with a smile,” Jan Oden said. “We want to let them know they’re appreciated.”