Sierra Nevada begins hiring push for restaurant

Sierra Nevada Brewing is hiring another 150 employees at its Mills River operation as it prepares to open a brewery restaurant and taproom in early 2015.

The hiring blitz, now underway, will "effectively double our staff" at Mills River, Sierra spokesman Bill Manley said Monday. Full- and part-time jobs listed on Sierra's website include host, server, busser, bartender, line cook, prep cook and dishwasher.

Some of the jobs require previous restaurant experience, others do not. Hiring will continue through Nov. 19, according to the website. Applications should be submitted online at www.sierranevada.com/careers

Sierra looks to open the taproom and restaurant in January "if all goes according to plan," Manley said. The restaurant and taproom building is "up," and a 20-barrel German-made pilot brewery is being installed.

The small brewery will make specialty and one-off brews, some just for the taproom, which will have 16-20 taps, Manley said. "As soon as you are through the doors, you will be in the (pilot) brewery," he said.

The restaurant will have 100 tables and specialize in American classic food with an organic and sustainable twist, he said. The restaurant will be similar to an operation at Sierra's Chico, California, brewery, but with a North Carolina focus. Some of the produce will be grown at the Mills River brewery, he said.

The taproom will include an upstairs music room, but that will not open until the restaurant is running, he said. An amphitheater is also being built at the site for concerts when warmer weather returns in the spring.

Sierra's tasting tours of the main brewery have become so popular that they are booked solid several weeks in advance. "We can't accommodate walk up visitors" right now, Manley said. To reserve a tour, visit www.sierranevada.com/brewery/north-carolina/brewery-tour.