Kite Hill Brewing Co

What Kite Hill Brewing Co does

Kite Hill Brewing Co is an independent craft brewery and kitchen founded in 2021 in Clemson, SC, operating as the city's first-ever brewery. The company runs a single taproom and brewing facility at 150 Thomas Green Blvd in the Patrick Square community, featuring 16 taps of fresh beer brewed on-site — ranging from flagship IPAs (Frequency Modulated West Coast IPA), pilsners, lagers (Tigertown Lager), sours, and stouts to seasonal and experimental releases, including award-winning recipes recognized at the SC Brewers Cup from 2022 through 2025 and the 2022 US Open Hard Seltzer.

The business operates a small-batch brewing model in which the taproom visually overlooks the production area, creating experiential transparency for visitors. Beyond beer, the company runs a Southern-inspired pub kitchen serving shareables, sandwiches, vegetarian/vegan and gluten-free options, and a kids' menu. Revenue is generated through five primary streams: on-premise draft beer and food sales, packaged beer to-go (cans, bottles, Crowlers, sixtel kegs) via an Arryved online storefront, private event hosting for groups of 20-200, and paid tours/tastings. Customer acquisition is driven by community-based channels: weekly recurring programming (Kids Eat Free Mondays, Trivia Tuesdays, Run Club Wednesdays, community-presenter Thursdays, live music Fridays), organic social (Instagram, Facebook), Untappd, email newsletter, and word-of-mouth.

The company is privately held and founder-led, originally by Bobby Congdon and Bryon Leggett — Clemson University alumni who met at the campus radio station WSBF in 1998. Following a 2024-2025 leadership transition, Bryon departed and Ryan and Melissa assumed co-ownership of daily operations. The team also includes co-founder Shelly, Head Brewer Alisha, and a partner group called DrinkTank. All talent, sourcing, and collaboration partners are deeply rooted in the Upstate South Carolina craft beverage scene, including Riverbend Malt, Silva Coffee, Musser Fruit Farm, and a roster of collaborating breweries such as Edmund's Oast, Fireforge, Wild Heart, and Silos Brewing.

Name

Kite Hill Brewing Co

Legal name

Kite Hill Brewing Co

Website

https://kitehillbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kite Hill Brewing Co is an independent craft brewery and Southern-inspired kitchen in Clemson, SC, operating Clemson's first brewery with 16 on-site taps, a taproom, and private event hosting serving the local community, Clemson alumni, and visiting craft beer enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery & Brewpub

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft brewery
• Taproom beer sales
• Brewpub dining
• Small-batch brewing
• Private event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Clemson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Taproom Beer Sales: On-site draft beer sales through 16 taps, including rotating seasonal, experimental, and flagship styles.
2. Food and Kitchen Sales: Southern-inspired pub fare including shareables, sandwiches, kids' meals, and desserts served alongside beer.
3. Packaged Beer (To-Go): Sale of canned and bottled beer, 32oz Crowlers, and sixtel kegs for off-site consumption. Available in taproom cooler.
4. Private Events: Hosting private events including corporate happy hours, birthday parties, and rehearsal dinners for groups of 20-200 in taproom, tent, or beer garden spaces.
5. Tours and Tastings: Paid tours and tastings offered to larger groups, plus free tours every Wednesday at 4pm or by appointment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kite Hill Brewing Co is a craft brewery and kitchen operating a 16-tap taproom and beer garden in Clemson, SC, brewing small-batch beer on-site and pairing it with a Southern-inspired pub food menu. The company sells draft beer for on-site consumption, packaged beer (cans, bottles, crowlers, sixtel kegs) for off-site consumption through its taproom cooler and online store, and hosts private events plus weekly community programming.

Product overview

Kite Hill Brewing Co operates as a craft brewery and kitchen with a core offering of 16 rotating taps of fresh beer brewed on-site at their Clemson, SC taproom. The product portfolio centers on three main pillars: (1) Craft Beer — featuring flagship and seasonal brews including IPAs, lagers, sours, and stouts available on-tap and to-go; (2) Food Menu — Southern-inspired pub fare including shareables, sandwiches, and vegetarian/vegan options designed to pair with beer; and (3) Taproom Experience — a family-friendly venue with indoor/outdoor seating, beer garden, lawn games, and private event hosting. The company also offers packaged beer (cans, bottles, crowlers, kegs) for off-site consumption and runs weekly programming including trivia, live music, and run club.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Craft Beer (16 Tap Rotation) Fresh craft beer brewed on-site at the Clemson, SC taproom, featuring 16 rotating taps including flagship styles such as Tigertown Lager and Frequency Modulated West Coast IPA, plus seasonal and experimental releases. Sold for on-site consumption in the taproom.
• Taproom & Beer Garden Experience Community-focused taproom featuring 16 taps of fresh beer with views of the brewing operation, a spacious outdoor beer garden, lawn games, and a family- and dog-friendly atmosphere; serves as the primary retail location for on-site consumption.
• Food Menu (Southern-Inspired Pub Fare) Southern-inspired pub fare including shareables (Soft Pretzel, Hartwell Sunset Hummus, Brewmaster's Board), sandwiches (Pesto Turkey, Reuben, Italian Hoagie, Notorious TLT), vegetarian and vegan options, and kids' meals, designed to pair with the craft beer lineup.
• Packaged Beer To-Go (Cans, Bottles, Crowlers, Sixtel Kegs) Packaged craft beer sold for off-site consumption, including 16oz cans, 12oz cans, 500mL bottles, 32oz Crowlers, and Sixtel Kegs, featuring core brands alongside limited releases and barrel-aged specials.
• Private Event Hosting Event hosting services for groups of 20 to 200 covering corporate happy hours, birthday parties, and rehearsal dinners in indoor and outdoor spaces including the taproom, tent, and beer garden.
• Tours and Tastings Paid tours and tastings offered to larger groups, plus free tours held every Wednesday at 4pm or available by appointment, providing an educational view of the on-site brewing operation.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DrinkTankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive close friends and fellow Clemson alumni who believed in the vision from day one. Listed as KHBC Partners on the team page.
• Edmund's OastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Weekend at Ernie's BA Coconut Vanilla Barleywine and Old Main Coconut Vanilla Barleywine.
• GBX (Greenville Beer Exchange)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Weekend at Ernie's BA Coconut Vanilla Barleywine.
• Swamp Fox DistillingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for aging Weekend at Ernie's barleywine in freshly dumped rum barrels, adding another dimension to the collaboration.
• Wild Heart BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Cordially Invited Chocolate Cherry Stout, located in Hartsville, SC.
• FireforgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Flavor Crystals Cold IPA, brewed in Greenville.
• SouthernsideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for That Girl From Freiburg German Pilsner, a Greenville-based brewery.
• Silos BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for That Girl From Wilder American Pilsner, located in Easley.
• New Groove Artisan BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for That Girl From Yakima West Coast Pilsner.
• Double StampminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Upstate Haze hazy IPA and SCBG Upstate Haze Collab, brewed in Greenville.
• Sideways Farm and BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Common Ground Carolina Common, located in North Carolina.
• Burning Blush BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Common Ground Carolina Common, located in North Carolina.
• Tha CommUNITYminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with April Dove from Tha CommUNITY for All Roads Lead to Tigertown plum rice ale supporting the Clemson Black Alumni Council.
• DSSOLVRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Banana Phone Banana Bread Imperial Stout, located in Asheville, NC.
• Riverbend MaltminorOthersPrimary malt supplier providing quality malts including Bloody Butcher corn and traditional pilsner malts for various beer styles.
• Silva Coffee Co.minorOthersLocal coffee roaster providing beans for Jenni I've Got Your Number Coffee Blonde and 2021 Adjunct Professor.
• Musser Fruit FarmminorOthersLocal Clemson farm providing over 200 pounds of fresh peaches for Pretty as a Peach beer.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Large-scale national craft brewery with taproom, restaurant, and broad distribution. Provides a reference point for what scaled craft brewing looks like and competes indirectly for craft consumer mindshare even though it does not serve the Clemson niche directly.

Direct peers

• Silos Brewing: Easley, SC craft brewery (adjacent to Clemson) that collaborated with Kite Hill on That Girl From Wilder American Pilsner. Geographic proximity makes it a direct local competitor for Clemson-area beer drinkers.
• Southernside Brewing: Greenville-based craft brewery that collaborated with Kite Hill on the That Girl From Freiburg German Pilsner. Comparable small-batch craft model with a taproom and packaged beer offering in the same regional market.
• Double Stamp Beer Co. Greenville, SC craft brewery and collaboration partner on Upstate Haze hazy IPA. Comparable independent craft model operating a taproom and packaged distribution in the same regional geography as Kite Hill.
• Edmund's Oast: Charleston, SC craft brewery and restaurant with on-site brewing, full kitchen, and a wide rotating tap list. Edmund's Oast is an active collaboration partner of Kite Hill and represents a more mature, larger-scale version of the same brewpub model.
• Wild Heart Brewing: Hartsville, SC craft brewery and collaboration partner on the Chocolate Cherry Stout. Comparable small-batch craft model with rotating tap list and packaged beer sales in the SC market.
• Fireforge Crafted Beer: Greenville, SC craft brewery and taproom with rotating taps, food, and a similar community-event programming approach. Active collaboration partner with Kite Hill on co-brewed IPAs, operating in the same Upstate SC craft segment.
• Sideways Farm & Brewery: North Carolina farm-based brewery and collaboration partner on Common Ground Carolina Common. Combines brewing with on-site farm/food experience, conceptually similar to Kite Hill's brewpub-with-local-sourcing model.
• DSSOLVR: Asheville, NC craft brewery collaborating with Kite Hill on Banana Phone Imperial Stout. Comparable small-batch, experimental-leaning craft producer with a taproom and packaged distribution in the broader Southeast craft segment.
• New Groove Artisan Brewery: Upstate SC craft brewery collaborating with Kite Hill on a West Coast Pilsner. Comparable small-scale taproom model with rotating styles and community-focused branding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kitehillbrewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kite-hill-brewing-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kite Hill Brewing Co