Brewery & Kitchen rooted in Denver NC
About Royal Bliss Brewing Co.
“In life & beer, balance is bliss.”
Welcome to Royal Bliss Brewing, where craft beer and genuine hospitality meet. We aren’t just a place to grab a pint, we’re a gathering spot built on purpose, community, and a whole lot of personality located in the heart of Denver, North Carolina.
This place was made for y’all.
Our vision has been to create a space that takes everything we love about breweries and pair it with our passion for impeccable service that shaped both of our careers.
When you first walk into the space we hope you’ll sense an attention to detail that feels refined, yet very approachable. Built on the philosophy that “In life & beer, balance is bliss”, Royal Bliss Brewing Co. uses these ideas to guide everything from our brand to our beer, from the food to the overall experience and everything in between.
As a married couple we’ve learned a few things about balance. We are far from perfect but feel like everything gets better with a healthy portion of humor and love, so that’s what we’re putting out into the world.
That’s enough about us.
We look forward to sharing pints with new friends and old, and are so excited to be a part of this town, this industry, and most importantly our community.
Cheers!
Larry and Ginger Griffin
Founders
To bring our vision to life, we’ve brought together a carefully selected team of all-stars.
Chris Wertman
-
The heartbeat of our brewery, Chris has an unparalleled excitement for not just beer, but the chemistry and food science that goes into brewing it.
He’s a Navy veteran who served as an Arabic linguist and airborne mission supervisor. While in the Navy he developed a keen interest in brewing which developed into a hobby, and then into a passion. Chris decided to pursue a chemistry degree to take it to the next level.
He’s been at Royal Bliss since the very beginning. He helped to coordinate construction, assembled the brewhouse and cellar, and developed the entire beer, cider, and seltzer programs from scratch.
He’ll gladly give you his full attention if you ask a question, but you’ll walk away with way more information than you ever wanted. He’s a mad scientist, with a persistent curiosity to do and try new things, and he pours his heart into every beer.His Bliss: “Reading, hiking, kayaking, and long walks on the beach (jk the beach sucks)”
His Favorite Beer: “That’s like picking a favorite pet.. Probably Cali King though.”
Bobby Lamby
-
Bobby likes to say he was “born in Buffalo with the attitude to match” but he’s so kind, we’re not convinced.
If you’ve tried our pizza, you’d be able to tell he lived and worked in Ravello, Italy for a little while; or if you’ve had our Korean wings, that was the executive chef of Eez Fusion & Sushi. From there, he started the infamous Carolina Smash Food Truck. While his kitchen outgrew the wheels, it’s still just as squished, but he makes it work, and his enthusiasm is evident in every plate that comes out.
He appreciates food, but he’s passionate about so much more than that. He believes great food brings people together. To be a part of that, he’s not only developed an ever-evolving menu of delicious food, but he plans our most anticipated seasonal event; the Beer Pairing Dinner.He also wants you to know he really hates Tom Brady.
His Bliss: “Buffalo Bills, Death Metal, and Overbearing Efficiency”
His Favorite Beer: [without hesitation] “Denver’s First Pilsner”
Haley Griffin
-
Being a Griffin, Haley’s been involved with Royal Bliss since it was just a crazy idea. Running the family business was absolutely not in her life-plan, but now she wouldn’t have it any other way. And neither would we.
She focuses on private events, accounting, staffing & HR, commercial sales, and taproom policy & procedures, but she has a hand in almost everything else, too! When we’re especially busy, she may even be pouring your beer, or bringing your food.
She’s poised under pressure, isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done, and has the answer to almost anything you could ask.
She’s just as sunshiney as the beer named after her, Haley’s Hefeweizen, and has a deep-seated sense of pride for our team, the taproom staff, the community, the brewery, and the family that started it all.
Her Bliss: “Horseback riding (call me a crazy horse girl, I don’t care), bbq, baking, traveling, online shopping, and hanging with my dog, Izzy.”
Her Favorite Beer: “Heart of Berries, by far.”
Chris Kovac
-
Chris grew up outside of Philadelphia before moving to New Jersey for high school. He jumped back to Philadelphia for college at Saint Joseph’s University then to NYC to work at a law firm after he graduated.
After a couple years of that he decided on law school.. Just as COVID took over the northeast, pivoting to a move to North Carolina, but he hasn’t looked back!
He now lives in Mooresville (aka the opposite of NYC) and has very quickly climbed the ladder from bartender to taproom manager.
He’s a natural-born leader and a joy to work with.
He feels blessed to have happened across Royal Bliss and asked to share his appreciation for the home he’s found here, and everyone who makes that what it is.
His Bliss: “I like to spend time with friends and family, be active, work out, I do Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA, read, play guitar and drums, go hiking/swimming, going to new restaurants, and rooting for my Philly sports teams. Go Birds!”
His Favorite Beer: “73 & Hazy”
Andy Jones
-
When we say “no experience necessary” we mean it. Andy came to Bliss with a BS in Business Administration, Operations and Supply Chain Management from UNCC, and a love for craft beer.
He jumped in with an insatiable drive to learn the process and is now Chris’ right-hand-man. He’s worked his way up from packaging, to cellaring, and now brewing (but still does all those other things too).
Even now, three years later, he gets here exactly six minutes late, so excited to learn from and work with Chris, every single day!
His favorite part is getting to take what seems like rudimentary ingredients (water, grain, hops, yeast) to create so many different styles and flavors!
He’ll never get over the feeling of having all the tanks full and everything sparklin’ clean at end of day!
His Bliss: “My lovely girlfriend Grace, who I actually met at Royal Bliss when she worked here at the beginning! I play disc golf with almost all of my free time, and play in tournaments. And both my parents were vets so I’m a big dog/animal lover!”
His Favorite Beer: “Dark Throne”
Jason Stout
-
Jason Stout has lived a few lives, and Royal Bliss gets the best version of all of them. He’s lived across the Midwest and Southeast, spent years touring the country with Papa Roach, Disturbed, and Godsmack as a guitar tech and stage manager, and eventually found his home in the kitchen.
Today, as Chef de Cuisine, Jason blends that road-honed grit with culinary skill to lead our back-of-house team and keep the menu dialed in and delicious.
-
Kenny is one of the friendliest faces you’ll find in our taproom. Outside of work he’s a devoted cat dad, Pokémon enthusiast, and loyal New England Patriots fan.
If there’s an alt-metal show within driving distance, he’s probably there. Here at Royal Bliss, Kenny brings genuine energy, big smiles, and serious love for our community.
RJ Avallone
-
RJ leads the marketing strategy at Royal Bliss and keeps you connected to our taproom through emails, social media, the website, and a packed calendar of events.
With a love for design, community, and all things creative, RJ helps bring the Royal Bliss brand to life every single day.
Off the clock, RJ is a full-time cat mom who loves watching food network, hunting down good sushi, or listening to Led Zeppelin a little too loud.
Kenny Heady
Kyle Thompson
-
North Carolina Sales & Events
Kyle was an inaugural member of the Royal Bliss team. Since then, he’s done a little bit of everything, and held every job we have, including some temporary/made up ones, like beer garden table builder. He’s the first one in the office every morning, and out on the town all day, sharing our beer far and wide, with as many North Carolinians as possible.
His Bliss: “I’m famous for 5 star meals (rated by my 3 toddlers, but I’m going with it) and bedtime stories.”
His Favorite Beer: First in Flight!
Aaron Best
-
Charlotte + Surrounding Sales & Events
You may recognize Aaron managing our taproom, but it’s no understatement to say, he’s found his true calling in selling Bliss on the road! He’s a natural, he’s straight-forward and his smiles are rare, but when you can get one out of him, it’s the Best of Bliss!
His Bliss: “Bring down my bowling league’s average, building & refinishing things (especially the beer garden tables), and beer.
His Favorite Beer: 73 & Hazy
Lorenzo Smith
-
Lorenzo is our delivery driver and resident “jump-in-and-help” guy. He’s friendly, thoughtful, and always game to take on whatever the day throws at him.
As a true team player, Lorenzo helps keep Royal Bliss running smoothly from taproom to back-of-house and everywhere in between.
The true essence of our company are the servers that deliver a royal level of service every day. We are nothing without you all!
