For years we've been hearing about what a cool town Asheville is. So, when a week with no responsibilities appeared on the calendar, I booked four nights. Asheville (pop.100,000) is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, and has the highest concentration of breweries per capita in the US - hence its nickname, Beer City USA.
With a fistful of recommendations, we hit the road, making the first discovery: unless you live near one of the hub cities with direct flights to AVL Regional Airport, it's kind of hard to get to. Surely that has a lot to do with why it hasn't become completely overrun, though I'm sure it can feel that way for locals during peak season. Besides its beautiful vistas and access to nature, this place has a lot going for it: a vibrant culinary scene, healthy retail dominated by independents, incredibly friendly people, more high-end art galleries than Soho, terrific wine shops, and, yes, a lot of breweries.
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| Sunset view from the Omni Grove Park Inn |
We'd heard the food was good, but still surprised by just how good. Every bite we put in our mouths was way above average and more than fairly priced. Some meals, like the humble $10 Shifties burger and fries/salad at Burial Beer Co., were damn near transcendental. Paired with local fresh beer or wine from tiny producers in Europe, many happy gastronomic experiences were seared into our memories, triggering vows to return soon.
So, about the beer...
With so many breweries in one small city, some interesting dynamics emerge. First, no surprise, there's something for everyone here. But how does a brewery differentiate itself from the dozens of others here? Well, by being different, I guess. And that's definitely on display at spots like Dssolvr, which specializes in, among other things, gluten-free sours, and whose tagline is "Brewed Until Surreal." Large scale breweries Sierra Nevada and New Belgium have facilities here, as does Asheville's first modern craft brewery, Highland, which is also enormous.
We made visits to Green Man, Burial, Wedge, and Highland, all of which were good. But we barely scratched the surface. Suffice it to say that one would need to spend months here to taste all the beers being made in Asheville. As for my overall impression of the beers? Here's the thing: my hometown of Columbus is home to more than twenty breweries, a handful of which are consistently amazing, world-class producers, regardless of what beer they're making. And Columbus is not unique in this regard. In fact, good beer is being made almost everywhere. Because brewing does not (normally) require colocation with fresh ingredients the way winemaking does, location is nearly irrelevant. What's more is that all the information on how to make great beer at any scale is just a Google search away. We live in the Golden Age of drinking, do we not, people?
All this is to say that, sure, Asheville's beer scene is great. But I'm not sure it would be all that much better than anyplace else without its people, food, music, outdoor activities, scenery, and overall chill vibe.
Finally, no imbiber's recap of Asheville would be complete without a comment on the wine, which is a cut above. While I did not taste any of the local wines, I did happen upon a few stellar retailers who featured wines from all over the world, with special mention of Misa Imports' wines, as well as those from Kate Stamps' Rise Over Run Wines, which focuses on small, family-run wineries like the ones pictured above. Larry at Asheville Wine Market has stocked his shelves with a bunch of gems, and the nearly-impossible to find Crocodile Wine has a small, but lovely collection of eco-friendly wines. And Appalachian Vintners is the big store in town with a huge selection of wine and local beers that can be bought as singles.
Can't wait to go back!