Asheville, North Carolina has developed a reputation as one of the best beer cities in the U.S., even earning the nickname Beer City USA in the past. And it’s no wonder how it got the nickname. Despite being a city of less than 100,000, there are more than 25 breweries in the town.
It’s also home to some of the most scenic parts of the U.S., being in the Blue Ridge Mountains with the Pisgah National Forest and having a ton of great hiking areas.
These two factors led my fiancee Angie and I to put the city on our short list for vacation destinations, and we decided to pull the trigger this spring to finally visit.
As an added bonus, it’s also possibly the most dog-friendly city in the country so we were able to take Samson just about everywhere we went.
The Beer
Burial Beer Co.
When I asked around for recommendations of breweries in Asheville to visit, Burial was at the top of just about everybody’s list. And it’s obvious why – they have some great beer. It’s located in the South Slope neighborhood just south of downtown, where we spent most of our first two nights in town.
Originally brewing on a tiny 1-barrel system, they finally had to expand to a 10-barrel production a few years ago because they became so popular. The laid back venue features more of a dark, dingy inside taproom, as well as an indoor/outdoor flex area with garage doors that open. We sat outside on one of their picnic tables and enjoyed the fact that they had water bowls available for dogs.
They’re perhaps best known for their saisons, but just about every beer we had was delicious. We tried a nice variety of what they had available, but the beer that really stood out for me was their To Streak My Blood Across My Brow hazy double IPA. This was probably the best overall beer I had in Asheville and I’d say that Burial had the best beer that we tried in town.
Wicked Weed Funkatorium
Our second stop on our first night was Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium, also located in the South Slope. Wicked Weed was purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2017, and the Funkatorium is their location that specifically focuses on barrel aged sours and saisons.
They have an indoor/outdoor space, with a food truck in back. The night we were there they featured a folk band and the weather was perfect so we sat outside on the dog-friendly patio. We tried the food from the food truck, and although it was a little pricey, they had some varied options including vegetarian-friendly choices.
We tried a flight here with a couple of sours and saisons, and the best we tried were the Black Angel barrel age sour with tart cherries, and Brettaberry farmhouse ale with blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and honey.
Hi-Wire Brewing
Our last stop of night one was just up the block from Wicked Weed at Hi-Wire. I was familiar with Hi-Wire as they’re one of the few breweries from Asheville that distributes into Ohio. We went on a pretty quiet night, but the taproom was dead compared to the other places we went and there wasn’t much of an atmosphere. To be fair, they’ve also got a larger “big top” production location that seems to be their focus as of right now, while this location focuses on producing sours and wild beers.
Hi-Wire had a nice mix of more standard styles to go along with the crazy stuff, which was a change of pace from Burial and Wicked Weed. We tried their New England IPA, as well as their Cashmere Sour and Citra Gose. All were decent but nothing really stood out.
This space is a small taproom with an industrial feel and it’s also pretty dark. Again, still dog-friendly so that was a plus.
Green Man Brewing Company
Green Man is one of the best known names in Asheville, and they’ve now got two locations right next to each other. The original brewery is now known as Dirty Jack’s, and it’s a more laid back location with a small indoor taproom and outdoor patio. This is where we visited, and where they produce some of their smaller batch options. They also opened a huge 20,000 square foot brewery just down the block in 2016, and it’s home to their packaging facility, as well as a top floor tasting room and open air patio.
At Green Man I tried their popular ESB, a great take on the style that was perfectly mild for the hot weather. They’re also well known for their IPA and Snozzberry, a Lambic style wheat ale.
Asheville Brewing Company
Asheville Brewing Company is located up the hill in the South Slope and was our second stop on day two. We showed up here hungry, grabbing a spot on their huge covered patio. They take dog-friendly to the next level, as a bowl of water was delivered to Samson with our menus by the super friendly server. They originally started as Asheville Pizza & Brewing and their pizza is definitely very good and pairs well with their classic easy drinking beer styles.
Although we weren’t even originally planning to hit up ABC, this was the pleasant surprise of our trip, for many different reasons, including the beer.
Their Viva La Shiva IPA is very solid, and their Lemon Space Dog Wheat is a perfect summer beer. I also enjoyed their Triple Secret Probation IPA, although it’s a little too dangerously smooth at 11%.
Catawba Brewing Co.
Catawba is wildly popular in nearby Charlotte, but their Asheville location on Banks Ave may be their pride and joy. It’s a very neat 7-barrel location with a huge tasting room and outdoor patio, complete with picnic tables and hammocks. There’s a coffee & donut shop right next door and BBQ also in the complex, so literally every millennial food group is represented here.
You’ve definitely got to try their White Zombie Ale, as well as the award-winning CLT IPA. Their Peanut Butter Jelly Time brown ale was sweet and delicious, and we got their just after they tapped their Small Batch Lime Agave Gose which tasted exactly like a margarita. Yum.
Twin Leaf Brewery
Twin Leaf is located directly across the street from the Funkatorium and was our last stop of day two. The brewery opened in 2014 and is one of the newer kids on the block. They feature a unique open tasting room with their brewing equipment right out in the open, with plenty of community tables and outside seating on their patio.
At Twin Leaf I really enjoyed the Wee Nipper English Mild Ale, but then again I’m a malt head. It’s a nice malty light option that is extremely true to style. Angie enjoyed the All You Feel is Sound saison, but just about all of their options were extremely drinkable.
Zillicoah Beer Co.
On day three we ventured away from the South Slope, ending up at Zillicoah after a walk around the River Arts District. Zillicoah opened in 2017 just west of downtown as Woodfin’s first brewery. The 4-acre site is highlighted by river views where you can grab a chair and enjoy the view, which is exactly what we did.
The brewery itself is a large industrial building, with an inside taproom and covered patio. The inside of the taproom itself is not dog-friendly, but the patio and river views are perfectly suited for your furry friend. Zillicoah is the Cherokee word for the French Broad River, which the brewery is situated right next to.
They’ve also got a permanent food truck and partnered with Taqueria Munoz, and we heard great things although we didn’t try the food.
They focus on farmhouse ales and lagers, as well as partnering with other breweries for in-house guest offerings. I tried the Kellerpils while Angie had the Dry-Hopped Lime Basil Sour. Both were flavorful and perfectly crushable for a warm day beside the river.
Bold Rock Hard Cider
After visiting plenty of breweries, we decided to switch things up and head to the Bold Rock Cidery in suburban Mills River. This place is a huge rural campus, with a 22,500 square foot two-story building overlooking the production facility. Outside, there’s plenty of green space, including plenty of picnic tables, a stage, and a huge patio. There were plenty of kids playing in the grass on the beautiful evening we visited and lots of families enjoying the sunshine. This place reminds me more of a winery than a brewery.
Based out of Virginia, Bold Rock is the largest cider producer in the Carolinas and has great styles like Carolina Apple and Carolina Draft. We particularly enjoyed the India Pressed Apple Style (IPA). They’re just a few miles away from the popular Sierra Nevada and definitely worth checking out.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Let me just say this: if you visit Asheville, you must visit Sierra Nevada. The Chico, California craft beer giant opened their Mills River location in 2015, and it immediately became a go-to tourist attraction in the city. When you think of what a big brewery should be, this is exactly it. To get to the brewery, you drive down a winding path with huge gates at the front that definitely makes the entry feel like something special. When you hit the parking lot, you see the massive building with plenty of windows to look inside the production facility. Inside there’s also a huge restaurant, and around back is the back porch, a family- and dog-friendly huge outdoor space with just about anything you’d want – picnic tables, comfortable Adirondack chairs, a huge stage, walking path, cornhole, and so much more. If it’s a nice day, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be outside on this patio.
Sierra Nevada is of course known for their Pale Ale, but they also produce some great IPAs as well. I really enjoy their Sidecar Orange Pale Ale and the Tropical Torpedo IPA. I’ve been on a big lager kick recently and the Southern Gothic Session Pils really hit the mark for me.