Today I’m going to be talking a little bit about Asheville, North Carolina, a city that’s been on my mind a lot lately.
I visited the city a while back, almost 6 months ago now and only for a short weekend trip, but lingering thoughts about this place still frequent my mind. There’s just something really special about Asheville that stays with you after spending time there!
I also realized that I never wrote about my experience visiting this magical little eclectic city. All of my ideas and plans for posts somehow got lost in the shuffle during the move to South America. Considering it’s been popping into my mind a lot recently, I took it as a sign that it’s time to share!
In one weekend trip to Asheville, I managed to pack a lot of activities into my short time, including a relaxing spa getaway, a trip to America’s largest home, the Biltmore, a bunch of Southern Cuisine taste testing and one of my favorite activities of the lot, an Asheville Brewery Tour.
Asheville is often referred to as Beer City USA (it’s won the title many times, fair and square) and with very good reason! With more breweries per capita than any other city in the country, it’s pretty evident that these locals take their beer really seriously. In just the downtown area alone there are over 30 breweries to be visited and nearly 100 local brews to be tasted. Talk about overwhelming … In a city known for their prestigious brewery scene, I had no clue where to start!
I also have to admit, I’m not a big beer drinker. I’m actually not a huge fan of anything carbonated. A bubbly belly is not my thing. But hey when in Rome …
So, as someone embarrassingly not knowing the first difference between a Pale Ale and IPA, I decided to seek the help of the experts. I’m talking, Asheville Brewery Tours. I was excited to take advantage of an Asheville locals knowledge about the complex world of beer!
I decided on the Saturday Sunset Deluxe Van Tour figuring it’d be nice to not worry about transportation and have someone to drive us around between tastings! Mid-afternoon we strolled downtown, grabbed a quick bite and prepared ourselves for 4 stops at some of Asheville’s best and brightest breweries.
Note: I apologize ahead of time for the low quality photos. I did not want to bring along my DSLR on account of, well all the drinking, and low lighting is not very conducive to iPhone photography!
Stop 1: Altamont Brewing Company
Our first stop of the tour was in West Asheville at Altamont Brewing Company, which coincidently I had already visited the night before. I was totally okay with that though, because the beer was AMAZING! Even after all of the other stops our tour made, Altamont remained my favorite of the lot.
Our tour guide took us to a quieter section in the back to explain the brewing process and the story behind Asheville’s breweries.
Altamont’s own draft selection is constantly rotating and they also share the tap with beers from other breweries all over the world. The brewery itself is a no frills establishment with a beautiful classic wooden bar, a few scattered metal tables and a small stage for live music. There are ping-pong and foosball tables in the back for games and colorful hoola-hoops begging for a spin along the walls. If you’re looking for a chill bar with a laid back alternative vibe and friendly knowledgeable staff- this place will be right up your alley!
On the tour we sampled 3 creative brews for which their menu descriptions were as follows:
- Stacy’s Mom Has Got It Gose’n On (5%)- Brewed with an addition of Pink Himalayan sea salt and organic coriander seeds, expect citrusy aromas followed by a pleasant saltiness and a hint of subtle acidity in each sip.
- Hefeweizen (5%)- Pale straw color. Hints of banana and clove from the weihenstephan yeast. Very low Traditional German Wheat Beer
- D-Nice Stout (5.5%)- Dark Brown in color with a roasty, malty, dark chocolate creamy finish with a hint of coffee malt.
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed each and every beer that I tried at Altamont including the “Cold Hearted” IPA and the “Blonde Ale” which I tried on my own!
Stop 2: Urban Orchard Cider Company
When I heard that a cider bar was next up on the tour I was super excited! I’m a newbie to the world of hard ciders, but I was happy to give them a try and take a break from all the beer!
With 3 staple options on tap, rotating seasonal and experimental batch ciders, a selection of local beers, and even wine, the bar at Urban Orchard truly has something available to please every palette! Downstairs, under the bar, is where the magic happens and the fermentation process takes place. The Urban Orchard family experiments with some pretty wild flavors giving each of their ciders crazy character that somehow really works and leaves you with a taste to remember!
My favorite of the Urban Orchard tastings was the above Sidra del Diablo cider, brewed with smoked habanero peppers and infused with sweet vanilla! (I know what the heck, I was surprised too!) At first taste the cider seemed pretty sweet, but don’t let that fool you, the heat builds in a few short seconds. It was pretty intense to be honest, but I like a little spice. It was also just such a unique and deliciously shocking mix that it left quite the impression!
Stop 3: Catawba Brewing Company
After ample time learning about and tasting ciders, we hopped back into the bus and head off to Catawba!
Catawba Brewing Company is located smack in the middle of Asheville’s popular South Slope neighborhood, or Brewery District. It is one of Western North Carolina’s oldest breweries and was pretty large compared to the other two breweries we had visited.
Catawba didn’t necessarily blow me away with their beer, but their space was amazing! The ceilings were high, the rooms were well lit and there were many places to sit, sip and take in the scene. They’ve got food trucks out back, big screen TVs playing the games and live local tunes up on stage. We entered to find Catawba filled to the brim with friendly, giddy patrons, chatting away with friends while throwing em’ back.
Our tour guide somehow found a quiet, corner by the back bar and quickly divvied up the tastes. Some in our group were having such a great time that they went up and ordered themselves a pint to get more into the Catawba spirit!
Stop 4: Hi-Wire Brewing
Our fourth and final stop was at Hi-Wire Brewing, a small microbrewery also in South Slope. Hi-wire is one of Asheville’s newer breweries, but has gained a favorable reputation quite quickly! In fact, not very long after opening they were named “Best New Brewery in North Carolina” in 2013 by RateBeer.com!
Hi-Wire Brewing prides themselves on their offering of good, “approachable” highly drinkable handcrafted beers. Their 4 “main attractions” have become popular among locals and visitors alike, consisting of their Prime Time Pale, Hi-Pitch IPA, Bed of Nails Brown, and Hi-Wire Lager. They also feature more creative transitioning, “Side Show Seasonals” in their tasting room!
Although Hi-Wire was on the smaller, simpler side of the breweries we visited, and there wasn’t a ton of seating, I really loved their alternative, industrial décor and laid back feel! The brewery had old-school roll up garage-style doors and plenty of games, including life-size Jenga, to pass the time while enjoying a brew.
The four stops on our van tour with Asheville Brewery Tours was an awesome introduction to the Asheville Brewery scene and actually left me wanting to learn more about the world of beer! Who would’ve thought …. I can’t wait to get back to Beer City USA soon and see what else they have to offer!
Have you ever been to Asheville? What was your favorite brewery?
Disclaimer: Asheville Brewery Tours graciously invited me on their tour for purposes of this post. As always all opinions are my own. I would only recommend something I truly felt would benefit my readers!
Heading to Asheville sometime soon? Be sure to check out this list of amazing vegan eateries in the area!
Welcome to Wanderful Wednesdays!
Consider yourself a wanderer?! Well then, this Blog Hop is for you!
Meet your hosts: Lauren of Lauren on Location, Van of Snow in Tromso, Isabel of The Sunny Side of This and Marcella of What a Wonderful World.
Here on Wanderful Wednesday we hope to promote an open and supportive community for like-minded bloggers- expats, travelers and all kinds of wanderers!
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This week on #WanderfulWednesday, I’m highlighting last week’s post “Cusco, Peru: A Guide to the Inca Capital” by Leah at Gringa Journeys! I leave for Cusco a week from today and can’t wait to use all of her amazing tips! If you haven’t already, be sure to go check out her post and spread the love!
Happy Hopping my Friends! 😀
Actually beer is one of my favorite drinks, I didnt know Asheville has USA’s beer city.. I am sending this to my husband ASAP!
Ohhhh he would love this city if he’s into beer! Asheville and Portland, OR are always in the top running for Beer City USA! EVen though Asheville is so much smaller, it’s been taking the lead lately!
I didn’t know that Ashville is the Beer City of the USA. I’m sure you had a great weekend 😉 #WanderfulWednesday
It was a lot of fun 😀
I didn’t know that Ashville was the Beer City of the US! We drove through Ashville in summer 2013 to head to Florida because we wanted to stop at the Biltmore house…but it was soooo ridiculously expensive to visit per person we opted out! 🙁 I wish I had known this sooner because I would have loooved to try some of these local breweries! #WanderfulWednesday
The Biltmore was ridiculously expensive, but it was a Christmas gift, so we sprung for it! My favorite part of the trip was wandering around and sampling different beers, wines and foods around Asheville though! And everything was surprisingly reasonable there! 😀
Not a beer drinker but sounds like you had a fun and comprehensive beer tour!
I’m not much of a beer drinker myself, but it was fun to sample all the different tastes 😀
I’ve heard such good things about Ashville! My friend lived there for a short period and can’t stop raving about it. I’m not a huge beer drinker either but I do LOVE a good food/drink tour so I’m sure I would have signed up too! The fact that there was a cider stop made me super happy and the vanilla/pepper is so unique it must have been fun to try.
All of the flavors were fun to try! I have to admit I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of beer/cider.. They were all crazy different! Seems like a tour like this would be right up your alley, especially since they’re all small local breweries! 😀
Absolutely! I took a local brewery tour in Toronto and loved it! I definitely need to include a few more winery/cidery/brewery tours in my future. 🙂
I’ve been dying to visit Asheville because it just looks like such a beautiful city and a great place to visit! I had no idea that it was considered Beer City USA, and that it had all of these amazing breweries in such a relatively small city. It sounds like the tour did a great job of taking y’all around to a wide variety of breweries that all had their own style and ambiance, which I think is so awesome! My husband loves ciders, so I’m sure that he would have loved the second stop, and the habanero infused cider really intrigues me too!
I had no idea that Asheville was known for beer either before going, but there are SO many breweries to visit! It’s a great city for a group trip or weekend away as there really is so much to do so close! I highly recommend Asheville for you and your husband! I think you guys would love it 😀
a beer city? this is for my husband:) I don’t drink beer:)
There’s a lot more to Asheville than beer! Don’t worry!
I’ve never done a beer tour – I don’t drink it – but this sounds like the place to do it!
I’m not a huge beer drinker, but when in Beer City USA… 😀
Thanks so much for highlighting my Cusco post! I’ve been to Asheville quite a few times (I’m an Atlanta, GA native), but I’ve never done a brewery tour. I’ll have to check it out next time!
Thanks so much for posting your Cusco post! 😀 Can’t wait to put it to use! And definitely check out the breweries in Asheville if you’re into beer at all (or even if you’re not like me), they’re so fun and have such a great atmosphere!
I love beer! But only certain kinds. I had no idea there were so many breweries in Asheville! I’ve been dying to see the Biltmore…. so I guess this makes another good reason to go!
If you’re dying to see the Biltmore and you love beer, then Asheville is definitely the place for you! No matter what kind of beer you like, I’m sure they’ll have something for ya. There are seriously so many different types, flavors, etc. I realllly liked a few that I tried and I’m not even a big beer gal!
I don’t really enjoy beer that much but I do like beer tasting! It’s fun to see what’s out there and maybe find a beer that I actually do like 😉
Same for me! I’m not a huge beer drinker in general, so I like to taste around and find the few flavors that I like! That’s why I really liked this tour because our guide broke down the flavors and helped us see why we liked certain beers and not others! Now I know what to order when I’m confronted with a long beer list at a restaurant! hehe
I loooooooove brewery tours! But since I’m kind of a light weight, it gets hazy after a few rounds haha. But I’ve heard so much about Asheville too! I really want to visit, but am unsure if it’s possible without a car…
Thoughts?
I feeeeel that Michelle! Post college I’ve definitely turned into a light weight! Hmmm we did have a car when we went to Asheville and I think it’d be pretty hard to get around without one. We took ubers a few times just to avoid finding parking, but everything was pretty spread out. Maybe you could rent a car, or try to find a friend to hitch a ride with? It’s definitely worth it!
I lived in North & South Carolina for many years and visited Asheville often, but I was always underage! So no breweries for me 🙁 I’m not much of a beer drinker myself, but I’m all about the ciders! I’m sure I’d love that one.
I grew up in wine country on Long Island but have hardly been home since I’ve been 21 haha .. Now whenever people ask me about my own hometown and the wineries, I never have too much to contribute! Can’t wait to explore now that I’m of age! But the cidery was amazinggggg! If you’re into cider, you would definitely love it 😀
Oops, I have never heard of Asheville, until now 😉 I’m not the biggest beer fan apart from the sweeter beers, (Kuntsman Miel mainly, ha!) but I would still like to go on a brewery tour just for the fun part of it, and to learn a little more 🙂 It looks like lots of fun!
Oooooo I love that Kuntsman Miel !! So good! The best part of the brewery was meeting people, chatting, learning and having fun 😀
Looks interesting. I love tours centering around the culinary highlights (or hidden spots) of a place. I have heard a lot of great things about Asheville. I have to visit one day.
I loveeee focusing on culinary highlights 😀 .. Gives you such an inside look!
Um, LIFE SIZE JENGA. WHAT IS THAT?! I’m not a carbonation-lover either, but anything with an artisan twist is usually pretty tasty. What a fun tour, and I bet you learned a lot about the city, too. How many Germans settled in Asheville? I’m finding the more breweries in an American city, the more German immigrants populated the city!
Life Size Jenga is the bomb! It’s just basically huge Jenga hahah And you just made me curious so I looked up German settlers in Asheville, couldn’t find much! I love the connection with beer and Germans though .. makes sense 😀
I am a beer LOVER! I’ve done single brewery tours, but never done one that goes to several different breweries! I never would have pegged Ashville for being such a craft beer city! very cool.
Finally! Someone who says they are a beer lover! Ha!
I wish I liked beer more! I like the taste, it’s just the carbonation that gets to me, can’t have too much! That’s why I liked the tour though, lots of little tastes. If you like beer you would LOVE asheville! Definitely recommend 😀
I’ve never seen beer so LIGHT! So bizarre! Thanks for sharing your trip. I was going to visit Asheville when I was in college, but my plans fell through. you’ve made me want to start planning a weekend getaway!
Alaina | http://www.pumpsandpineapples.com
I’d never heard about Asheville being such a beer city. Good to know for when we move back to the states and start traveling within the country again.
I’ve heard about bar hopping in Asheville and even read other posts on it, but never done it myself. Granted, I’m not much of a beer drinker, but my husband would love it! I’ll have to keep your post in mind for our next trip to Asheville. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!