For the past few years, Just Brew It functioned as the unofficial kickoff party for AVL Beer Week. It’s hard to beat more than 50 homebrewers serving some of the best beer around. Yet this year the event will wrap the week rather than begin it. Someone needed to fill the void. Highland Brewing Co. […]
Author: Thom O'Hearn
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Back of house: Clingman Café turns the page
Clingman Café’s new mother and daughter owners will feature more homemade baked goods while keeping customer favorites.
Back of house: Patrick O’Cain and Chris Hathcock of Gàn Shān Station
A year after opening their highly anticipated Charlotte Street restaurant, chefs Patrick O’Cain and Chris Hathcock talk about how Asheville received their adventurous brand of Asian cuisine and how their menu has evolved.
Back of House: Alyssa Mikus of Miami Nights
Back of House is a new monthly column from former Xpress Beer Scout writer Thom O’Hearn profiling local chefs and brewers.
In photos: Four Farms at Burial Beer
Billed as “a celebration of agriculture benefiting Carolina Farm Stewardship Association,” Burial Beer’s Four Farms event matched four breweries that focus on farmhouse ales with four chefs passionate about local food and seasonal ingredients.
Beer Scout: Catawba doubles down on food pairing events
Whether it’s fine dining, chocolate pairings, barbecue or curry, Catawba’s new initiatives aim to show beer’s versatility with food.
Beer Scout: Mills River Brewery
Soon Sierra Nevada won’t be the only brewery in the Arden area. Now the Mills River Brewery is just a craft beer bar and deli, but the opening of its new microbrewery is right around the corner.
Beer Scout: Cider City, USA?
Two up-and-coming cidermakers are preparing to open local taprooms.
Beer Scout: Hi-Wire gets ready to debut the Biltmore Big Top
Hi-Wire Brewing Co. has only been open downtown for two years, but the company’s second (and significantly larger facility) is already set to come online in Biltmore Village.
French Broad Chocolate Lounge and Catawba Brewing Co. debut new pairing series
Catawba Brewing Co. and the French Broad Chocolate Lounge have teamed up for chocolate and beer pairings before. Now they’re about to do it again. And again and again.
Beer Scout: Highland Brewing Co. debuts Warrior series
With its soon-to-be-released Warrior series, Highland Brewing Co. hopes creativity will be the word that springs to mind when people think of the landmark brewery’s beers.
Beer Scout: Asheville’s first conference for homebrewers
Local homebrewers have something to look forward to with the inaugural Asheville Homebrewers Conference set to happen in August. Also, take a look at one Asheville homebrewer’s award-winning white muscadine pale ale.
Beer Scout: State of Origin + Burning Can
Fonta Flora Brewery’s Todd Boera has made it his mission to brew with local ingredients. He’s one of the biggest advocates for using Riverbend Malt House’s barley, wheat and rye. He also forages for special additions to his beers. So it’s not surprising that the brewery’s festival, State of Origin, shares the same theme.
Asheville Beer Week hit list
It’s a long, beer-loaded week, with a three-day round of festivals the first weekend. Here are a few highlights.
Brand new: Local breweries are thinking outside the bottle
Asheville’s reputation as a beer destination is chiefly due to the high-quality ales and lagers produced here. But something else is clearly going on as well: Our breweries, by and large, have a knack for branding.
Beer Scout: Green Man’s Mike Karnowski to open brewery
Karnowski is leaving the red-hot Slope to build a brewery of his own with his wife, Gabe, in Weaverville. “My brewery will be in a cool old firehouse right behind Main Street [at 8 Merchant Alley],” says Karnowski. “It will be fun to bring it back to life.”
In photos: New Belgium distribution center
New Belgium Brewing Co. debuts its new Asheville distribution center this week. The facility, located in Enka Center, is 141,000 square feet. In practical terms, it will hold a total of 12 million bottles and cans, 50,000 kegs of beer, 45,000 empty kegs and 300 tons of cardboard for raw materials.
Beer Scout: Tasty Beverage Co. opens on the South Slope
The taps are flowing at Tasty Beverage Co., and saisons are in season at Burial Beer Co.’s Sharpen the Blades festival.
Beer Scout: Sanctuary Brewing
Most new breweries want to talk about their beer. But for Joe Dinan and Lisa McDonald, the team behind Sanctuary Brewing, it’s all about something else: the animals.
Scotty’s 21st birthday party at Highland Brewing
Highland is celebrating its mascot, Scotty, as he turns 21. After all, the brewery says, he’s finally old enough to drink beer.
Beer Scout: Spring on the South Slope
Spring is a time for new beginnings, so it’s fitting that Catawba Brewing Co. is kicking off the season by embarking on the next stage of the company’s future in Asheville.