A Year in Beer: Royal treatment at Wicked Weed Brewing

On Jan. 1, Christopher Arbor and his friends launched a quest to visit one Asheville brewery each week for all of 2025 in the order that they opened then share the experience with Mountain Xpress readers. To read about their recent visit to Oyster House Brewing Co., go to avl.mx/ekk. 

We descended a dark set of stairs to the cavernous underbelly of Wicked Weed Brewing’s downtown brewpub. Surrounded by daunting stonework and timber, our friends gathered around a large wooden high-top.

Wicked Weed’s name and castle vibe were inspired by a quote attributed to King Henry VIII: “Hops are a wicked and pernicious weed.” The branding extends to several beers with medieval or religiously rebellious names, such as the Heresy Brown Ale and Infidel Porter.

Just an idea: How about a red ale called the Spanish Inquisition? Nobody would expect it.

Wicked Weed is also a kingdom in size. The original downtown brewery and taproom contain a bottle shop and restaurant. On the South Slope, there are Cultura restaurant and The Funkatorium, which specializes in sours (both are currently closed). There’s also a West Asheville location and an outpost at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

I ordered the Lupulin Lab IPA, described as “West Coast leaning IPA with a strong candylike aroma of fruity peach rings, orange starburst, and juicy fruit. Tasting notes include pine and orange zest with a grassy finish.” It reminded me of a party game called Brew Ha Ha, in which players create outrageous beer descriptions such as “Turbid wet cardboard that resembles the musky aroma of a goat” or “Explosive carnival with the distinctive aroma of a urinal cake.”

Focus, Christopher, focus.

Along with the beer, I had an exceptional chicken sandwich. It didn’t have a million layers or competing flavors — it was basically just a chicken breast with pickles and aioli (which is just a fancy word for mayonnaise, folks). Also, the outrageously good house-made sesame bun was remarkably light but sturdy enough to contain the sandwich.

Full disclosure: I’ve probably been to Wicked Weed only a handful of times since it opened in 2012. I tend to be more at home in less fancy locales. Yet I acknowledge that with its long history of making award-winning, highly innovative brews, the business has likely had a profound influence on Asheville’s beer scene.

After consulting co-founder Ryan Guthy, brewpub General Manager Russ Brown tells me, “We would be honored to know that we positively impacted the Asheville brewing community and beyond. We have the utmost respect for our Asheville brewing colleagues and appreciate the opportunity to learn from one another.”

Also, I have a theory that Wicked Weed is kind of Asheville’s thirst trap. Hear me out: While it was bought by the multinational corporation AB InBev in 2017, its widespread reputation lures hordes of tourists who then stick around to explore our locally owned breweries, buy from our artists and listen to our musicians. 

A local management team and the founders still oversee operations, says Brown. Especially since Tropical Storm Helene, he says, “It’s really been our focus to help support the community, our employees and be an outlet to help drive business back to downtown Asheville.” 

We meet Wednesdays around 5:30 p.m. The next stops on our voyage are:

March 5 — Hi-Wire Brewing on Hilliard Avenue
March 12 — One World Brewing downtown

Join us if you like. You can email me at yearinbeerasheville@gmail.com or just show up.