Luella’s celebrates 10 years of barbecue and beer

10 AND COUNTING: Asheville's Luella's Bar-B-Que restaurants will celebrate a decade in business with an anniversary brew and food-and-beer pairings Tuesday, March 21. Photo courtesy of Luella's Bar-B-Que

Ten years is a long time for any restaurant to thrive and survive, especially in Asheville’s highly competitive dining scene.

But Luella’s Bar-B-Que has reached that decade mark and will celebrate Tuesday, March 21, with a special anniversary beer plus food-and-brew pairings at both the Merrimon Avenue and Biltmore Park locations.

Luella’s has teamed with Asheville’s Hi-Wire Brewing Co. to create Pig on a Wire Anniversary Ale, an amber honey-wheat ale that goes well with barbecue.

The event will also feature Hi-Wire’s limited-edition blueberry sour, a gose and Bed of Nails Brown Ale. Some of the brews will go into small-bite food offerings like shrimp on a wire and beer belly wrapped pork shank, says Craig Peters, general manager of the Merrimon Avenue Luella’s. As part of the celebration, customers who buy the beer can take home the glass while supplies last.

The pairing is part of Luella’s Tuesday Brewsday monthly series, Peters says. “Because we’ve reached the 10-year mark, we wanted to celebrate by upping the ante for our customers.”

Along with the specialty food items, Luella’s will offer its regular menu at the pairing, including its popular chicken wings and smoked beef brisket. “This will not be like a big beer dinner,” Peters says. “Each of the beers will be paired with a bite.” No reservations are needed.

Luella’s, which specializes in Eastern North Carolina vinegar-based barbecue sauce, was opened in 2007 by Jeff Miller and had its first location on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. In 2009, it moved to North Asheville and took over the former Boston Pizza site, which had once been an A&W drive-in, Peters says. That was followed by a Luella’s at Biltmore Park.

The barbecue scene has changed a great deal since those early days, says Peters. “There is a lot of barbecue competition in town these days. Everyone is putting out good food. It’s a matter of staying consistent. There is room for everyone.”

Luella’s 10th-anniversary celebration happens 5-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at 501 Merrimon Ave. and 33 Town Square Blvd., Biltmore Park. For details, follow Luella’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit the Luella’s website

Follow Tony Kiss on Facebook at Carolina Beer Guy and on Twitter at BeerGuyTK. Email avlbeerguy@gmail.com

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Tony Kiss
Tony Kiss covers brewing news for the Xpress. He has been reporting on the Carolina beer scene since 1994. He's also covered distilling and cider making and spent 30 years reporting on area entertainment. Follow me @BeerguyTK

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.