If your favorite way to shop is at home in your pajamas, there’s some good news this holiday season: You can now buy beer from Bruisin’ Ales that way as well. “We’ve shipped beer for years, but it was becoming unmanageable to keep doing it by email and phone,” says co-owner Julie Atallah. So when […]
When I walked into Open Brewing a few weeks ago, the wall behind the bar had just been repainted, but the rest of the space was clearly a work in progress. As a reporter, it isn’t unusual to sit for an interview amid piles of boxes, with signage waiting to be hung. But this time, I […]
For the past few months, anyone has been able to tour the new Sierra Nevada brewery in Mills River — sort of. The tour, called a “hard hat tour,” was not the same as the standard Sierra tour at the home facility in Chico, Calif. You had to reserve a spot ahead of time. Part […]
Pumpkin-spiced lattes, pumpkin Oreos, heck, even pumpkin croutons: If you can eat or drink it, someone is trying to make it with pumpkin. When it comes to beer, pumpkin ale tends to elicit a love-it-or-hate-it response. Some order a seasonal beer for the only time all year while others scoff at the style. Wherever you […]
My wife and I visited Portland, Ore., earlier this year. While we could only hit a small fraction of the city’s 50-plus breweries, we made sure to stop at Cascade Brewing, a legendary producer of sour beers, and Hair of the Dog Brewing Co. At Cascade, we found no fewer than a dozen sour beers […]
If you get up every morning and drive an hour to work, you have a good idea what it’s been like to work in sales or deliveries for Catawba Brewing. For the past 15 years, Catawba has been driving thousands of barrels of beer from its brewery in Morganton to Asheville, the company’s largest territory since day one.
Most of us in Asheville only notice the Asheville Brewers Alliance during Asheville Beer Week, if we notice them at all. That’s when a group of volunteers from the ABA organize and promote the dozens of events that happen that week — and help pull off the Beer City Festival.
Brewgrass, the original Asheville beer fest is officially back for its 18th year. Tickets are now on sale for the Sept. 20 event, to be held at Memorial Field, at brewgrassfestival.com. In years past, there was little but Bele Chere when it came to Asheville festivals ahead of Brewgrass in the hot summer months. But […]
In late June, David Paul Seymour — the man who creates all of Burial Beer’s artwork — started posting pictures of can designs for Scythe Rye Pale Ale on Instagram. While Burial’s closest thing to a flagship is certainly popular, the idea of it in a can is forward thinking to say the least. Burial […]
Having just celebrated its third birthday, Asheville Beer Week is still a collective experiment: It’s a week-long series of events that will continue to evolve based on what we choose to attend. So perhaps it’s no surprise that in a town as creative as Asheville, we’re starting to see a slew of more creative offerings, where each year has topped the last.
A new location and a new festival, both featuring sour beer, are on the way from Wicked Weed.
Two new books sure to satisfy homebrewers and beer lovers I could say that Mike Karnowski’s book, Homebrew Beyond the Basics, is easily the best brewing book of the year. Then again, I was his editor. But ask anyone who’s been to Dirty Jack’s since Karnowski took over brewing the specialty beers (everything that’s not […]
Perhaps it was a coincidence that the Sierra Nevada media preview last week felt like the first real day of spring. But after winding up an entryway that will make the Biltmore Estate look over its shoulder, after walking into an entire warehouse where the lights are motion-activated and bags of malt are stacked as […]
Here in Asheville, we’ve long been ahead of the curve when it comes to craft beer. Now the entire state of North Carolina is getting up to speed as our state’s breweries unite in April for a full month of beer-related events. With more than 100 breweries in North Carolina, only New York and Pennsylvania […]
Raise a glass to the father of Asheville craft beer. When Highland Brewing Co. opened in 1994, North Carolina had all of 10 breweries; now there are more than 100. And when Gov. Pat McCrory signed the proclamation for North Carolina Beer Month, which begins April 1, we’d just cracked the list of the top […]
Highland announces major expansion While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of new brewery openings, it’s also exciting to see that Asheville’s oldest craft brewery is not sitting still. According to Highland Brewing Vice President Leah Wong Ashburn, the company is gearing up for an expansion that could allow output to double […]
Craft Room Opens in South Asheville If you live within 10 minutes of downtown or West Asheville, there’s no shortage of options for fresh growlers of beer. Bruisin’ Ales stocks an ever-changing selection, Asheville Growler and Appalachian Vintner both fill to order and, of course, there are all the breweries. But head down to Arden […]
Sierra Nevada introduces IPA 4-pack Sierra Nevada is best-known for its hoppy Pale Ale and Torpedo IPA. Now it’s taking the hoppiness one step further and rolling out a variety four-pack with Torpedo and three new hop-forward beers. According to the company, the variety pack, which will roll out in the next couple of weeks […]
When you walk into the Twin Leaf space, it’s clear that the brewing system is the pride and joy. The 10-barrel setup is the first thing you notice. While the rest of the wood-filled taproom is subdued, the brewery tanks shine golden in the evening light. It will no doubt be the envy of many […]
In the latest regional beer news, New Belgium and Riverbend debut their collaboration, Sierra Nevada tests single, fresh, wet and wild; and more.
John Garcia, owner and brewer of Lookout Brewery in Black Mountain, was used to a certain type of Black Mountain tourist before he switched careers. He’d see people in town because their family has a place in Montreat or Lake Lure. Others he talked to were stopping to grab a bite to eat before going […]
