Brewpubs/Micro's in Asheville NC?

[kinjar]

I'm heading to Asheville next month. Real Beer lists some Brew pubs & a Microbrewery located there. Anyone have opinions on any? Are there some other nearby places to check out that aren't listed?

[Payson]

Highland and Jack of the Wood are nice!

[justin27]

http://www.barleystaproom.com/index.php

Justin

[chazwicke]

I went to one there that was in an old movie theater.

[Seymour]

Yeah, even if you don't make it to Highland Brewing, make sure you take home some sixers of their Gaelic Ale and St. Therese's Ale.

[fretlessman71]

Highland makes a great Oatmeal Porter! (Thanks again, justin!)

[threecb]

I was there last fall and had a good time, good beers!

Barley's is right upstairs from Highland (for now?) and is excellent. Follow Justin's link.

Chaz, the one you're thinking of is Asheville Brewing and Pizza. I thought that place was great. Awesome IPA. I think they're opening a second location closer to downtown, too.

Jack of the Wood was fun. Brewing is off-site now, but there's a "taproom" at the brewery.

[chazwicke]

Yep that was it! The pizza was good too as I recall.

[chris_o]

I'm planning on paying a visit from the UK to NC (plus some parts of VA that I've not visited before) next year and Asheville looks like a pretty good place beer-wise. Plus (hopefully), Pop The Cap will have succeeded in getting the daft 6% limit lifted by then, so there should be some extremely interesting offerings from brewers at last able to let their hair down.

[chazwicke]

I think their efforts have succeeded. Or at least I thought I heard that they had. Where abouts in VA are you planning on visiting?

[Payson]

Pop The Cap in NC is still a work in progress.

[chris_o]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I think their efforts have succeeded. Or at least I thought I heard that they had. Where abouts in VA are you planning on visiting?
At the risk of drifting into mid-Atlantic territory, I want to do the Skyline Drive (rather than the "See the road in front of you if you're lucky Drive" as it was last time I was over). And I've only really skimmed Richmond and much of the Hampton Roads area up to now - there's a number of brewpubs I haven't yet visited. Blacksburg Brewing should be back in operation before too long. Plus, I was quite surprised by how many wineries there were. I'd like to explore some of them a bit more. Finally, I fear the good lady will want to visit Williamsburg again as she doesn't think we "did it justice" last time we visited. Personally, I found it a bit kitsch for my taste (no offence meant).

[threecb]

I love Skyline Drive through Shennendoah. Last year, after Asheville, we drove up through the NP and stayed overnight in one of the cabins. It was rustic, but a very good time. If you head out of the Park at one of the midpoint exits (I forget which one) you can go west to Harrisonburg for Calhoun's Brewpub, or SouthEast to Charlottesville, where there are 2 or 3 places.

[chris_o]

I thnk the plan will probably be to drive the whole Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway down to Asheville, The Great Smoky Mountains, across to the coast taking in Charlotte, Raleigh etc and Wilmington, then up the coast/Outer Banks and back into VA. Including, of course, any and every brewpub & brewery that I can fit in along the way. I'm planning on taking a month over it. Not sure when it will be - I generally visit Washington DC on business at least once a year so I'll try to build it in with that.

Went to Calhouns in Harrisonburg last time I was over (visibility being zero on the Skyline Drive) and spent three days in Charlottesville - visited both South Street Brewery and Starr Hill Brewery (although it seems that many, if not all, of their beers are brewed at Dominion these days).

[chazwicke]

I've done the Skyline drive and Blue Ridge Parkway many times. Used to backpack and camp out in Shenandoah NP in high school and college. Now I'm too fat to consider carrying a backpack. There is another thread going right now about Asheville brewpubs. Wilmington has one. Outter Banks has two. Williamsburg area has two breweries one of course is AB the other is a micro and not a brew pub. If you are up in the DC area give me a shout. I'll meet up with you if possible.

[chris_o]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Williamsburg area has two breweries one of course is AB the other is a micro and not a brew pub. If you are up in the DC area give me a shout. I'll meet up with you if possible.
I tried the Williamsburg Pale Ale on cask at the Green Leafe Cafe in Williamsburg last time I was over. Unfortunately it wasn't in the greatest condition. I'll certainly give you a shout next time I'm over, although my business contacts tend to lay things on for me and its a bit difficult to say that what I really want to do is go on a bar crawl! Unfortunately, my hosts don't tend to be beer oriented. Nonetheless, I have managed to visit most of the beery places in the immediate DC area.

[kinjar]

Back from the trip that started this thread. Due to golf and family reunion commitments, I was unable to visit any of the Asheville beer sites. We were actually staying in Hendersonville NC, great little town and historic district. Was able to visit an Irish pub that had an amazing beer list (well beyond the standard Irish Import fare). I was able to try a Sweetwater Porter which was great.

Although I didn't go to the Highland Lake Brewery, I did pick up a sample pack at the grocery store. Funny enough, the bottles read "brewed and bottled in Frederick Maryland". I guess I could have gotten that around here in the DC area anyway.

[chazwicke]

In all these years, I've never visited the Frederick Brewery. Been to Brewers Alley up there though.

[kinjar]

Originally posted by chazwicke
In all these years, I've never visited the Frederick Brewery. Been to Brewers Alley up there though.

Same here (on both accounts). REALLY enjoyed the trip to brewers alley. Their Octoberfest beer last year was great, the food is very good and the people were really friendly.

[chazwicke]

Road Trip?

[HarkJohnny]

Originally posted by Seymour
Yeah, even if you don't make it to Highland Brewing, make sure you take home some sixers of their Gaelic Ale and St. Therese's Ale.

my buddy from Tennesse get's the Highland beers in his area and sent me a couple St Therese's Pales... boy were these yummy!! A wonderful hop AND MALT flavor that most pales lack these days. i enjoyed it very much and look forward to trying some of their other beers, notably the stout and scotch ale.

[HarkJohnny]

Originally posted by chazwicke
In all these years, I've never visited the Frederick Brewery. Been to Brewers Alley up there though.

they brew for Wild Goose, IIRC, which, IMHO, has a killer Oatmeal Stout. My fav to date.

they also, IIRC, brew for Thirsty Dog, which makes my fav Porter, Old Leghumper!

I've also had a number of their Crooked River products.

and according to this (http://www.frederickbrewing.com/FBCFamily2.html) they also brew a number of "beverages" that would never pass the lips of most everyone on this board! hehe

[chazwicke]

Yeah they did a big purchase of Maryland breweries awhile back. Brimstone, Wild Goose and others. IMHO Wild Goose was better when it was made on the Eastern Shore in Cambridge. The Snow Goose was oh so scrumptious. It is now made in the winter at Frederick and is good but like most other beers that are bought out, not quite as good as it was. I know Frederick has struggled but hopefully they have come out of the hard times.

[Sladek]

I've just noticed this tread....my parents live in Waynesville (transplants from Brewtown) and go to Asheville often. I keep pushing them to drink Highland but my dad likes his Beck's, St. Pauli Girl's, and that's that. My mom likes Sierra Nevada (I still can't get her to pour it into a glass) but still won't drink Highland. I have a long, very steep road ahead of me. I like Highland, have my parental units stock it when I visit, and hope to visit the brewery; I didn't realise it was so small. What's the status of their Black Mountain brewery?