Asheville Beertinerary

Background

Asheville is one of the premier beer travel destinations in the United States and is the beer capital of the South.  Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, it’s a perfect blend of old south and new hipster.

The Basics

Where to Stay

Downtown is the ideal place.  The majority of breweries are south of downtown, but there aren’t many places to stay there.  If you are using AirBnB or other sites, you want to be just south of Patton Ave and west of Biltmore Ave.  You could hit a golf ball from there and hit and 10 breweries as well as be close to everything downtown.

The Beers

 

Itinerary

8:00 am

Breakfast at Biscuit Head.  You can go earlier as there’s often a line.  It’s a fantastic breakfast.  I recommend the maple bacon latte and any meal that contains a biscuit and grits.

9:00 am

Drive to Catawba falls for a quick hike.  Don’t be a scrub.  You can’t be in the mountains and not go chasing waterfalls.  It’s just a 30 minute drive east of Asheville.  And it’s an easy mile hike to the falls and then back.

11:30 am

Back in Asheville, you’re probably thirsty.  Head to the River Arts District and stop at Wedge Brewing.  Located along the French Broad River and in between some hipster art galleries.  You could spend some time there if you’d like, but that will eat into your drinking time.

12:30 pm

Drive the car back into downtown and park it.  You won’t need it again until tomorrow.  Head to Wicked Weed first.  It’s the granddaddy of breweries in Asheville and famous for a reason.  The tasting room is now more restaurant than brewery, but the downstairs has a good vibe and offers the same great beers and appetizers to keep some food in your belly.

1:30 pm

You’re on foot now and will earn your beers going up and down some hills to sample different beers.  You probably can’t go wrong with any of the breweries in the area, but I’d highly recommend my route as it’s a nice circle with short walks.  I won’t recommend times as you can stay a little longer at the ones you personally like more.

• Green Man Brewery – a five minute walk down to Green Man for their great IPAs
• Burial Beer Co – just two minutes away is my favorite Asheville brewery.  Great beer garden and a variety of beers
• The Funkatorium – Wicked Weed’s crazy step brother that they let out of the basement.  They specialize in the sours and other beers that aren’t mainstream enough to make it in their “general public” tasting room
• Hi-Wire Brewing –  heading back up the hill, you can either keep moving (depending on how long you stayed at the first three) or grab one more beer at Hi-Wire which has solid, but not spectacular beers.  Their stouts are their strength, in my opinion.

6:00 pm

Hungry.  You should be, because that was a lot of beer.   Stop in at Tupelo Honey in downtown for some upper scale Southern food at a nice price.  You get the fried chicken here.  Don’t get cute and order something else.

7:30 pm

Time to play a little bit.  The Asheville Pinball Museum is more of an arcade than a museum because you get to play the exhibits.  And they serve beer if you need to keep that going.  It’s a cool scene and a nice way to end the night.

Nightcap

Still thirsty?  Dssovlr is just two blocks away and is crushing it for a new brewery.

What You’ll Miss

The Biltmore – It’s probably the most famous site in Asheville, but it’s not for everybody.  It’s just a really big mansion with large gardens.  If that kind of thing floats your boat then go see it.  But, don’t waste beer drinking time to do it.  Add an extra day if you feel the need to see how rich people waste their money.

New Belgium Brewery Tour – Several large breweries have made their secondary homes in Asheville, but if you were to see one, it should be New Belgium.  They have a great story, cool tour, and serve free beer throughout the tour.

Sierra Nevada Tour

 

Restaurants

White Duck Taco Shop

King Daddy’s Chicken & Waffles