Asheville

North Carolina has a beer scene that has evolved from surprising to quietly great in recent years. A lot of that greatness stems from Asheville, a funky little enclave of weirdness nestled between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, near the state’s western edge. Asheville’s moniker is “Paris of the South,” but the place feels more like a strangely wonderful convergence of Appalachia and the South, with a bit of Cambridge, Mass., and Boulder, Colo., thrown in for good measure. And its people know how to brew their asses off. These are the top beer destinations in Asheville chosen by the BeerFly community at BeerAdvocate.com.

Asheville’s streetscape is an interesting mix of art deco towers downtown and industrial warehouses, which are bunched at the western side of town, along the French Broad River. Several warehouses have been reclaimed as cheap artist live-work space, fueling an arts renaissance—and drawing in a community of residents that values honest, handcrafted beers. The result is a concentration of beer bars and breweries far out of proportion with the city’s size.

Several of Asheville’s prime beer destinations are clustered downtown, making a tour of the beer-centric highlights easily walkable. Jack of the Wood and the Thirsty Monk sit across from each other on the main drag, Patton Avenue. The former is the downtown pub outpost of Asheville’s Green Man Brewing Company, which brews some excellent beers in the city’s northern industrial reaches; the brewing facility is well worth the detour, though the Jack delivers Green Man’s full lineup of beers downtown, with healthy doses of bagpipes to boot. The Monk is, as the name would suggest, a Belgian pub fully deserving of that country’s brewing (and drinking) tradition. Look for taps and bottles you won’t find for miles and miles around (especially since two neighboring counties are dry—an awful way to go through life). The Asheville Brewing Company, purveyor of a renowned Porter, lays a short walk off Patton.

A number of galleries are sprinkled among the studios of the industrial River Arts District. That’s also where you’ll find the Wedge Brewing Company, and Wedge’s Iron Rail IPA. It’s one beer you can’t leave town without trying. There’s also some excellent barbecue to be had in the old warehouses; Twelve Bones’ brisket plate is as good a place to start as any.

While Asheville scores huge points for being compact and walkable, you should put two trips further afield on your radar. The first is to the massive Biltmore Estate, a massive (yes, the word needs to be there twice, as it’s totally, unimaginably huge) French-style chateau. As the largest home in the country, it includes a winery, stables and a number of gardens that merit checking out. And since you’re on the road, make the short drive out to Black Mountain for the Pisgah Brewing Company. A magnificent Stout will be your reward.

Wedge Brewing Company
Wedge sits near the western edge of town, in a reclaimed industrial building that’s now full of artist studios. BeerFly users go wild for the brewpub’s Super Saison, Iron Rail IPA and Golem.

Green Man Brewing Company
Green Man’s warehouse and brewery is buried in an industrial corner of town, but with the brewery’s in-house pub, Dirty Jack’s, pouring pints fresh from the tanks, the detour to the fringe of Asheville is highly recommended.

Barley’s Taproom
A two-story bar and pizzeria, Barley’s scores high marks for its dedication to Asheville’s brewing scene. The three dozen taps are almost exclusively local, and they make for a truly formidable lineup.

French Broad Brewing
Founded with an eye toward European styles, French Broad’s outstanding and assertive Ryehopper proves the brewery is equally adept at churning out innovative American ales. The tasting room hosts live music on weekends, so plan to make a night of this trip.

Pisgah Brewing Company
Best known for Valdez, a massive Imperial Stout with a cult following, Pisgah is well worth the short drive from Asheville to Black Mountain. Don’t pass by Baptista, a strong Belgian Pale, either.

Twelve Bones Smokehouse
Even though Texas-style barbecue plates are a bit of an oddity up in the North Carolina mountains, Twelve Bones cooks up the best barbecue in the River Arts District. The beef brisket will, quite simply, rule your face for all eternity. And there’s beer, too. Obviously.

Thirsty Monk
Two beer bars in one, the Thirsty Monk is a stone-lined Belgian cafe downstairs, and a bright, spacious American pub up top. All told, we’re talking 30-odd taps and 150 more in the bottle. Not a bad haul at all.

Jack of the Wood
The Green Man’s downtown outpost goes heavy on the wood and exposed brick, with plenty of bagpipes and scant lighting. More importantly, there’s also a lineup of brewery-fresh beers, including one on cask.

Asheville Brewing Company
Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company
ABC’s Coxe Avenue location pours brewery-fresh pints in the heart of downtown Asheville, while the Merrimon Avenue headquarters rocks a full movie theater to make the trek worthwhile. Of course, both pour killer brews, including Shiva IPA and Ninja Porter.

Ruby’s BBQ Shack [closed]
Not so much a shack as a massive meat palace, Ruby’s serves up serious barbecue, a bar full of homemade sauces and 120 beers to wash them down with.

Highland Brewing Company
An Asheville staple since 1994. You won’t be disappointed by staying on the dark side of things and sipping on an Oatmeal Porter, Black Mocha Stout or a Cold Mountain Winter Ale.

ED Boudreaux’s Bayou Bar-B-Que [closed]
The brew tank in the corner is just for lookin’, but Ed Boudreaux’s ribs and pulled pork are for real. Bonus: 100 bottles in a cooler in the middle of downtown.

Lexington Avenue Brewery
A new, sleek, modern-styled brewpub located in the heart of downtown. Their Chocolate Stout appears to be the leader in the clubhouse thus far. ■