Trip to Asheville

Do some homework on your own OP. Laziness is not a crime, no. Just aggravating.
14 threads in 7 months--you're bound to find some pretty recent info.
And getting your back up about being called out for this doesn't make locals want to help you book your trip.

 

High Wire makes some good beers, and they share a parking lot with Appalachian Vinter, great bottle shop and a place to get a pint. I echo Sierra Nevada (great food too), and Oskar Blues isn't far from there (it's like drinking a beer in your stoner friends garage)

 

What am I missing with Hi-Wire? I haven't been to the Big Top, so maybe that's it, but I've been to the other one, which I think focuses more on barrel stuff maybe? I've tried a couple of their beers in bottles and gotten pretty excited just to go back in to the brewery to give them another shot and be disappointed again. Is the selection at Big Top next to App Vintner that much different than their other location in South Slope?

 

Yep. Honestly, there's not really any insider information about Asheville anymore. It isn't like Asheville is some secret speakeasy where the good beers aren't listed on the menus. All the breweries have websites and social media accounts. All of them post about releases and events ahead of time. There isn't anything anyone is going to say in this thread that hasn't been said elsewhere tons of times.

You can probably figure out about all you need to know with 30 minutes of Googling or checking out Facebook pages. Unless you're looking for something specific or obscure (best Rauchbier in Asheville, quiet breweries to get some work done, breweries that fill outside growlers, etc), all the info is readily available.

But because I'm a nice guy:

Best IPA in Asheville
Best Asheville Breweries

 

Honestly I think they have the best beers in town. IPAs, sours, lager...you name it. Never had a bad beer there.

 

Interestingly enough, they have been producing some solid Sours. Never had an issue with two of their mainstays, Lager and Nut Brown, but I have drain poured more of their beers than anyone not named Twin Leaf in Asheville.

 

10W-40, Foeder Saison, and Tropical Sour Weisse were all outstanding beers. Some of their other beers (Oak Spring Saison, Pulcinella, Strongman Coffee Milk Stout) were decent to good. But man, some of their other stuff I just haven't cared for at all (Enchanter, Death Defying Spring Ale, Pumpkin Lager, Lager, Raspberry Wheat Wine, Tropical Fruit Golden Strong, Prime Time Pale, Bed of Nails... it goes on). I will say that on average I've enjoyed their stuff a lot more the last time I went in than when I went in in 2015 and 2016. In particular I haven't had their Lager or Pale since more than a year ago, so maybe I should try those again.

 

Re: Hi Wire...

That's the one thing about Asheville I don't get. Their beers are ok, and I've never had a bad one, but the place downtown is always jammed pack when I've been.

Re: Asheville...

It's been a year or so, maybe 2, since I did an overnight on a weekend. After I picked up my last round of Alpha Hop beers from sierra we drove through downtown on saturday afternoon. Holy shit. It seemed like all the sidewalks were at least 3 wide with people. No thanks... I'll stick to my weekday excursions.

 

If you make the trip out to Sierra Nevada I suggest you stop by Blue Ghost as well. I thought their IPAs were substantially better than most Asheville proper breweries.

 

Stay at The Haywood Park Hotel and just go walking around..

 

I stopped by Bhramari Brewhouse and my wife was excited because she could get a vodka soda. The place was very nice looking and large, so I was happy to start tasting beers. I got a hazy IPA that was not very good, but drinkable. Then I ordered another IPA that was honestly, one of the worst beers I've ever tried. I could only stomach a ship and almost spit it out. I didn't want to spend the money to try anything else, so I can only speak to the two I tried, but very disappointed.

 

Honestly, their beer is all over the place. I don't think I've had anything from there that's as bad as you describe, but I could see it. The food is really quite food, but the beer is very hit or miss. I will say that they tend to have a couple beers with flavor profiles you've probably never seen anywhere else (which might be for a reason...), so it can at least be interesting even when it isn't awesome.

 

Asheville's a great town in general. In addition to the many beers brewed right in Asheville, I recommend you try out a North Carolina beer called Duck Rabbit Milk Stout. (It's brewed in Farmville, NC in the eastern part of the state but I bought some in Asheville at Appalachian Vintner.) I didn't drink it until I got home and I liked it so much I wished I had bought a case. A few months later Paste magazine did a blind tasting of stouts and they ranked Duck Rabbit #3:

https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...-and-ranking-51-of-the-best-american.html?a=1

 

That 'complex berry flavor' that Paste noticed was quite possibly an infection, something that Duck Rabbit is notorious for. Their stuff can be good if you get lucky or if its stored in pristine conditions. Other times its meh and has an odd lacto finish to it (and not the one you'd expect from a stout with lactose in it). I still remember drain pouring half a dozen or so Anarchy (their 10th Anniversary BA Stong) that I only bought because it tasted so damn good fresh that I took another flier on it... and then they proved why I shouldn't have as everyone was a gusher after about a month or two.

 

That place makes awful beers. It’s just not worth the stop at all IMO.