Sierra Nevada NC

I loved the scale of the place & think it would be worthy of a tour, except I've done too many. The food is great as long as you aren't cost concious. But, yeah between the isolation of the place & lack of another place to stagger off to, I get your gist. Next time I am back it will be to overnight in downtowwn A-ville or close enough I can jump one of those driven tours

 

@nc41 i respectfully disagree. I’m a “tourist” but feel like a local sometimes because our friends are local, know many of the workers and owners of breweries and not new to Asheville.
SN is known as Malt Disneyworld for a reason. Every detail has been gone over, everything has a purpose. It’s a destination brewery. Sure, it’s not a local place and it’s not supposed to be. For what it’s worth, I was at Burial in the first few months it was open. It is my favorite AVL brewery for much of the same reasons you mention.

If you ever get a chance to do one of the brewery tours at SN I’d say go for it. The hop room alone is worth it! Cheers.

 

Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s Sierra Nevada that started them all. They deserve all the respect they can get. I been to both SN and Burial. Both are great but it’s SN that left a lasting impression because like one said, it’s “malt Disney.” Burial is a small space with its more macabre charm.

 

Maybe it's a case of catering to "visitors" vs being a "locals" place? Visitors likely want an experience, whereas locals just want to chill and hang.

Let's use Orlando as a parallel: lots of folks work at the "attractions", but, off-duty, where do they hang?

Shrug. If I ever hit Asheville, I'll hit SN, much as if I ever go to Chico, I'll hit SN. In my mind, neither is a must-hit, but neither a must-avoid.

As always, YMMV.

 

Asheville, Bend, and my Bellingham are similar sized, and attituded (Bend is more isolated, thus more "rural and red"). I love Bend, I strongly suspect I'd love Asheville, it's all good.

Your description seems describe all 3 towns. We don't need no stinking corporate chains!

 

Sometimes the sterile design is intentional to keep people from hanging out too long. If it's as busy as you implied, they may want to get people in and out in a reasonable amount of time. People are more apt to hang around in a warmer environment.

 

Not really a fair comparison. One is a dingy, tiny, run down place. Another one is a state of the art, mega facility. I guess it all depends on what kind of environment and people you like to hang out around.

"Buriel [sic] is dark, gals with tats serving beers, guys wearing skullies, whatever."


EDIT: I thought Sierra Nevada's architecture was pretty stunning.

 

That is certainly part of it. Turn those tables!

 

It's Burial.

 

SN Mills River is a destination that someone who has been to breweries around Germany and the Czech Republic can appreciate. The cleanliness and technology are hard to beat. The outdoor area behind the taproom and restaurant is a relaxing place to hang out.

Ayinger, Augustiner, Pilsner Urquel are ones that come to mind as being similar.

We all have our preference s

 

Someone shut this waste-of-time thread down. Sorry

 

I gotta agree, the same could be said about their chico location. And really about anywhere in the country. There are big corporate style brewers and there are hole in the wall brewers. You know the style you like and you know what to expect. Move this to the midatlantic forum. No one here is surprised that SNs east coast facility is a flawless example of rural brewery glory with no stone unturned for the full 'malt disney' experience. That's what they do. \regional thread

 

So I went to Disneyland, and it was perfect. Like, every character played their part flawlessly. It was so great that crowds eventually ensued and it ruined my time. Shoulder to shoulder, lines everywhere; gross. I eventually went to the local taqueria who does great Tortas. There was nobody there and it's so freaking good. People these days, you know? ...

 

Couldn't disagree more. Sierra Nevada didn't miss the mark at all, they nailed exactly what they were going for. You just prefer a smaller brewery.

Honestly on my trip to Asheville, SN is the brewery that i remember the most due to its grand appearance and incredible scale.

After you've gone to a ton of small craft breweries, they all feel pretty much the same anyway.