Asheville - a Declining Beer City?

It’s now called Terra Nova, and I was impressed to see four Czech pilsners on tap. I tried the 12 and the Polotmavy and both tasted like the real deal.

 

I just read your post.
Last evening I chatted with a woman at 167 Raw restaurant in Charleston.
She is a native New Yorker & was well versed in city lifestyle. She stated she & a friend had just spent two nights in Asheville on a road trip from Chicago.
She described the same exact thing you posted above. She stated the open drug use & homelessness was everywhere. She said all her years in New York, she never felt as unsafe as she did during two nights in Asheville.
Too bad, I was there 4 years ago for a 3 day beer trip & had a great time!

 

As you would suspect, that doesn't surprise me. It's hard not to miss. Athens, GA has a similar issue. I'm a UGA graduate ('92) and love Athens but you get the same vibe when you go there. It wasn't like that when I lived there, nor for many years after. But it changed with in the last 10-15 years. Me, personally, it doesn't stop me from going to visit breweries I like to visit. However, when my wife and I are together, I'm not going to take her places that she feels unsafe (breweries, restaurants, etc.). I really hate that because I've always enjoyed Asheville.

 

I was there for a wedding 3 years ago and stayed downtown. Would agree with the above. Had my wife and a toddler at the time and certain parts of town, even midday, felt unsafe. As we left on a Sunday morning, there was a homeless man completely naked just walking downtown. Definitely much different experience than my prior one some time back in 2014 or so.

 

I go to Asheville 2-3 times a year for a beercation and it’s always a good time. Never felt unsafe anywhere. There are homeless people in places, but what decent sized city doesn’t have them? They have never caused me any trouble.

Got to check out Terra Nova and TRVE last week. Both were good. TRVE was a little dead even on July 4th night, but the space just is not the best, IMO.

Burial was the highlight as always. Their new Visuals rooftop is a nice addition!

 

I also didn't feel unsafe last weekend, and I had just as good a time hitting the breweries as I did last time around (6 years ago). For the walkability, choices and variety, Asheville is a huge draw for me. I only got to see about 6 breweries, since I wasn't dragging the family to them. But I'm already scheming a guys road trip ASAP.

 

I've never seen any homeless person act aggressive towards anyone while I've been there. I'm not saying I don't believe what others are saying, I'm just wondering where the problem areas are.

 

She must have only ever been in the nicest parts of New York then

OK, so there was a guy wearing only a sheet walking down Tunnel Rd a few weeks ago in Broad daylight. But I'm sure the cops came down on him as soon as it was reported/seen. If it were San Francisco the cops probably wouldnt do anything based on what I've been hearing from people who live there

Yep, I think people need to be reminded our nickname is Ashevegas and we're referred to as "the cess pool of sin" by the rural folk who live outside the city.

That's the thing is the only problem areas are all tucked away from the main parts of town in all the pockets of low income housing. If anyone wants to know specifics, I can expound

 

Unfortunately, the class divide is growing larger as i was seeing the same issues in PHX before bailing in 2021. One has to be vigilant at all times anymore, just read an account of some old dude in Hendersonville getting cold cocked in the middle of the day in a Harris Teeter plaza parking lot. Hard to say what really happened...
Cheers!
Tom

 

Any of you guys ever gone to Burial's Burnpile event before? It looks like a lot of fun, and seems like the VIP is going to offer a lot but not sure if it's going to be "too" crazy or targeted at a younger demographic.

 

I went in 2022, great beer lineup with a diverse style offering from participating breweries. We went with the General Admission, and it was well worth the price. Not sure what VIP offered beyond but can testify i recall around 3 or 4 Burial imperial stouts offered along with other high gravity beers for GA folks.
I am 61 and there were plenty of older beer lovers there, a handful of greybeards older than my friend and i! If you can deal with loud music, then you are good to go.
Given how long in the tooth i am, i am not good at the beer buffet and now occasionally will volunteer to pour at festivals, much easier on the liver from the pouring side then to being a paying customer!
Cheers!
Tom

 

The wife and I will be back in Asheville in November. Can't wait!

 

I was just watching the evening National news with the damage in Asheville from Helene. Any reports in yet about breweries damaged? First one I was thinking about was Zillicoah down by the river. Keeping my fingers crossed as that one has been one of my favs when I’ve visited Asheville many times.

 

reddit's brewery pro sub "TheBrewery" seem to indicate that they have a lot of structural damage. May want to follow up on other places. There are photos of new belgium completely submerged and there's a lot of breweries known to be flooded under two stories of water or wiped out in general.

 

Saw a picture of new Belgium's facility completely submerged in water. Must have been 10 ft deep across the whole facility. I don't know the area but I'd wager anything near new Belgium is also heavily impacted

 

a friend has pics of zillicoah up on his FB. looks terrible. there are what appear to be oak barrels floating away from the brewery in the pics. totally flooded plus damage. he said nobody at the brewery was hurt though, guess thats a plus.

 

Horrible. My favorite spot in Asheville by a mile, just basically gone.

 

Heartbreaking. Like I said, my wife and I were planning on heading back in the middle of November. Zillicoah would have definitely been a stop. We will stay away and allow the community to heal and rebuild, but we will be back.

 

I live here, many breweries are completely wiped out, if they will or can rebuild remains to be seen. We won't be Beer City for a long time.
Water is completely out, and will be for many many weeks if not longer, so even breweries that didn't take a hit can't do anything without water.
Flood stages are breaking 100+ year records by 10 feet or more. It is unreal and going to be a long haul for everyone. We lost power early Friday, and that may be a week still, but I'd rather have water than power, as I did score a generator today. Cell service was even out for days, and is still iffy. I'm running my phone as a hot spot.
If you have been to New Belgum, you know how high above the river it is, and it got into the plant, not sure about the tasting room.