Asheville NC

Appalachian Vintner is an absolute must.
Go to Dirty Jacks. It's the Greenman tasting room. Steer clear of Jack of the Wood. It blows.
Go to the Thirsty Monk.
Go to Barleys.
All of these are kid friendly to a point, especially the Vintner and Barleys.
Lastly, I recommend doing a search of this forum for Asheville threads. You'll get all the info ya need!

 

Jack of the Wood blows?? Been there a few times and found it ok.
Not the best in town, but not horrible.

 

I strongly disagree. Bad service, lousy food, dirty taplines, and annoying clientel. I suppose it's better than Biergarden...
Oh yeah, OP, skip Biergarden as well. It blows.

 

I guess living in a beer void like I do(WV), anything seems ok.

 

Everything seems better on vacation. Next time you're in town go to Universal Joint in West Asheville instead if you want some good pub food and solid beer offerings.

 

Def check out the Thirsty Monk; the real craft beer spot in all of Asheville

You should also go to Wedge brewing while you are there. They have the best crafted beers in Asheville IMO.

If you want to spend some cash on bottles, check out Bruisin Ales, but be forewarned they are about 10-15% pricier than most bottle shops I have been to in NC.

Since you are coming from GA, if you have time, I would recommend making your way to just over the NC border on I-85 and taking US 321 north to Hickory, NC where you can stop at Olde Hickory and Loe's Brewing. Since you have your daughter with you, this might not be ideal, but I thought I would throw it out there.

If you wanted to take the scenic route, you could take US 441 N to Clayton, GA, pick up US 23 and go through Sylva, NC where you will find Heinzelmännchen brewery where a very friendly German fellow brews only German ales (Schwarz, Alt, Rausch, etc.). It is a great stop but out of the way unless you happen to be driving to Asheville from Clayton.

 

Wait... Why tell the poor guy to go to Bruisin when in the same breath you state that they're overpriced??
Bruisin Ales is where the tourists go because it's right downtown and you can't help but walk right past it. It is in no way the best shop in town. In fact, I find little reason to ever go there anymore. Think I've been once in the past 18 months+. Think about it this way: how much of a selection can you really fit into a broom-closet? And then to systematically overcharge by 10%... no thanks. Appalachian Vintner is all of a 6 minute drive down Biltmore ave, has a huge selection, is appropriatly priced, and has 10 craft drafts and a cask engine. And good service...
OP should definetely take your advice about Wedge though. Wedge is great.

 

If you happen to stop by in Hickory, let me know! Would love to set up an IP trade or grab a brew! I can also show you where our local beer store (which is by no means an Appalachian Vintner, but is still a pretty respectable beer store).

Cheers,
Eric

 

I would add Lobster Trap / Oyster Brew House.

 

Barley's. If you go for lunch only get 1 slice, 2 and your stuffed. Good local beer selection as well as popular bottles out the ass.

Wedge, worth the effort, try their IPA.

 

Pack's Tavern is my favorite casual restaurant in town. Great food, very solid beer selection. Cavernous space to swallow up any noise your youngster might make.

The downtown location of Asheville Brewing Co. I like a lot as well. There's a big covered outdoor space that's a nice place to kick back with the family. We take our dog there a lot and see kids there every time.

 

Absolutely. Pack Tavern is solid. Good food and a lot of taps.

 

I second or third Appalachian Vintner. The last time there, we never even made it to monks as the tap list was too good too leave. also - plenty of free parking too!

12 Bones BBQ is also a must and they also have a few good drafts to wash down the super tasty food.

 

12 bones is great. I'll admit though, that while I've always been a die hard 12 bones fan, lately I've been diggin Luellas on merrimon.

 

I drove right by 12 Bones on the way to and from French Broad yesterday without realizing that's the 'cue place you Asheville guys often recommend. I'll have to check that out next time I'm up that way.

 

Yup that was it.
Closed weekends though. Just lunch mon-fri.

 

A great deal of info (most the same that is being offered now) has definitely been given in the past. Asheville query comes up about every other week and the locals are much more patient than I in that they are willing to repeat themselves for every one.
My vote: do that search.

 

I have never, ever in my life been called "patient", and I'd prefer it if you kept that shit to yourself...I'm an intolerant prick and expect to be recognized and addressed as such.