Grand Rapids & Asheville share BeerCity USA 2012 title

woot woot. asheville here i come

 

ahhh I love living in grand rapids!

 

Congrats to both winners. I absolutely love our selection here in Michigan and will be down in North Carolina in just two more months to visit my son at Fort Bragg so hopefully I can see what Asheville has to offer as well.

 

If I had to pick the two cities where drinking good beer is generally the most fun, it would probably be Asheville and Grand Rapids. I know people bitch about "popularity contest! San Diego! blah blah blah" every year but I'd rather be having a craft beer in either of those cities than just about anywhere else any day of the week.

 

I can see Asheville winning, with it's large number of great breweries, but Grand Rapids only has Founders. What else do they have that makes them such a great beer city? I was there a couple weeks ago, and although its a fine town, I don't see them as a huge beer city. The Hopcat is good, but similar to beer bars in other cities.

 

What airline serves Grand Asheville? Or is it Ashe Rapids?

 

I guess I am a pretty lucky BA, I lived in Grand Rapids for 6 years and now I am only a 2 hour drive from Asheville. It was hard for me to vote but i think Asheville edges GR out with new belgium, sierra nevada and oskar blue setting up shop..

 

Grand Rapids is well deserved! I can't wait to visit Asheville next week to put it to the test.

 

Founders is the big one in Grand Rapids but you are missing out if you thing that is the one attraction in town. Brewery Vivant is outstanding. The Hideout is worth checking out and makes a habit or catching you off guard. Harmony brewing in new, small but holding its own.

Hopcat may be similar to other beer bars but I am not sure how many beer bars are consistently ranked as one of the best in the country. There are a number of bars and restaurants that hold their own with tap list, selections or pairings. If you are not finding great places to drink in Grand Rapids you're not looking.

 

I cant think of a single Asheville brewery that even compares to Founders.

 

They also have Schmohz Brewing which won a ton of medals at the World Expo of Beer 2012 http://www.michiganbeerguide.com/?page=news&id=694

 

Grand Rapids is a great town, but I'm loving it here in Asheville. Don't forget that Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Oskar Blues are right around the corner.

 

This is definitely a powerful testimony coming from a guy who lives Santa Monica. I count myself lucky to live in Michigan but I sometimes wish I could get all those awesome west coast sours and tasty IPAs.

 

As mentioned, Vivant is one of the most memorable brewpubs you'll find. Graydon's Crossing is nearly as world-class as Hopcat in its own way, and both Pyramid Scheme and Stella's have more personality in one square foot than most beer bars have in their entire building.

In the end, I've always taken these Beer City polls, publicly voted as they are, as being more about things like having community pride in your local beer, and offering enjoyable, unique atmospheres to drink them at, than being home to the rarest barrel aged beers or the most BA-buzzed about bars. Asheville and Grand Rapids (and IMO Portland) fit that description better than any other towns in America.

 

Also, just like I consider "Detroit" to be the entire metro-Detroit area which includes the 'burbs, I think "Grand Rapids" really includes anything within a 45 minute radius of it. That would include New Holland, Odd Side...and even Bells is only 45 minutes away. If you consider Grand Rapids to basically be the SW corner of the state, there's a ton going on. I mean, Stone isn't in San Diego proper, but it's still considered a San Diego brewery.

 

I really love The Pyramid Scheme. It's a concert venue for beer fans. They get a surprising number of great shows. Not only do they have a great beer list, they have some of the best alcohol prices of any venue.
Brewery Vivant is also amazing. It's kind of pricey but it's worth it. Somehow Graydon's Crossing has never been on my radar.

 

Graydons has been hit or miss lately. The beer selection is always great, but the food has slipped in the last year or so. It'll always hold a place in my heart though. Met up with a friend one day at the Hideout and we decided to head down to Graydons for lunch. To my surprise, they had KBS on tap. Totally random and growler fills accepted. I actually drove home, about 15 miles and came back with my growler for a fill up. Can't turn down that opportunity.

I moved here from Canada in 2002, not even realizing there was a craft beer scene. One taste and I was hooked. I have family and friends visit GR all the time and they absolutely love it. So many of them have come to realize that beer can have flavor and just because you can't see through it, you don't need to be afraid.

Cheers to GR, and Asheville!