I'm going to be in Black Mountain, NC over the Christmas holiday and was hoping my NC Beer Advocate friends could help me find a few good bottle shops in the area. I'm looking for places that have a good selection of east coast offerings that I'm not able to get here in Chicago. Thanks in advance!
You'll be around 20 mins from Asheville. There are a ton of good breweries in that area. Green Man, Highlands, Wicked Weed, and French Broad are all ones that are worth the time. I would check the area info on BA for Asheville its pretty complete.
While black mtn. Is a beautiful place that contains one of nc's best breweries. ....pisgah. asheille is where its at. Go see the boys at appalachian vintner before you go anywhere else. They are great folks and have a huge array of what nc has to offer. Enjoy your trip!!!!
In Asheville--Appalachian Vitner and Bruisin' Ales. While you're in Black Mtn., hit up Pisgah Brewing. Cheers!
Cool thread. I'm visiting Maggie Valley or Pigeon Forge through New Years...about an hr from Ashville
I love your avatar (GO HAWKS !!!). Hit Pisgah for sure, go into Asheville and hit WICKED (muthafukin) WEED which has amazing brewz and food (Bison Burger w/avacodo is off the hook). Much Beer love to my man from Chi(blackhawks) cago !!
Aside from the usual Asheville stops, which are totally worth it, Fonta Flora brewery in Morganton is worth a visit! It's about 30-45 minutes east of Asheville on I40. Catawba Valley is there as well, but I don't enjoy the atmosphere there nearly as much.
Make sure to check out Lookout Brewing in downtown Black Mountain. They brew on a very small scale but always have a lot of different beers on tap. I enjoyed their Black Mountain IPA and Beer-B-Q quite a bit.
Definitely check out Lookout, they've had good stuff every time I've been in. Their Smoky Mtn IPA (smoked version of their Black Mtn IPA) was amazing.
Damn, how have I never heard of Lookout??? Oh well, looks like another trip west is in the near future!
I'll be heading to Maggie Valley also around New Years. Waynesville has a few small breweries. Bearwaters and Frog Level. I won't miss Wicked Weed this time and hope to be there for the Anniversary party.
Also in Waynesville is Tipping Point Tavern, which usually has three to four beers on. They brew on a three-barrel system in the basement. The food is excellent, and liberally portioned.
Just finished my run into Asheville and Black Mountain. Thanks to everyone for the recomendations. I didn't have enough time to get everywhere, but I did manage to get to Appalachin Vintner (great guys), Wicked Weed (great bison burger, beer and service (thanks again Brittney)) and Pisgah Brewing (loved the location the Chocolatized Vortex II and the 3 legged dog that only used his front two legs to walk around the brewery). I'm already looking forward to my next trip back out this way!
Love Fonta Flora! Have been twice already. Also a shout out to Burial Beer Co. in Asheville, a smaller, newer brewery doing great, unique stuff. Both are small with good atmospheres and great beer.
