Sierra Nevada’s East Coast Brewery
in Mills Creek, NC
SANDRA CHAMBERS
Asheville’s Funky Beer Scene
There are several fun breweries located
in the downtown area of Asheville. Two favorites are Thirsty Monk and Wicked Weed,
which is housed in a renovated art deco
hardware store and focuses on barrel-aged
eep in the mountains of western
beer, open-fermented Belgian ales and hopNorth Carolina, where breathpy West Coast style brews. Other breweries
taking views of the Blue Ridge
can be found in the area surrounding the
and Smoky Mountains draw tourists
well-known Biltmore House such as Cayear round, a robust craft beer and hard
tawba Brewery and Cedrick’s Tavern, which
cider industry is garnering a new kind of
serves Biltmore’s own Cedric’s Pale Ale and
tourism. With more breweries per capita
Cedric’s Brown Ale.
than any other city in the country, it’s not
Asheville’s South Slope is fast becoming
surprising that Asheville, NC, has been
named “Beer City, USA” by Examiner.com the city’s unofficial Brew District. Several
almost every year since 2009. Today, Ashe- vacant buildings and warehouses are being
snatched up by new breweries and those
ville boasts 24 craft breweries and more
already established looking to expand their
than 100 local beers that can be enjoyed
production. Green Man Brewery, one of
on draft or in bottles on any given day.
North Carolina’s original breweries, recentAsheville’s brew scene got its start in
ly opened a three-story, 20,000-square1994 when retired engineer Oscar Wong
began tinkering with beer in the basement foot facility including a “brewtique”and
of a downtown bar. His Highland Brewing an indoor/outdoor top floor taproom that
overlooks production and the Blue Ridge
Company became the town’s first legal
Mountains. Wicked Weed’s Funkitorium,
brewery. In the spring of 2016 Highland
which is also located in the South slope
opened its new rooftop bar and private
area is one of a handful of dedicated tasting
event space where guests can enjoy a pint
rooms in the country for barrel-aged wild
with great mountain views.
and sour beers. It is also the largest producer of barrel-aged beers in the Southeastern
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FALL 2016
CHRIS SCHENCK
D