Understanding the Asheville Brewery Scene, One Beer At A Time

By Sam Slaughter January 27, 2016

understanding the asheville brewery scene one beer at a time img 3127 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Since the last time we wrote about the Asheville, North Carolina brewery scene as a whole, a lot has happened. National powerhouses like Sierra Nevada have set up shop, perennial local favorites like Highland Brewing and Wicked Weed have reached national attention, and—perhaps most importantly— a ton more breweries have opened, offering visitors even more opportunities to enjoy the boozy, boozy bounty of Western North Carolina.

Basically, the Asheville area is a malted and hopped heaven. With over thirty breweries to choose from, you could easily spend a week visiting each and every establishment. If, however, visiting thirty breweries in a few days seems a bit much (think of how many burpees that many samples is), the Asheville Brewers Alliance is here to help.

Related: How To Beer Fest In 3 Easy Steps

This year, for the first time, visitors will have a chance to sample all that is great and good about Western North Carolina beer in one place on one amazing day. The Asheville Beer Expo, on Saturday, February 27, will feature more than thirty breweries and will serve up a wide variety of area beers at an event designed not only to let you taste some of the best the city and its environs have to offer, but to learn more about every step of the process as well.

“We hope for it to be a peak behind the curtain for folks,” ABA Executive Director Kendra Penland said of the event.

From brewing with local ingredients to how to start your own brewery, there will eight different educational sessions (four in the afternoon session, four in the evening) to round out your Asheville beer-sperience.

At only $25, there is literally no reason to not come to this event.

“Western North Carolina, and Asheville especially, is ground zero for craft beer in the state,” Penland said. “The Expo is a chance for people to see everything we have to offer.”

Heading to the expo, but know you’ll need more than just one day of Asheville beer in your life? Later in the year, Asheville Beer Week takes over the town for seven full days of some of the best beer and special beer events on the east coast.

For more information on the Asheville Brewers Alliance Beer Expo, or to purchase tickets, visit their website.

Editors' Recommendations

Getting to Know the Los Angeles Beer Scene One Glass at a Time

Topics

Liquor, Beer, and Wine

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…

Food & Drink

12 amazing types of pasta (and when you should actually be using them)

Swap your spaghetti for bucatini and thank us later.

Various dried pastas

One stroll down your local grocer's pasta aisle, and you'll be quickly, startlingly reminded of just how many pasta shapes there are. According to Italy Magazine, there are an estimated 350 different types of pasta, and about four times that many names for them. Needless to say, we'd love to cover them all, but an article addressing each and every pasta shape might prove a bit excessive.

The world of Italian pasta is an extensive one that would take months to dissect properly. We could spend days on gnocchi alone, and months on the beautiful madness that is stuffed pastas. Ravioli, tortellini, lasagna, and cannelloni are each individually deserving of their own articles. As it is, though, in the American market, there seems to be a bit of confusion around some of the more common dried pasta shapes and how they're best used. We've chosen a dozen of our very favorite, most commonly found pasta shapes to discuss here.
Bucatini

Food & Drink

The ultimate guide to Lebanese cuisine, a rich and distinct food culture

After you read this, you'll be excited to cook this cuisine at home

Middle Eastern, Arabic, or Mediterranean dinner table with grilled lamb kebab, chicken skewers with roasted vegetables and appetizers variety serving on rustic outdoor table

The food culture of Lebanon is rich and resonant, reflecting both its Mediterranean setting and deep anthropological history.
Even those who have never trekked to Beirut — let alone their local Middle Eastern eatery — are likely familiar with a few of the staples. Lebanon, once a major part of the Ottoman Empire, is the birthplace of earthy dishes like baba ganoush and sweet treats such as baklava.

With its admiration for seasonality and a mix of breads and produce almost always accompanied by beverages, Lebanese cuisine is like the Italy of the Arab world. Whether you're munching at a cafe in Tripoli or just thumbing though a good cookbook at home, this kind of food is not only delicious and distinctive, but it welcomes an unhurried pace over the duration of many, many enjoyable courses.
The history of Lebanese cuisine

Food & Drink

6 easy camping cocktails to shake your post-hike thirst

Bring all these ingredients to quench your thirst in the wild

Outdoorsman's Hot Toddy

So you're camped out in your best tent for too long? Or wearily panting atop the summit of a fourteener? Perfect! Time for some easy cocktails to make everything better. Yes, that's right, when you've got the 4-1-1 behind these easy-to-make, tasty adult libations, you can enjoy a fine drink on a mountain, at the campsite, or when you're home and don't feel like cutting lemon twists or adding sugar to the rim of your cocktail glass.

The secret to making great camp cocktails is the same trick to achieving military victory: Keep it simple. There's no camp-friendly version of the Long Island iced tea, but that doesn't mean you have to stick with cheap whiskey when roughing it.