Best Breweries in Asheville, NC
Did you know that Asheville, NC has the most breweries per capita than any other city in the United States?! That’s roughly 100 local beers. Needless to say, Asheville, NC knows their beer. You can literally create a travel itinerary solely dedicated to visiting breweries and trying flights of beer (try a beer tour like one of these:
If you have limited time like I did when visiting, here are my recommendations for the best breweries in Asheville, NC.
DISSLVR
Not only does DISSLVR brew beer, but they also make wine, cider, non-alcoholic beverages, and even mead. Priding themselves on bringing you both “old school” and “new school”, you can expect to find Lagers, IPAs (clear and hazy), Wild Ales, Stouts, and more on the menu.
Conveniently located in Downtown Asheville, this brewery is inside a building built in 1928 and features a 15-barrel-brewing system, a 3-barrel pilot system, and fermenters ranging from 3-30 barrels for experimentation. Upon arriving at DISSLVR, you’re greeted with 16-foot tall, original, handcrafted oak doors. Once inside, there’s an artsy taproom and heated patio for you to enjoy your beer.
Wicked Weed Brewing
The original Wicked Weed Brewing Pub, located off Biltmore Avenue, features a full restaurant, beer bar, bottle shop, and the original 15 barrel brewery. Wicked weed is not named after what you think it’d be...the founders drew inspiration from a Henry VIII’s quote when he called hops a “wicked and pernicious weed”.
Next to the Funkatorium sits the brewery’s high-end restaurant, Cultura, serving locally sourced New American cuisine. It showcases their sour beer and Vidl wine in a modern, elevated space.
Flights come with your choice of 6 beers.
Popular and interesting choices at this brewery include:
Pernicious Pale Ale: light golden IPA in a West Coast style
Freak of Nature: double IPA, golden and extra hoppy
Skal Wine Saison: traditional, Belgian saison fermented on 100 pounds of pinot noir grape
Holloback Hefe: hefeweizen with tropical aromas and citrus
Silencio: bourbon barrel-aged black sour ale with hints of coffee and vanilla
Hi-Wire Brewing
That being said, Hi-Wire does also experiment with creative sour and wild ales. In 2015, the brewery opened the Big Top Production Brewery and Taproom, which allowed them to transfer all creative, small-batch brewing to their original South Slope Specialty Brewery. The South Slope Brewery is now an experimental hub for creating barrel-aged sours and wild ales and home to Hi-Wire’s pilot system for recipe development and small-batch creations, such as:
Apricot Sour Ale: sweet and sour notes of apricot with a dry, oaky finish
Flanders Red Sour Ale: American take on a Belgian sour with notes of cherry, vanilla, and oak
Tart Wild Ale: light, peppy specialty brew fermented in gin barrels for 5 months
Big Top is located in Biltmore Village - it’s a 27,000 square foot circus-themed space with a large bier garden and local food trucks.
Their four year-round beers include:
Prime Time Pale: medium to light bodied American pale with piny, grapefruit notes
Hi-Pitch IPA: balanced North Carolina IPA with citrus-forward aromas
Bed of Nails Brown: traditional English brown ale with notes of toffee, caramel, and nuts
Hi-Wire Lager: well-balanced German-style pilsner
Located just a half-mile from Biltmore Estate, the Big Top is a great place to stop after a day spent at the country’s largest private home.
Green Man Brewery
They have two Asheville taprooms - Dirty Jack’s and The Green Mansion. Dirty Jack’s is the original tasting room where all specialty beer is brewed. The Green Mansion is their new tasting room and packaging hall that they refer to as a “brewtique”. It’s 3 stories and 20,000 square feet with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Check out these beers on draft:
India Pale Ale: balanced English-style IPA with rich malt flavor and a floral nose
Wheatseeker Hefeweizen: light bodied German-style beer using German Opal hops
Rainmaker Double IPA: bold double IPA made with four types of hops
Bootsy: full-bodied sour black ale with tart flavor, aged for more than a year
The name “Green Man” is a term used to describe a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, or elsewhere and they may feature fruit or flowers. It’s commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament carved in churches or other buildings.
True to its ecological namesake, Green Man stands out from competitors when it comes to sustainability. The brewery recycles 80% of its waste, uses recyclable materials in its recyclable packaging, partners with a delivery efficiency distributor network, and plans to transport beer by rail.
Image courtesy of: Burial Beer Co. (Andrew May Photography)
Burial Beer Co.
The name of this brewery was inspired by the New Orleans’ celebrations of deaths in their music filled funeral processions. Accordingly, the brewery’s décor and beer reflect this name with rustic farm tools (e.g. pitchforks & scythes), eclectic playlists and a mural of Tom Selleck and Sloth from The Goonies.
Some favorites include:
Skillet Donut Stout: full-bodied stout with hints of coffee and chocolate-glazed donut
Surf Wax IPA: crisp, dry-hopped IPA with a bold aroma
Bolo Coconut Brown: brown ale with nutty malts and sweet coconut notes
Thresher Coffee Saison: French saison with notes of coffee and nutty vanilla
Having recently undergone an expansion, Burial Beer Co. now also owns Forestry Camp - a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) site consisting of abandoned, 100-year old buildings. These buildings have been transformed into Burial’s main offices, a barrel-aging facility, a winery, and the Forestry Camp restaurant.
Bonus!
Want to switch out beer for some other adult beverage? Try some local cider or wine!
Botanist & Barrel
Their tasting bar and bottle shop is located in Downtown Asheville. Since their inception, this family-owned and run business has created 250 unique small-batch natural ciders and wines. Worried it’ll be too sweet? This cidery steers clear of mass-marketed, overly sweet hard cider. Instead, try mostly crisp, dry creations.
Urban Pleb Winery
It’s the perfect place to stop at in between art gallery visits. Unlike the pretentious wineries you may find in a stuffy wine region, Urban Pleb Winery feels casual and relaxed, more like its Asheville brewery counterparts. Because of the unique Appalachian terroir, local wines here tend to be on the sweeter side.
A few wines off the menu include:
Foundry White: white wine with notes of candied citrus fruit
Circles: Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc blend with subtle notes of banana and crabapple
Chambourcin Rosé Pét Nat: sparking rosé with hints of black fruits and rose petal
author bio
Known as The Jet Set Blonde, Brittany Ryan inspires others to add more adventure to their childfree travel experiences. Brittany has visited 23 countries (and counting!) Connect with her to get access to detailed childfree travel itineraries, travel guides for weekend getaways, and updates on adult-only hotels, resorts, cruises, and other travel amenities.
