But before I redress those particular omissions, I have to add one more detail regarding the 2016 Brewgrass Festival. I did a terrible job taking pictures at the fest and an even worse job of taking notes. The one time I did get all fan-boy and insist on getting a picture was at Brown Truck Brewing's tent:Brown Truck had a tasty little Brett Saison on tap and sounded like they were on track to make some truly outstanding beers. (GABF judges seemed to agree!) Loved the perspective on brewing and the results!
(This pic occured quite near the video of me dancing a jig mid-field, but fortunately that video hasn't surfaced. I assure you, any copies of such you may find are entirely photoshopped!)
And on to Asheville! This was my first trip to Asheville, so certainly neither the definitive guide, nor by any means conclusive. There are a bazillion more fantastic places in Asheville that you simply MUST visit, this is just a short description of the few that I've managed to get to!
Started the weekend at Wicked Weed. This is a pretty busy place and you can wait for a table, but you should ask to be seated at one of the large family-style tables. It's quicker and you will meet some wonderful new friends who enjoy good beer and good food. The house burger was excellent, and went really well with Wicked Weed's Dark and Stormy ale (Their take on brewing towards the taste of the rum/ginger beer cocktail. Once you've eaten, head downstairs for a broader selection of brews, including some on cask. (Is that even how you'd say that? On cask? Cask ales. Beer out of big wooden barrels, ffs! LOL Didn't try any here, mostly for lack of noticing their availability.)
We'd planned on hitting Burial next, but got distracted by Brahmari. They had some lovely beers, food and some decent live music out on the patio. Did not have enough of any of these, so they are definitely on my list for future visits! They are the first Untappd "Verified Venue" I've had an opportunity to visit. I hadn't known this while I was there, but it will definitely influence my return visit.
Burial Brewing also had some lovely beers, as well as some incredible artwork on the way to the can. All in all, Burial had the most interesting physical location of those I visited over the weekend. Very cool space indoors and out.
After Burial, it was on to the Funkatorium, Wicked Weed's barrel-house. Lovely sour&funky brews on tap and some great pesto flatbreads and other snacks that complemented the brews very nicely.
Green Man is nearby and also has some lovely brews. Around the block from Green Man, Catawba Brewing has another Untappd Verified Venue. And just a short jaunt up the street from there you'll find Twin Leaf Brewing. Gaming fans will love Twin Leaf: Foosball, ping pong, board games galore and 2x4 jenga tournaments!
These are just a few of the brewpubs in Asheville...I'm definitely on my way back soon!
After a night of pub-crawling, don't miss out on brunch at Biscuit Head! Biscuits big as a cat's head, flights of gravy, a bacon of the day and other deliciousness!!! Don't be discouraged by the lines at either location, it is totally worth the wait!!!
Farm Burger has some delicious burgers (who'd of thunk it?) but I have to say it: why does every place in the south double-dip their onion rings? We don't need a quarter-inch thick armor of breading protecting the delicate onions from our industrial grade robotic teeth, ffs. Slice your onions thin, soak them in buttermilk, then dip them in your lightly seasoned flour (with mebbe just a hint of cornmeal) ONCE. Dip them ONCE, then drop them in the fryer. Lovely crispy light delightful tasty treats that no one would ever mistake for used auto parts.I was fortunate enough to visit two very lovely, but very different bottle-shops in Asheville. I've heard there are other exceptional bottle shops there, but I've only visited these two:
Tasty Beverage Company is right across the street from Funkatorium. Very wide aisles, decent organization. Lots of seating and a really bright, wide open feel to the entire place. Engaging, personable staff. Great selection for their ten taps and a beer-tender willing to speak boontling! If I lived nearby, this would probably be my go-to spot for picking up a few. Any friend of Dave's is a friend of mine!
Bruisin' Ales is a tiny little shop with an absolutely amazing selection. (They can ship to most states if you aren't able to visit.) Fantastic selection of NC brews, and a good selection of Belgian and national brews. Super friendly and helpful (even helped carry my cases to the car!) My sole and piddly nit-picky beef is they put their price tags on the front of the damn bottles. Sure, it's easy to see how much it costs without turning the bottle around, but for those of us who like to take pictures of our beers it's a pain to remove the gd price tag. And WOW, that looks like an even more piddly whiney ass gripe than I imagined. Still...
Anywhos, Asheville is a lovely little town with a boatload of breweries, tasting rooms, restaurants and all kinds of sights to see and music to hear. Go hungry, go thirsty and don't forget to grab an Uber back to the hotel!
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