I have lots of friends who share my love affair with beer.  We meet; we discuss; we share – and then rinse and repeat. Sometimes we recommend certain beers we’ve tried; sometimes it’s a new cool restaurant or bar.  In this instance, I owe this brewery option to LKS.  She told me it was a must when visiting Asheville.  As always – she was spot on.

When we found Burial Beer Company, it almost snuck up on us.  You almost have to know exactly where to look and what you’re looking for. Burial is in a very understated building and it’s kinda on a side street – not really on the main drag.  But that fits their personality perfectly.  They’re so laid back and casual – it was maybe the coolest atmosphere we saw on the entire trip. More on that later.

The beer was awesome.  It took a second to get someone’s attention at the bar to order a beer … only because there were a dozen people ordering at the same time.  It wasn’t overcrowded – just had some thirsty folks there, like me. There were so many choices I wanted to try, but I only had time for two.  I guess that means a return trip is in my future! Hacksaw Dark Lager – wow. It’s a Dunkel-style beer, amber/dark in color, but still light.  Great flavors going on in that one.  Highly recommend!  But then there’s the Reaper – a Tripel.  You know how much I love a good Tripel, and this one didn’t disappoint.  They use local honey, that adds a very subtle extra sweetness to the thick yummy elixir. Nice and thick with deep, sweet flavors.  This is a very good representation of a Tripel.  (By the way, if you need to do some drooling, go to the Burial Beer list online … they have so many flavors and so many options (obviously not all at the same time.) But these folks KNOW their beer.  They make very high quality beers and cover a very wide variety of styles.  It’s the ultimate beer lovers place, partially because …

That laid back atmosphere bleeds over to the clientele.  We walked outside next to the building and discovered that it was a local hang out. Young couples were there with their kids (and I mean young

kids – babies); dogs were playing.  And there was a cornhole set waiting for us to play.  And by ‘next to the building’, I mean that it was a tiny little gravel and dirt area right next to the building.  It was almost like a vacant lot where people were hanging out.  It was such a relaxed and inviting feel.  If anyone cares – I think I won the cornhole matchup.  And yeah – I bought the mason jar glass.

Next week, the 4.5th in the 4.5 part series.  It’ll make sense when you read it – I promise.

We continue on our saga of Asheville breweries with our third installment in the four-and-a-half part series. We’ve already seen Wicked Weed and Wedge.  This week we move on to Green Man.

The first step is admitting a problem.  I don’t know what the rest of the steps are, but I’ve always heard that first one.  In this instance, my problem is collecting beer-aphernalia wherever I go.  T-shirts, hats, glasses … I feel like I’m failing if I don’t collect something.  Now, to be fair, I didn’t go crazy overboard in Asheville, but I couldn’t not get something from Green Man.  First, the logo was cool, and second, the beer was stellar and I wanted to remember it.  I mean – tell me this logo doesn’t have awesomeness attached to it … For the record, I went with the shirt to the right.  This picture is on their website, and I am VERY disappointed that the trophy-flagon did not come with the purchase.

Now … on to the beer.  Green Man offered one of my favorite beer choices ever.  No, not Belgian, or Abbey, or pale ale … it’s the concept of the flight.  We have already discussed my love affair with the mix-a-six-pack concept, and this is obviously the drink-IN version of that take-home idea.   For my four choices, I went with Porter, Harvester, Forester and the IPA. And that’s the order I’d rank them in.  The Porter was so very smooth and drinkable, had we stayed longer I would have ordered a full pour.  It’s rich without being thick and has some chocolate going on in there.  Overall very smooth and enjoyable, if you like the darker stuff.  Harvester is a Marzen-style beer (think Oktoberfest-esque beers.)  Crisp and light, this one had a lot more amber color to it than most Marzens I’ve had.  Quite good. Forester is a stout and is better when the weather turns colder.  (And it was warm while we were there.)  Again, it had some chocolatey goodness, but I didn’t think the flavors balanced out as well as the Porter. I had to try the IPA, even though they don’t usually work for me. It was an IPA – on the bitter side if you ask me.  If you’re into IPAs, you’ll probably love it, but that just ain’t me!

And I still love the shirt. Tune back in next week for the 4th brewery tour.  I hope you’re enjoying the vicarious trip to Asheville!

PS – I’m getting political now.  Asheville has a thriving and vibrant beer scene, partially because of a great legal environment there. Their laws regarding breweries allow for many things we don’t have in Georgia.  There is currently a bill in the Georgia Senate that will get us closer to that same environment.  SB63.  Call your Senator.  Call Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle.  Let’s get this thing on the floor and get it voted through!

We hope you enjoyed our first trip to Asheville last week with a tour through Wicked Weed.  While on the same trip, two of us ventured over to the Asheville River Arts District. Yes, we looked at the art.  No, we didn’t buy anything.  But while there we found a brewery no on the normal tourist stops.  This was the local hangout, and it was PACKED on a Friday night!  It was hard to find somewhere to stand and there were lines to get the beer.  It was so very worth it …

Wedge Brewing Company sits in the middle of the arts district, right next to the railroad.  Gravel/dirt parking lot, very small indoor seating area, very vibrant scene, very good beer.  For a relatively small retail side of the building, there is a robust selection of beers, ranging from the mild all the way to the off-the-charts bitter. Baskets of roasted peanuts and a rotation of food trucks complement the eclectic scene.

On the standard regular, good ole beer side, I highly recommend the Julian Price Pilsner. Simply a Golem Belgian Strong Golden which was outstanding.  Thicker than you might usually expect from something with so light a color.  It could be too sweet for some people, but it even has a little bit of spice to it.  It’s something you have to keep working on to really pinpoint what’s going on in the glass.  Some of us may even need a second one to decide!
very nice, crisp pilsner.  From that, I took the huge leap over to the

Insider tip: there is a window just to the left of the entrance where you can usually go and order their Iron Rail IPA (probably their most popular) and a second choice.  While we were there, it was the 3rd Rail Imperial IPA Barley Wine (this is the aforementioned off-the-charts bitter selection.  Wow.)

FYI – those who know me are aware of the fact that I’m not big on IPAs typically, but this Iron Rail was quite good.  Less bitter than some others I’ve had and really quite drinkable.  Maybe it was better because I got it from that super-secret side door and felt like a local pro.  Who knows?  Anywho, when you’re in Asheville, go and check out the local arts scene, and plan some time to sample some of the finest local concoctions – served in pint glasses.

Next wek is the 3rd installment … been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

I’m back … again …

This time, I hope to stay.  I’m starting a 4-week series reporting on some of the breweries we visited on a recent trip to Asheville, NC.  Ahhh, Asheville.  If you drink beer and have not yet been to Asheville, go.  Not tomorrow, not next week.  NOW.  Get in the car right now and go.  North Carolina has done a great job in creating an atmosphere where craft beer can thrive … and boy, has it.

We visited several breweries while there, and we really didn’t want to go to the larger national brands.  Oskar Blues, Sierra Nevada and several others have made this corner of North Carolina home recently.  But we chose those places a little more off the beaten path.  Score.

First in our series of posts is a beautiful place called Wicked Weed. They have a fantastic outdoor seating area, complete with fireplaces and very comfy seating. Wicked Weed has so many great choices, and with lots of unique flavor combinations that totally work … raspberries with ancho chilies in the Boom Boom Belgian Porter; fig, banana and coriander in the Abbey Dubbel; blackberries and dried dates aged in Cabernet barrels for the Oblivion Sour Red.

We had the Boom Boom Belgian Porter – I was afraid it could be too spicy for more delicate tastes. I was wrong – you could taste a little flavor from the chilies, but nothing overpowering.  And the Abbey Dubbel.  I’m just disappointed  I didn’t have my growler handy for a refill of this one (rookie mistake.)  I’m a sucker for Dubbels and this one was stellar.  The flavors seem to change from one sip to the next.  The banana aroma and flavor is different, but in a good way.  I can’t explain this one with words – you’ve just got to go.  And be adventurous.

Up next week … part 2 in the Asheville series and a very different atmosphere.