The Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Taprooms in Asheville
One of the hottest brewing spots in the United States, the Asheville Craft Beer Scene is FIRST RATE.
Written by CraftJack | Updated | 3 min read
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- Beer BrüMate Hopsulator
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- Wine Wine Decanter/Aerator
Craft breweries in The Land of the Sky are as plentiful as trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The city of Asheville sits a couple of hours West of Charlotte, closing in on the Tennessee border. The city, along with its surrounding metro, is home to over 30+ breweries, brewpubs, and small-batch taprooms. It can go toe for toe, pound for pound with the best the United States has to offer.
Asheville makes a strong argument for the best beer city on the East Coast, and, just might be the best beer city in the nation. Asheville beer is diverse and covers all beer styles. Asheville breweries are diverse, offering beer gardens with dog friendly outdoor seating, tasting rooms with live music, nanobreweries that load up on food trucks, and there's even a brewhouse with a movie theater. And don't get us started on The Funkatorium, Wicked Weed Brewing's Downtown Asheville pub that serves up funky sour beers.
Brewers and craft beer lovers alike flock to every Asheville location, with Oskar Blues and Sierra Nevada recently taking up residence in the city. Breweries per capita, Asheville is second to Portland. Portland, Maine is one of the best places to visit breweries in New England, as the city (really just a big town) is small and it feels like there is a brewery on every corner.
Archetype Brewing
Asheville Brewing Company
It's in the name, so it's gotta be worth visiting, right? Asheville Brewing has a few different locations to choose from, one of which includes an arcade and theater. Just make sure you bone up on your NBA Jam skills before arrival, lest you be on the hook for buying beers for the winner.
With a food menu full of solid pub-grub and award winning pizzas, ABC is a must visit. If you're looking for craft recommendations, try the 828 Pale Ale, Rocket Girl Lager, or the Rolands, an Extra Special Bitter that derives its malty sweetness from the Crystal malt and the Cascade hops.
We recommend experiencing all three locations.
Asheville Brewing Company locations
- Downtown - South Slope, 77 Coxe Avenue
- North Asheville, 675 Merrimon Avenue
- South Asheville, 1850 Hendersonville Road
Bhramari Brewing Co.
Brouwerij Cursus Kĕmē
Burial Beer Co.
Catawba Brewing Co.
Cellarest Beer Project
DSSOLVR
Eurisko Beer Company
Eurisko's South Slope taproom pours craft brews whose origins dance across the globe. Here are some examples: Italian Pilsner (Italian), Abbey Dubbel (Belgian), German Chocolate Cake Imperial Stout (German), and Eurisko Cerveza (Mexican).
Ok, we realize we're stretching it a bit, but those four beers sound like a wonderful and diverse tasting flight that you should order when you visit Eurisko Beer Company at 255 Coxe Avenue. And to be fair, we're confident that the Abbey Dubbel and the Eurisko Cerveza are brewed traditionally and not just named such. The German Chocolate Cake stout, welllll ....
Green Man Brewery
Another South Slope haunt, Green Man Brewery has been in the beer brewing business for ~25 years. Hoppy IPAs, sours, and cold fermented lagers make Green Man focused, not strict in their offering. A change in ownership over a decade ago has seen Green Man expand beyond the taproom, moving product out into the local and regional North Carolina countryside.
If you're bored with the every day drinker, give Toby the Great a chance. It's a Grätzer / Grodziskie and you don't see those in the wild too often.
Hi-Wire Brewing
Highland Brewing Company
Hillman Beer
What we really like about Hillman Beer is the open and notorious mix of their beer styles. The list ranges from Hazy IPAs to more traditional British-style ales. The Peaches & Cream English Bitter on Nitro is our top rated selection for sipping on the Hillman outdoor patio. Whereas the Hill & Oats is just plain tremendous. Bravo, Hillman. Bravo.
Hillman Beer offers 32oz crowlers to go, $10 flight of beers, and a perfectly-sized food menu of small bites, salads, and sandwiches with ingredients sourced from local purveyors and area farms.
New Belgium Brewing
New Origin Brewing Company
Rye Not
Kitchen. Brewery. Distillery. We think in that order, but we're really there for the beer. Or maybe we're there for the food. Pork Belly & Brussels Sprouts, Tallow Fries, Smoked Wings ... all sounds delicious.
This North Asheville brewery is a good place to refuel after hitting 18 holes at the Asheville Country Club. Rye Not offers draft pours from other Asheville breweries, including Catawba Brewing. There's even a few NA Beer options on their drink menu, we appreciate that.