Asheville NC

[tangy]

When I left Colorado I was worried about getting kind local microbrews. Turns out I had nothing to worry about..............

 

 

CITIZEN-TIMES.com

Asheville hopping with beer-loving tourists

 

By Tony Kiss

TKISS@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

September 1, 2007 12:15 am

 

It's 315 miles from Huntsville, Ala., to Asheville, but it's a trip Jim Trolinger makes with one main mission - to buy and enjoy local beer.

 

"If there's a beer capital in the South, it's got to be Asheville," he said. "There's nowhere else in the South like it. It's the best (beer town) that I can drive to in less than a day."

 

With five craft brewing companies in Buncombe County, and a sixth under construction, Asheville is increasingly becoming a destination for beer-loving tourists like Trolinger, a trend that's being noticed by the Asheville Visitor and Convention Bureau.

 

While some come just for the beer, others travel to the area for traditional vacations, then spend time - and money - prowling the breweries. Beer tourism has also helped the local breweries as they've expanded sales into surrounding states.

 

Asheville's annual Brewgrass craft beer festival has drawn visitors from around the world.

 

And the booming beer scene has even led to a tour service that takes visitors around to the local breweries, offering them backstage tours and samples.

 

Deuane Hoffman and his wife, Carolyn Blatchley, have already made one haul to Asheville from Harrisburg, Pa., to sample and buy beer, and they're returning in September for the Brewgrass festival.

 

"No other small city in America has as many micros and beer bars as Asheville," said Hoffman, who frequently travels the country in search of local brews.

What makes Asheville special

 

"Asheville is a little unique in that it's a getaway town, and there's an active beer scene," said Bob Townsend, editor of Southern Brew News, which reports on the regional beer scene. "There's a good vibe there, and a lot of good breweries. I don't think Atlanta is sought out nearly as much (by beer tourists)."

 

The city's reputation as a beer destination "extends beyond the state," said Julie Bradford, editor of the nationally circulated All About Beer magazine. "You have a great collection of breweries." She's not surprised that craft beer fans will seek it out while on vacation. "It's important (for beer-loving tourists) to find unusual beers at any destination," she said.

 

In the world of craft brewing, Portland, Ore., leads the pack with more than 28 breweries.

 

San Diego is also a leading beer town, with at least 17 working breweries, but tourism officials there haven't noticed a travel impact, said Joe Timko with the San Diego Convention and Visitor Bureau. "We have major attractions, we have beaches and a number of things we publicize for tourists, but craft beer isn't up there with our promotional pushes," he said.

 

But in Asheville, the lure of craft beer is beginning to attract attention, said Marla Tambellini of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau. "I don't know if it's the prime motivation for people coming here, but it has become more of an attraction or activity that people are engaging in while they are here," she said. "We've showcased the brewing scene to writers and bloggers while they've been here. It's something noteworthy (for the city)."

How it started

 

Asheville's beer scene began in 1994, first with the opening of Barley's Taproom on Biltmore Avenue, followed almost immediately by Highland Brewing, originally located in the lower level of the same building. In 1997, the Blue Rooster brewpub restaurant opened on Biltmore Avenue, and while it closed the next year, other breweries have thrived.

 

Jack of the Wood and its Green Man Brewing Co., Two Moons Brew-N-View (now Asheville Pizza and Brewing), French Broad Brewing and Pisgah Brewing have combined to make Asheville the liveliest brewing town in either North or South Carolina. A sixth brewery is under construction in Asheville's French Broad River arts district.

 

Another major element to Asheville's beer tourism is the Brewgrass Festival, an annual celebration of craft beer, happening Sept. 22 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

 

"A full third of our guests come in excess of an hour from Asheville," said Brewgrass founder and director Doug Beatty. "We have an unbelievable number from the Tri-Cities area, a lot from Charlotte and Atlanta, and we've had them from Germany and Scotland."

Touring the breweries

 

Since Highland Brewing began making craft ales in 1994, visitors have been stopping by to watch, said founder and primary owner Oscar Wong.

 

While Highland is not generally open to the public and does not have a pub or tasting room, it welcomes guests who call ahead, Wong said. "We've had people from the Northeast, the West Coast and all around the South, usually because Asheville is a destination to begin with, and as a brewing city, the reputation is growing."

 

He believes beer tourism has helped Highland grow its business in Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. From three original employees, Highland now has a staff of 16.

 

At Asheville Pizza and Brewing, co-owner Mike Rangel often sees out-of-town visitors stop by for a cold beer and a slice. "We have people walking in from Ohio or Florida, who've looked us up online," he said.

All aboard

 

Last year, sensing an opportunity, Mark Lyons began Asheville Brews Cruise, a bus service that takes beer lovers on a bus tour of local breweries. Some tourists "don't want to find these places on their own," he said. "We thought we would make (a tour) educational and fun."

 

He expected the business might lag last winter, but "people don't stop drinking when it's cold, and you don't have (outdoor activities that compete for tourist's time)," he said.

 

The business now operates up to five nights a week, and Lyons sees a 50-50 mix of curious locals and out-of-town visitors. "We've had people from all over the country and Canada who are looking for that beer tourism thing, and they are finding it," he said.

 

With business strong, Lyons recently quit a day job at the Grove Park Inn to focus on Brews Cruise, and to try the same concept with Asheville's independent restaurants. "It's definitely a leap of faith," he said.

 

[circumstantial tree]

I would so love to visit Asheville someday. I think I'm the only North Carolinian who has NOT gone there.

 

I hear that the wine produced out there is really good.

[tangy]

QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Sep 1 2007, 09:06 AM)

I would so love to visit Asheville someday. I think I'm the only North Carolinian who has NOT gone there. I hear that the wine produced out there is really good.

Come check it out! Probably about 4 to 4.5 hours down I-40 for you. Theres concern that the fall colors are not going to be good this year because of the drought though.

 

Have you been up to Boone, Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain?

 

 

 

 

[circumstantial tree]

QUOTE (tangdog @ Sep 12 2007, 09:50 AM)

QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Sep 1 2007, 09:06 AM) I would so love to visit Asheville someday. I think I'm the only North Carolinian who has NOT gone there. I hear that the wine produced out there is really good. Come check it out! Probably about 4 to 4.5 hours down I-40 for you. Theres concern that the fall colors are not going to be good this year because of the drought though.   Have you been up to Boone, Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain? I've never been out that way, due to one reason or another, but I hope to eventually.

[Dread Pirate Robert]

Asheville is awesome.

 

It is a free thinking/freeminded tolerant-of-differences little city full of good music and good beer, nestled in a valley amidst the beautiful western north carolina mountains. Born again fundamentalist southern baptists mingle freely there with new age witches, together with plenty of atheist types. And the live, unofficial anarchistic drumbeat rythyms from the downtown square on weekend nights never fail to send primal impulses up and down my spinal cord. A cool, interesting scene.

Edited September 18, 2007 by Dread Pirate Robert

[tangy]

[Dread Pirate Robert]

[tangy]

[Dread Pirate Robert]

QUOTE (tangdog @ Mar 27 2008, 10:39 AM)

Shit......real sorry to hear about your car. I hate to say it but I do take out most of my cds out of my car when I am out late night to see a show. Never had a problem but the thought has crossed my mind.

Yeah, well, I realize that sort of thing can and does happen everywhere. It's not specific to Asheville, for sure.