Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013 - 69

News & Notes from Asheville – Beer City U.s.A.

Asheville, N.C. definitely has some bragging rights when it
comes to its place in the world of craft brewing. For four years
straight, Asheville has laid claim to the title of Beer City U.S.A.,
through an online poll on Examiner.com, albeit sharing the
honor with Portland in 2009 and Grand Rapids, Mich. in 2012.
Here’s a brief look at some of the new things going on:

sarah hauser, virginia tourism corporation

• Sierra Nevada and New Belgium are making headway on their
new N.C. breweries. Sierra Nevada officials say they expect to
be producing beer at the new facility in Mills River by this fall.
Construction on the New Belgium site in Asheville’s River Arts
District breaks ground in September with a projected completion date of early 2015.
• Beverage World Magazine recently named Oskar Blues (headquartered in Longmont, Colo.) as the Craft Brewery of the Year.
Oskar Blues spokesperson Anne Fitten Glenn says the honor
“was partially because of the new brewing and distribution
facility which opened in Brevard, N.C., in December 2012.”
• “We decided to make big bets and it’s going well,” says
Dennis Thies as he shows off the recent expansion at his Green
Man Brewing Company, the second oldest brewery in Asheville.
Bragging points – a new 30-barrel system, production of
12-ounce bottles of its popular porter, IPA and extra special
bitter varieties, and new office space. In the works: a warehouse
on an adjacent lot. This all complements the well-established
bar area, outdoor patio and 10-barrel brewing system.
• A new player – Hi-Wire Brewing – recently took over space
once used by Craggie Brewing in the South Slope area.
Co-owner Adam Charnack says they have picked up on something that no other area craft brewer is currently doing by
producing a year-round lager beer called Hi-Wire Lager. It’s one
of four year-round beers offered and all will be available at their
tasting room, area restaurants/bars, and in six-packs.
• Oscar Wong, founder of Highland Brewing Company, says
he’s ready to pass the company into the hands of his daughter,
Leah Wong Ashburn. “Last year she gave me a three-year plan.
I said that’s way too long,” says the 73-year-old Wong. Highland
Brewing, whose name gives accolades to the Scotch-Irish who
settled in the region, produces five year-round beers, a variety
of seasonal offerings and small-batch runs. Small batches are
offered only at company’s tasting room on Old Charlotte
Highway in East Asheville.
• Jason and Julie Atallah, owners of Bruisin’ Ales in downtown
celebrate a new honor. The pair opened their craft beer store
in 2006. Recently, RateBeer Best 2013 named it “Best Beer
Store in North Carolina.” “Our loyalty is always to our local
community,” says Julie, “but we do have a devoted out-of-state
customer base as well.”
• The Asheville CVB recently created a music video featuring a
local improv comedy troupe to promote Asheville as Beer City.
Called, “Feral Chihuahuas Loose in Asheville,” the video can be
seen at bit.ly/AVL-BeerCityVideo. “ There were more than
30,000 views in one week,” says Dodie Stephens, senior communications manager. –Marla Hardee Milling

handcrafted beers on tap and a variety of foods to
accompany it. The food and beer prices here are easy
on the budget and on the palate.
The Woodruff Brewing Co. calls itself “the cure
for all your ales.” The beers are best enjoyed with a
flavor of the history: “White Mule” is named after
the equine that allegedly haunts the building with his
“hoodoo.” “Woodruff ” draws from the pharmacy
that used to call these premises home, where the prescriptions came from a doctor, not a tap.
Rather than pairing, I chose to sample the beers
in a flight. I found the Woodruff ales to be a fair
representation of the styles, perhaps a bit mild in
order to satisfy a beginner’s palate. I favored the
White Mule Ale and the State Street Stout. Though
the White Mule is an English “bitter” beer, don’t let
the “bitter” scare you. True to the style, it’s actually a
pale ale with less bite than an IPA. State Street is an
approachable oatmeal stout, with the silky oats balancing out the roastiness of the dark malts.

Customers can sit at the
Devil’s Backbone bar,
gaze into the brewing
facilities, and dream of
beers to come.

A little fArther North, the Old Dominion is experiencing an explosion in new microbreweries, more
than 50 as 2013 dawned. Growth has been aided in
part by recent legislative action, including the declaration of August as Virginia Craft Beer Month.
Even before the laws improved, Nelson County’s
Devil’s Backbone began its rise to success. Nestled in
the valley near Wintergreen Resort, Devil’s Backbone
began as a brewpub with a view. I have fond memories here, sipping a beer on a warm summer evening
as I watched a storm build over distant ridges, and
supping by the fireplace on a cold winter afternoon
after hiking nearby icy Crabtree Falls.
JULY/AUGUST 2013 | 69

http://www.Examiner.com http://www.bit.ly/AVL-BeerCityVideo

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013

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