it’s pretty obvious that i love beer if you just click through my blog. hehe. part of the reason that i love it so much is because of this awesome city that i live in. that’s right, asheville has also been known as beer city, usa because there are 14 (that’s right i said 14!) breweires int he city + lots more in the western north carolina area, within an hour’s drive. it’s seriously crazy here.
and the beer is soooo good. now i’ve had beer from all of the breweries, but i have not visited them all. so, my love, paige + i decided that we would visit all of them this fall. some of them we visit quite frequently, so i already have my favorites, but in honoring the local beer scene, i also wanted to see what makes each of the breweries unique. hence, the asheville beer project was born. you can see a list of all of the breweries in my asheville guide {here}. just click on the beer glass!
on friday we decided to knock out two different breweries – neither of which any of us had been to before. one, a local favorite, which has been around for many year + has established itself as not only an asheville favorite, but a favorite of all craft beers across the states. the other brewery is a completely new one to asheville. two totally different experiences for the beer lover.
pisgah brewing | black mountain
why have i not visited here before… like every single freaking day?! i loved every single little cozy, down-to-earth, natural, real, totally asheville-vibe place. and their signature beer, pisgah pale ale, is one of my favorites for sure.
the brewery is located in a manufacturing area outside of town. it looks like nothing but old factory buildings. not fancy. not inviting. not even like anything is even happening there. but, behind the doors and in the building is a super cozy space with a bar, barrel tables, stools, a stage, and a fantastic outdoor area, complete with food trucks that visit during different nights of the week.
basically, it was perfection. the atmosphere and the beer and the food truck food and the bluegrass music. i fell in love. wholeheartedly.
we left pisgah and headed to downtown asheville, to the new south slope area. the neightborhood about 1 block south of the main downtown area that is the new up and coming hip spot to be. think old warehouses being turned into loft apartments, pubs, breweries, restaurants, etc. it’s a cool area. very “the place to be”.
twin leaf brewing | south slope | downtown asheville
the outside of the brewery is cooler than the inside, in my opinion. perhaps because the outside was old and original. the inside had been completely redone in a lofty, industrial style. which was cool, but it was way more planned than the older, more established, laid-back places in asheville (which i prefer). this place was hipster. and it drew an “in” crowd. yet, it was still not pretentious and very relaxing and warm. i mean, asheville is not really capable of being a place where one might feel out of place. everyone is welcome everywhere (except the grove park inn. hehe.).
we walked up to the crowded bar space, grabbed some beer, and sat down at one of the picnic tables in the middle of the room. this is literally a tasting room, no space for a stage or anything. but, it is really dog friendly, as cute dogs were everywhere. we played a few rounds of connect four, because the game was sitting at our table when we sat down. and then we grabbed another game off of the shelf and found ourselves soon wrapped up in a rowdy, crazy, make-your-own-rules drinking game of taboo. it was hilarious and so much fun.
so, while the atmosphere is not my favorite, nor the beer, to be honest with you. i will be back – to play games and sip on some local beer. because, hey, it’s still local.
now, where shall i go next?! cheers, friends!
light + love xx
