Category: Asheville

Black Star Line Brewing Co – Making Craft Beer Waves in Hendo There has been a ton of press of late about Black Star Line Brewing which is perhaps the first female-black owned brewery in the area, and from my research, maybe the world! The fact that they landed in blood red Henderson County – specifically downtown Hendersonville, in the old Basic Brewery location, is in of itself newsworthy. Yes, times are a chang’n! While another article on how and why they started would be newsworthy, I decided to focus on their unique beers. [caption id="attachment_21072" align="alignleft" width="200"] Tommy Green[/caption] I spent a couple hours at Black Star Line recently talking to the staff and tasting all the beers they had on tap. Before you ask, I did have help.…

Chalwa Exudes Craft Lifestyle The first Friday in November, Chalwa plays Pisgah Brewing. The next night, they go West Asheville to Up Country. Then on up to Highland Brewing for a Sunday afternoon show. Chalwa digs craft breweries. Chalwa drinks craft beer. "The beers are craft just like our music... created to be consciously consumed to bring our community together, " waxes Dennis Chalwa Berdnt about the busy weekend. "We might close out the weekend with an appearance at the big brewery in Mills River, late Sunday." Not so late that the band won't get home to tuck the kids in bed. [caption id="attachment_20653" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Dennis and his boys are blue with joy![/caption] I caught up with with Tim Marsh on Facebook Messenger while he was visiting his home…

Wicked Weed AB-InBev: Member of Asheville Brewers Alliance I want to clear up some confusion regarding what is a for profit business and what is a true community organization in the beer industry. There is the country wide Brewers Association, and then there is the Craft Brew Alliance. Big Difference! The Craft Brew Alliance inaccurate moniker is similar to how a Congressional bill called Citizens United actually allows the wealthiest of the wealthy to control our government. The Craft Brew Alliance, in reality, is big beer. Over 30% of it is owned by AB-InBev. Which means, according to the rules of the Brewers Association, they do not make craft beer at all! Asheville Brewers Alliance The Asheville Brewers Alliance is a trade organization. Their homepage reads, "Asheville Brewers Alliance formed…

Hillman Beer: A Family Affair I spent about 30 minutes on a Tuesday evening talking with Brad Hillman, Head Brewer and Co-Owner of Hillman Beer. For a Tuesday the brewery looked pretty crowded – not bad at all for a brewery that started only about six months ago. Brad had been a homebrewer for more than a decade before starting Hillman Beer with his brother Greig, Greig’s wife Brandi, Brandi’s mother Wanda, and his parents Greg and “Momma Beer” Linda. Brad had been in the restaurant industry since age 15. He had been bartending in New York for a while when his brother had mentioned the idea of opening a brewery. Greig and Brandi had been living and working in the Asheville area for a while. [caption id="attachment_20274" align="aligncenter" width="767"]…

Best Brewery in Asheville, Underground No More! After extensive research, we are proud to crown Burial Beer as the very best craft brewery in Asheville. Burial put Asheville Community is Brewing on the map. Collaboration has brought us to where we are today. It all started in November of 2015, which is a long time ago in the annals of North Carolina craft brewing history. Wicked Weed was fresh off winning Silver for their Pernicious IPA in the Great American Beer Festival. There was no daunting Green Mansion, and Burial Beer was just a few steps down and a pleasant alternative to the waning Dirty Jacks. Wicked Weed and Burial were newer breweries, just starting to prove themselves. A lot has changed in a short period of time. Wicked Weed…

The Five Best Craft Beer Brewers in Asheville Carl Melissas of The Wedge Carl Melissas is a living legend in the Asheville beer scene. Back before Green Man became the Trump stronghold of the South Slope, in the summer of 2007, Carl ditched Dirty Jacks, for the opening of Asheville's then 4th brewery, The Wedge. Carl is a genius, succeeding at whatever he chooses to do. Craft beer lovers are grateful he chose brewing beer for a living. Carl doesn't make test batches when crafting a new beer. He brews perfect quality beers on the first go! [caption id="attachment_18206" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Carl Melissas of The Wedge[/caption] Brothers Wicked of ABInBev Call them sell outs, or whatever you want to call them, Luke and Walt Dickinson are craft brewing royalty. These…

Craft Centric: Bringing the South Slope Feel to South Asheville While a trip to Belgium in high school may have been a foreshadowing of Matt Vaughan’s love for craft beer, it wasn’t until he took a Brews Cruise tour many years later that is all started to click for him. "I have to admit I had some amazing beers in Belgium, but I was still young and had no idea as to what I was drinking. I do remember thinking that it tasted better than what I had back in the U.S. I hope I can go back again someday,” says Matt Vaughan. [caption id="attachment_17983" align="aligncenter" width="668"] Matt and Shannon Vaughn[/caption] Matt and his wife Shannon are hoping to open Craft Centric Taproom & Bottle Shop by late October/early November.…