Fall Winter 2013 - Rocky Ridge Music Center: Fill & Download for Free

Below is an excerpt on craft breweries (and cideries and distilleries) in Asheville from my new travel guide book Amazing Asheville. There is also a version of this on the website www.amazingasheville.net.We really owe Highland Brewing for getting Asheville on the craft brewing map. Highland opened in 1994 and its success attracted others. Highland is still family owned, with the second generation now running the operation.Beer City USACraft Beer Brewers, Cideries, Wineries and DistilleriesWith around 50 microbreweries and brewpubs in the Asheville and WNC area, and with two large national craft breweries (Sierra Nevada and New Belgium), plus a large regional brewer, Oskar Blues, having their East Coast headquarters here, Asheville has won four national online polls as “Beer City USA.” Asheville has more craft breweries per capita than any other city in the U.S.✷ New Belgium Brewing (21 Craven St., West Asheville, 828-333-6900, New Belgium Brewing Asheville brewery and tasting room | New Belgium Brewing) broke ground in April 2014 on its $175 million East Coast headquarters along the French Broad River in West Asheville and the River Arts District. It began producing Fat Tire and some other brews at its Asheville location in April 2016. At full operation, it will be Asheville’s largest brewery, with 140 workers and a capacity of a half million barrels annually. Free tours of New Belgium are available daily. While the brewery does not have a restaurant, it hosts a rotating selection of food trucks. USA Today named New Belgium’s tours as the best in the country.✷ Sierra Nevada (100 Sierra Nevada Way, Fletcher, South Asheville, 828-708-6176, Home | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.) brewery is on a beautifully landscaped 190-acre site in Mills River about 20 minutes south of Asheville, near the Asheville Regional Airport. The California-based craft brewery is turning out a number of beers at its North Carolina site. Sierra Nevada has a popular restaurant and tasting room and also offers brewery tours. The tours often are booked far in advance. Sierra Nevada has live music weekly. Check the website for details.Cider is also a growing industry here, with around 10 local cideries. Ditto, distilleries.Most brewpubs are open daily, often just for the afternoon and early evening. In most cases, we've noted days when craft brewery taprooms are closed, but because hours change frequently we are not able to post those. Check with the breweries for current hours.Andrews Brewing Company (565 Aquone Rd., Andrews, 828-321-2006, www.andrewsbrewing.com). Andrews Brewing produces amber ale, IPAs, a blonde (summer only) and other beers. There's live music on weekends.✷ Archetype Brewing (265 Haywood Rd., West Asheville (near Owl Bakery), 828-505-4177, www.archetypebrerwing.com). Opened in 2017, Archetype brews about a dozen Belgian- and American-style beers and ales. Among its offerings are a coffee porter using Last Dance cold brew. It doesn't serve food, but you can bring in food to Archetype's indoor and outdoor spaces from nearby restaurants including Gan Shan West, Pizza Mind, Billy's Tacos and Owl Bakery. Archetype also has a taproom on Broadway Street in Downtown Asheville. Both locations regularly have live music.✷ Asheville Brewing Co. (77 Coxe Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-255-4077; www.ashevillebrewing.com) makes beer at its downtown microbrewery, pub and music club. It also sells its suds in a converted movie theater in North Asheville, Asheville Pizza & Brewing (675 Merrimon Ave., 828-254-1281). Here you can enjoy a second-run movie ($3, and often sold out), a pizza or burger and a freshly brewed beer, seated on sofas and reclining chairs. Asheville Brewing also has a takeout and delivery location at 1850 Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. Its Ninja Porter has won national awards. An expansion in 2014 increased the brewery’s capacity to 13,000 barrels a year.Balsam Falls Brewing Co. (506 W. Main St., Sylva, 828-631-1987, www.balsamfallsbrewing.com) is a small brewer in downtown Sylva that opened in 2017.Bearwaters Brewery (101 Park St., Canton, 828-237-4200, www.bearwatersbrewing.com), formerly Headwaters Brewing in Waynesville, has seven of its own craft beers including sour ales in rotation on tap in its tasting room, plus three beers from other breweries. It also serves a few wines.Ben's Tune Up (195 Hilliard Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-424-7580, www.benstuneup.com) began as a moderately priced Asian fusion restaurant but has evolved into more of a bar with food. It has its own line of craft beers and also makes sake.✷ Bhramari Brewing Co. (101 S. Lexington Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-214-7981, www.bhramaribrewing.com). Chill brewery and creative gastropub with friendly staff and excellent, if somewhat different, burgers. It's behind the Orange Peel.Biltmore Brewing Company (1 Antler Bill Rd., Biltmore Estate, South Asheville, 828-225-1333, www.biltmore.com) sells a small line of Biltmore Estate beers called Cedric, supposedly named after one of the Vanderbilt family dogs. The Cedric line of beers is brewed by Highland Brewing.Black Mountain Brewing (131 Broadway Ave., Black Mountain, 828-357-5010, www.blackmountainbrewing.com), opened in 2017, has six of its brews on tap.Blue Ghost Brewing Company (125 Underwood Rd., Fletcher, 828-376-0159, www.blueghostbrewing.com). Located in a 4,000 sq. ft. building in Henderson County near the Asheville Regional Airport, Blue Ghost Brewing has indoor and newly expanded outdoor seating. Blue Ghost brews about a half dozen IPAs, ales and a porter, plus seasonal releases. The name of the company comes from a native firefly, the Blue Ghost, Phausis reticulata.Blue Mountain Pizza and Brewpub (55 N. Main St., Weaverville, 828-658-8778, www.bluemountainpizza.com), a Weaverville bar and pizza place that added brewing, specializes in Belgian and American ales. The bar has live music many nights.Boojum Brewing (50 N. Main St., Waynesville, 828-246-0350, www.boojumbrewing.com). A downtown Waynesville brewpub with burgers and other bar food. It has 16 taps of Boojum brews. Closed Tuesdays.Brevard Brewing Company (63 East Main St., Brevard, 828-885-2101, www.brevard-brewing.com) says it is the only brewery in the area to specialize in producing lagers. It does German-style lagers but also brews some American ales.Brouwerïj Cursus Kĕmē (155 Thompson St, South Asheville, 828-412-5193, www.cursuskeme.com) is a brewery tucked away at the end of a side street off Swannanoa River Road. Opened in mid-2018, it's in a former truck repair shop, but once inside you’ll note the attractive refinished woodwork and a number of interesting beers. The name comes from a variety of sources: “Brouwerïj” is Flemish for brewery, “Cursus” is Latin for “courses” and “Kĕmē” alludes to the historical mysteries related to brewing. Currently it’s open only on weekends.✷ Burial Beer Co. (40 Collier Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-475-2739, www.burialbeer.com), owned by folks who moved here from Seattle and opened a small one-barrel system in Asheville in mid-2013, starting with about a half dozen regular brews. By mid-2014, Burial had expanded to a 10-barrel system, with the ability to produce a large variety of canned beer. The Tap Room has about 15 Burial draft beers, plus nearly as many beers in bottles and cans to go. Burial has a full-service kitchen serving "Asheville food" Wednesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner, plus a jazz brunch on Sunday. It has a good double-patty cheeseburger. Burial Beer also has a Raleigh location.Burning Bush Brewery (4891 Boylston Highway, Mills River) is opening in late 2019. It is an ambitious project, with six 15-barrel fermenters and two bright tanks, on about 2 acres. It expects to brew up to 1,000 barrels a year initially. The bar in the taproom is a 1930s-era bar from Chicago.✷ Catawba Brewing Company (63 Brook St., Biltmore Village, South Asheville, 828-424-7290, and on the South Slope at 32 Banks Ave. next to Vortex Doughnuts and Buxton Hall BBQ, 828-552-3934, www.catawbabrewing.com), originally from Glen Alpine and then Morganton, where it still has a location at 212 S. Green Street with 30-barrel brewery.In Asheville, it has a 7-barrel brewhouse. Catawba brews a variety of ales, IPAs and stouts year-round, along with more than a dozen seasonal beers. Its brews are sold on tap in its tastings rooms, in kegs and in cans. It also has a location in Charlotte.Collaboratory by CANarchy Craft Brewing Collective (39 N. Lexington Ave., 828-348-1622, www.collaboratoryavl.com), in the former location of Lexington Avenue Brewery or LAB, which was a lot easier name to remember, is a part of a group of seven breweries around the country called CANarchy. Collaboratory serves burgers and bar food and beers from its own brewery and from those of other members of the Collective, including Cigar City in Tampa, Oskar Blues and Deep Ellum.Currahee Brewing Company (100 Lakeside Dr., Franklin, 828-634-0078, www.curraheebrew.com) opened in Franklin in 2016 with a German-inspired biergarten and then opened in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta in 2018. Currahee has just three year-round brews but does a number of seasonal and special release beers. There is a food truck at the Franklin site. Currahee is a Cherokee word that means "stand alone."DSSOLVR (63 N. Lexington Ave., Downtown Asheville, www.dssolvr.com) opened in Downtown Asheville in late 2019. It plans to do cider, mead and wine as well as craft beers of all types.Eluvium Brewing Co. (11 Florida Ave., Weaverville, 828-484-1799, www.eluviumbrewing.com) opened in Weaverville in 2017. Seven of its beers are on tap at its tasting room. The brewery supposedly is named after alluvial gold placer deposits (in the early 19th century, North Carolina was a leading gold mining state).Eucusta Brewing Co. (49 Pisgah Hwy. #3, Pisgah Forest, 828-966-2337, www.eucustabrewingco.com) is a small brewery and taproom near an entrance to Pisgah National Forest in the Brevard area. It brews about a dozen ales, sour ales and stouts.Eurisko Beer Co. (255 Short Coxe Ave., South Slope, 828-774-5055, www.euriskobeer.com) opened in early 2018. It says it is “taproom-focused” and strives to be a place where friends hang out. Eurisko has a taproom upstairs and an outdoor beer garden. It brews about two dozen interesting beers.Fahrenheit 828 (17 Lee St., Skyland, South Asheville, behind Skyland Fire Department, 828-676-1800, www.fahrenheitpizzabrew.com) serves New York-style crispy pizza, chicken wings and basic brews.Fonta Flora Brewery (317 N. Green St., Morganton, 828-475-0153, and 6751 NC-126, Nebo, www.fontaflora.com) has a small brewery and taproom in downtown Morganton and a farmhouse brewery on a 9-acre former dairy farm in Nebo. Fonta Flora brews a sizable selection of fruit beers, ales, porters and others.✷ French Broad River Brewing Company (101-D Fairview Rd., near Biltmore Village, 828-277-0222 www.frenchbroadbrewery.com), established in 2001, was one of the pioneers of craft brewing in Asheville. It brews lagers and specialty ales in the European tradition, but it has expanded to add IPAs and specialty Pale Ales, along with seasonal brews. Wee-Heavy-Er, Scottish ale, is a best seller. New owners Paul and Sarah Casey took over in 2017.✷ Frog Level Brewing Company (56 Commerce St., Waynesville, 828-454-5664, www.froglevelbrewing.com) is a brewer in the up-and-coming Frog Level section below downtown Waynesville. Its flagship beers include Bouncing Betty (the owner is a vet) and Dragonfly IPA. Frog Level, which has live music on some evenings and serves food, was the first craft brewer in Haywood County.Ginger’s Revenge (829 Riverside Dr., Suite 100, North Asheville, 828-505-2462, www.gingersrevenge.com). Opened in 2017, Ginger’s Revenge specializes in ginger beers. Live music on most Fridays. You can usually get a bite at a food truck parked nearby.✷ Green Man Brewery (27 Buxton Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-252-5502, www.greenmanbrewery.com) is one of North Carolina’s oldest microbreweries, having opened in 1997 as a brewpub, part of Jack of the Wood bar. In 2010 new owners turned Green Man into an independent brewer specializing in ales. Green Man expanded in 2012 with a 30-barrel system and in 2013 began bottling its beers in 12-ounce bottles.The company expanded again in March 2015 to the tune of $5 million, with an indoor-outdoor tasting room on the top floor of its new three-story, 20,000 square foot South Slope building. There's a packaging area in between, and Green Man also has a faster bottling system. Green Man's best-known product is the very hoppy Green Man IPA, but it brews more than 30 beers, sold regionally. The Green Man image historically is a representation of a man’s face made of leaves and vines, often seen in churches in Europe. It is a popular name for pubs in England; there’s a Green Man Pub in the basement of Harrods in London.Guidon Brewing (15 8th Ave., East Hendersonville, www.guidonbrewing.com) is a craft brewery run by a German-American family.Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery (461 Main St., Chimney Rock, 828-436-7047, www.hickorynutbrewery.com) was established by a Lake Lure family originally from England. The brewpub is on the banks of the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock. There's a limited menu of bar food, along with more than a dozen brews.✷ Highland Brewing Company (12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Suite H, South Asheville, 828-299-3370, www.highlandbrewing.com) is Asheville’s first (1994) and largest local microbrewer, now run by a second-generation owner. Highland’s year-round brews including Oatmeal Porter, Gaelic Ale and Black Mocha Stout and its seasonal and small-batch beers are available in many restaurants and in supermarkets around the Southeast. A 2014 expansion boosted capacity by about 50% to some 60,000 barrels. Brewery tours are offered daily (hours vary). There’s no charge for tours. The taproom also is open daily, with varying hours. A rooftop bar can accommodate 300. An outdoor entertainment area, The Meadow at Highland Brewing, features live music shows, sometimes with no cover charge. In-season there's music indoors or outdoors several days a week.Hillman Beer (25 Sweeten Creek Rd., Biltmore Village, 828-505-1312, www.hillmanbeer.com) is a family-owned brewery and deli in Biltmore Village. It offers up to 18 house-brewed beers and ales to go with your Reuben in the Rise Above Deli. In 2020, Hillman plans an expansion location in Old Fort.✷ Hi-Wire Brewery (197 Hilliard Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, and at 2 Huntsman Place in Biltmore Village, 828-738-2448, www.hiwirebrewing.com) has taken off since opening in 2013 on the South Slope and in mid-2015 opened a new, larger, 27,000 sq. ft. facility it calls the Biltmore Big Top. The brewery also has opened a location in Durham and one in Knoxville.Homeplace Beer Co. (6 S. Main St., Burnsville, 828-536-5147, Craft Beer Brewery in Burnsville, NC) is Burnsville’s pioneer craft brewer. It only opened in 2017, but until 2010 Burnsville was dry. The taproom has two lagers, an IPA and an ale on tap by Homeplace, plus seasonal brews and guest beers. Homeplace is opening a second location in Burnsville in 2020, a much larger space with the capability to host up to 1,000 for music events.Hoppy Trout Brewing Company (911 Main St., Andrews, 828-835-2111, www.hoppytroutbrewing.com) is a small-batch nano brewer that is willing to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. The brewpub has brick-oven pizza.Innovation Brewing (414 W. Main St., Sylva, and 40 Depot St., Dillsboro, 828-586-9678, www.innovation-brewing.com) is a brewpub based in Sylva with an outpost in Dillsboro. It brews around 30 beers, with 12 usually on tap. Opened in 2013, Innovation is in a former filling station on Scott Creek in Sylva (where Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was filmed).Lazy Hiker Brewing (188 W. Main St., Franklin, 828-349-2337, www.lazyhikerbrewing.com) has a 15-barrel system and produces traditional and black malt IPAs, a golden ale, a stout, several porters and other brews. There's live music on weekends.Mad Co. Brew House (45 N. Main St., Marshall, 828-649-8600, www.madisoncountybrewing.com), opened in 2016, was Madison County's first craft brewery. In downtown Marshall, it's set on the French Broad River, serving small-batch brews with bratwurst and other snacks.Mica Town Brewing (25 Brown Dr., Marion, 828-559-8300, www.micatownbrewing.com) is a pleasant microbrewery with about 10 regular brews, including a blackberry cider.✷ Mills River Brewery (331 Banner Farm Rd., Mills River, 828-585-2396, www.millsriverbrewery.net). Currently located in a strip mall in Arden, Mills River Brewery is moving to its new, larger location in Mills River. The IPAs and other beers are good, and there’s a selection of bar food.✷ Mountain Layers Brewing (90 Everett St. Bryson City, 828-538-0115, www.mountainlayersbrewing.com). We were in Bryson City for the 2017 eclipse -- perfect spot for it, as we found a parking place in the heart of downtown, and the skies were blue and clear -- and decided to have a cold one at a new brewery.The upstairs patio was closed for a private eclipse party, and the main tasting room upstairs, while pretty large was crowded, so we snagged a standing spot near the copper vats and had beers ($5 for pints) and a flight ($7). All good. Pleasant atmosphere. Varied selection of craft beers. Friendly staff. And a great location just off the river on Everett Street in the middle of town.Nantahala Brewing Company (61 Depot St., Bryson City, 828-488-2337 and 747 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, http://nantahalabrewing.wordpress.com) opened in 2010 near Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in Bryson City. Its inaugural and flagship beer is Noon Day IPA, and it also offers the easy-drinking Bryson City Brown. Altogether it has about 18 taps. Its tasting room is open daily (hours vary) March-October, with reduced hours the rest of the year. In 2018, Nantahala opened an outpost on Haywood Road in West Asheville, with beers from its Bryson City facility and a limited food menu.*************************************************************************✷ Bee City USA Asheville is Beer City USA, yes. But it’s also officially Bee City USA. In June 2012, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to become the inaugural Bee City USA (Making the World Safer for Pollinators One City at a Time). Bee City USA is based in Asheville and now has about 100 Bee Cities across the country. Bee Cities follow a set of standards for sustainable pollinators. It is legal to keep bees within the Asheville city limits as long as the beehive is 100 feet or more from the home of anyone except the beekeeper, and the beekeeper must get a permit ($25).No permits are required for Buncombe County residents. Among the beekeeping organizations in the area are the Buncombe County Beekeepers Chapter (www.wncbees.org) and Henderson County Beekeepers Association (www.hcbeekeepers.com).One World Brewing (10 Patton Ave. #002, Downtown Asheville, 828-785-5580, and One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-9992, www.oneworldbrewing.com) has been open in a small, low-profile site near Farm Burger in Downtown Asheville since 2014, and in 2018 it opened a larger location across from Zia Taqueria in West Asheville. The Downtown location has live music most nights, and the West Asheville location has free parking in back with food trucks for snacks, along with live music most nights as well.✷ Oskar Blues Brewery (342 Mountain Industrial Dr.., Brevard, www.oskarblues.com) is a Longmont, Colo., craft brewer that in late 2012 opened a 30,000 sq. ft. brewery and a separate restaurant in Brevard. Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis chose Brevard in part because he has long mountain biked in the area.The Tasty Weasel taproom is open daily with free tours of the brewery, and a food truck, Chubwagon, is on site most days. Oskar Blues is the third largest national craft brewery in the Asheville area after New Belgium and Sierra Nevada. Among its many brews are its best-known Dale’s Pale Ale.Oyster House Brewing Company (625 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-9370, www.oysterhousebeers.com) is across from Sunny Point restaurant. Its Moonstone Stout, among other beers, is brewed with oyster shells. (The oyster beers don't taste like oysters.)The food menu here is primarily based on New Orleans dishes such as gumbo, red beans and rice and fried shrimp and fried oyster po boys.✷ Pisgah Brewing Company (150 Eastside Dr., Black Mountain, 828-669-0190, www.pisgahbrewing.com) just west of Black Mountain is a certified organic brewer that puts out around a half dozen year-round beers, ales and stouts, plus seasonal brews. Its best-known product is probably Pisgah Pale Ale. Free brewery tours are offered.Riverbend Malt House (12 Gerber Rd., Suite C, South Asheville, 828-450-1081, www.riverbendmalt.com) doesn't brew beer. Instead, it provides local and regional craft breweries with locally sourced grains for their brewing. It has 15 standard malts plus customs ones produces 12-16 tons of handcrafted malt every month and sells to hundreds of craft breweries and distilleries across the country.Sanctuary Brewing Company (147 1st Avenue East, Hendersonville, 828-595-9956, www.sanctuarybrewco.com) is located in a 4,000 sq. ft. space in downtown Hendersonville. Sanctuary brews small-batch Belgian-style ales, American stouts and West Coast IPAs in light, hoppy and dark malt styles. Its taproom has a limited food menu.Sideways Farm & Brewery (62 Eade Rd., Etowah, 828-595-4001, www.sidewaysfarm.com) specializes in small-batch artisan beers from ingredients grown on the 10-acre farm in Transylvania County. The tasting room is only open on Friday through Sunday afternoons.Southern Appalachian Craft Brewery (822 Locust St., Hendersonville, 828-684-1235, www.sabrewery.com), formerly Appalachian Brewery in Fletcher, has a dog-friendly tasting room in downtown Hendersonville serving their pilsner, blonde and amber ales, IPA and stout beers on draft, along with pretzels.Sweeten Creek Brewing (1127 Sweeten Creek Rd., South Asheville, 828-575-2785, www.sweetencreekbrewing.com). Opened in December 2015, Sweeten Creek is a micro that only sells its pales and pilsner from a tasting room and sandwich shop.Thirsty Monk (2 Town Square Blvd., Biltmore Town Square Park, South Asheville, 828-687-3873, www.monkpub.com), better know locally as a bar than as a brewery, has a brewing system at its Biltmore Town Square pub, with 28 taps, plus a craft cocktail bar. Thirsty Monk Pub in Downtown Asheville at 92 Patton Avenue has a two-level bar with a rotating list of draft beers on around 20 taps. It also has a cocktail lounge upstairs, Top of the Monk. There’s the 2x4 Pub in Gerber Village on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. Thirsty Monk also has locations in Denver and Portland.Turgua Brewing Co. (27 Firefly Hollow Dr., Fairview, 828-222-0984, www.turguabrewing.com). Another new brewery in 2017, this one opened on a small farm in Fairview. The focus here is on unusual beers made using local ingredients and seasonal crops like beets, yams and carrots. The taproom usually has about a half dozen regular brews, plus a small selection of seasonal beers. The meaning of Turgua (pronounced Turg-wah) is “valley of the birds,” the area in Venezuela where the owner was born.Twin Leaf Brewery (144 Coxe Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-774-5000, www.twinleafbrewery.com) is a brewpub that opened in 2013. It specializes in its own Belgian ales and other beers on about 15 taps.UpCountry Brewing, formerly Altamont Brewing Company (1042 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-2400) was started in 2016 by the founder of the successful Athens, Ga.-based brewery, Terrapin Beer. It also has a taproom in Brevard at 212 King Street.✷ Wedge Brewing Co. (125B Roberts St., and 5 Foundy St., River Arts District, 828-279-6393, www.wedgebrewing.com) brews artisan beers in the River Arts District. In good weather, you can join the crowds in a picnic area outside, where there are also food trucks. Movies are sometimes shown outside under the stars. In 2017, Wedge opened a second location in the RAD next to the new location of 12 Bones.✷ White Labs (172 S. Charlotte St., Downtown Asheville, 828-974-3868, www.whitelabs.com) has about 28 beers on draft, but when you order you realize that all but a handful are White Labs beers, identified not by name but by the kind of yeast used. White Labs, headquartered in San Diego, is primarily a national provider of brewers yeasts to home and craft brewers. The restaurant and taproom has good wood-fired pizzas.Whistle Hop Brewing Co. (1288 Charlotte Hwy., Fairview, South Asheville, 828-338-9447, www.whistlehop.com) is designed around old railroad cars. It brews a large variety of styles of beers and ales, some with usual flavors such as green tea mint lager and maple smoked sweet potato amber ale. The pet-friendly spot has disc golf and music some nights. Eats are usually from a food truck.Whiteside Brewing Co. (128 NC-107, Cashiers, 828-743-6000, www.whitesidebrewing.com), located in Cashiers next to the Laurel Inn, with which it is associated, brews about a dozen beers in a variety of styles. It has a bar menu of wings, burgers and sandwiches.✷ Wicked Weed Brewing (91 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-575-9599, www.wickedweedbrewing.com) won the “Peoples Choice” award at Asheville’s Brewgrass Festival in September 2012 even though the brewery wasn’t yet open at its location next to the Orange Peel. After opening in late 2012 it instantly became one of Asheville’s most popular brewpubs. There’s a good restaurant upstairs, serving pub food and a little more, including steaks and trout and a bison burger, in a nicely built out space with raw brick and a glassed-in open kitchen.The tasting room and a brewery are downstairs. Wicked Weed also operates the Funkatorium, a 12,000 sq. ft. sour beer barrel storage center with a small tasting room at 147 Coxe Avenue Downtown. Next door is another Wicked Weed-owned restaurant, Cultura, opened in 2019. It also has a taproom Wicked Weed West, at its main production facility on Sandhill Road in Enka. In 2017, Wicked Weed sold out to AnBEV, making some local angry and others envious, but its focus is still local. Definitely try the Pernicious Ale!Zebulon Artisan Ales (8 Merchants Alley, Weaverville, www.zebulonbrewing.com) opened in February 2016. It is a limited production microbrewery focusing on Belgian and French farmhouse styles.Zillicoah Beer Co. (870 Riverside Dr., Woodfin, North Asheville, 828-424-7929, www.zillicoahbeer.com) specializes in open-fermented farmhouse ales and lagers. It has a cool location on the French Broad River.BEER TOURSAsheville offers a number of beer tour options. Besides the tours noted below, you can also do it yourself by following the Asheville Ale Trail (www.ashevillealetrail.com). There are maps online plus paper maps distributed at around 150 locations.Asheville Brews Cruise (828-545-5181, www.brewscruise.com) takes beer fans on tours of three or four local breweries for $60 per person. Van tours, daily except Monday (less frequently in winter), last about three hours and include samples of around a dozen beers and ales. Private group and party tours also available, as are shuttles for parties. This company was established in Asheville and now operates in more than a dozen cities nationwide.The Amazing Pubcycle (828-214-5010, www.amazingpubcycle.com) is a bicycle made for 14 that peddles its way (10 of the 13 riders have to help peddle) through Downtown, past various pubs and other sights. Regular guided tours, which should be booked in advance, last about 1½ hours, make two pub stops and cost $25 per person.A shorter “nomad tour” is also available. The 40-minute tour with no pub stops costs $15. Tours, which leave from the Aloft or Renaissance hotels, are BYOB, but glass containers aren’t permitted. The Pubcycle usually doesn't operate in winter.✷ Asheville Brewery Tours (101 N. Lexington Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-233-5006, www.ashevillebrewerytours.com) offers walking and van beer and food tours. Tours last about three hours, include sample beer tastings. Costs range from $49 to $59 per person. The company has also do private tours for up to 100 people.✷ Brew-Ed Asheville Brewery and History Walking Tours (828-278-9255, www.brew-ed.com) has walking tours of several Downtown. Tours, led by knowledgeable beer experts, usually start at Hi-Wire Brewing on Hilliard Avenue or Asheville Brewing on Coxe Avenue. Tickets cost $50 for a three-hour, three-stop tour. Walking tours with stops at two breweries are $37.CIDERIESAppalachian Ridge Artisan Ciders (749 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-699-7507) opened in the summer of 2018 in a converted barn surrounded by French apple trees, so naturally they specialize in Normandy-style cider. The owners also have a winery nearby.Black Mountain Ciderworks + Meadery (104 Eastside Dr. #307, Black Mountain, 828-419-0089, www.blackmountainciderworks.com) crafts ciders and mead from local apples and honey. The cider is based on the dry ciders of Kent, England, and the meads are fermented with a high water content.✷ Bold Rock Hard Cider (72 School House Rd., Mills River, 828-595-9940, www.boldrock.com) in late 2015 opened its 22,500 sq. ft. cidery off I-26 not far from Sierra Nevada. An expansion of a Virginia-based cidery, with four locations in Virginia plus the one in Mills River, Bold Rock locally uses apples exclusively sourced from Henderson County. It ships bottled, canned and draft cider and also hard seltzer to customers in both Carolinas and in Tennessee. Its tasting room is open daily. Free tours are offered on weekends.Daidala Ciders (122 Riverside Dr., Studio A, River Arts District, 828-407-3538, www.daidalaciders.com) is a "nomadic" cider maker. It has a small taproom on the second floor of the Historic Cotton Mill Studios. Open limited hours.Flat Rock Cider Company (305 North Main St., Hendersonville, 828-692-2001, www.flatrockcidercompany.com) makes apple and blackberry cider at their orchard in Henderson County.Little Switzerland Orchard & Cidery (405 Elk Park Dr., Woodfin, 828-337-4354, www.littleswitzerlandwinery.com) has a small orchard in Little Switzerland, with a small shop near Asheville, currently open by appointment only. It plans to have its winery and cidery in Asheville, as Little Switzerland is dry.✷ Noble Cider (356 New Leicester Hwy., West Asheville, 828-575-9622, www.noblecider.com) uses Western North Carolina apples to create a variety of gluten free, dry to semi-dry hard ciders, made with no artificial ingredients. It has a production facility and taproom in West Asheville, a bar and bistro, The Greenhouse, in Downtown Asheville on Rankin Avenue and a new taproom and pizzeria in Brevard (open early 2010). Noble Cider is sold on tap throughout the area.TreeRock Social Cider & Mead Bar and Patio (760 Biltmore Ave., South Asheville, 828-505-0130) has a serious selection of ciders and meads. However, it’s not technically a cidery since it only sells and doesn’t make its product, at least a present.✷ Urban Orchard Cidery Co. (210 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-774-5151, and 24 Buxton Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-505-7243, www.urbanorchardcider.com) offers three flagship hard apple ciders on tap with a rotating selection of seasonal batches. All Urban Orchard Ciders are naturally gluten-free. Urban Orchard has opened a second location in Asheville on the South Slope at 24 Buxton Ave. However, only the West Asheville location serves food.WINERIES AND VINEYARDSAsheville is known as for its beer microbreweries, but the area is also home to a number of thriving wineries, including the most visited winery in the country, Biltmore.North Carolina has more than 400 vineyards and 100 wineries. About 20 of the wineries are in Western North Carolina.The Piedmont of North Carolina, immediately east of the mountains, with its milder winters and longer growing season, has the most vineyards and wineries in the state. The biggest cluster of wineries and vineyards is in the Yadkin Valley northwest and southwest of Winston-Salem, home to some three dozen wine operations.The Carolina mountains, with winter temperatures sometimes dropping below zero, and killing frosts possible in some mountains areas from October to May, are not easy places to grow wine grapes. However, some enterprising mountain vintners have succeeded in creating very drinkable chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon wines.Here are some selected winery operations in the mountains. Hours for vineyards and wineries vary seasonally. Call or email in advance to see if the places you want to visit are open and accepting visitors. Most tours and wine-tastings are free, except where noted otherwise, though you likely will be encouraged to buy a bottle or two of wine.Don’t expect the Napa Valley.Note that you must be at least 21 to participate in a wine, beer or distilled liquor tasting.See NC Wine (www.ncwine.org) for information on wine trails in North Carolina.✷ Addison Farms Vineyards (4005 New Leicester Hwy., Leicester, 828-581-9463, www.addisonfarms.net), a 55-acre family farm, has around 6 acres in mostly French-American hybrid wine grapes, with plans to expand to around 10 acres. It produces cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, sangiovese, montepulciano, petit verdot and petit manseng. The shop and tasting room in at 4005 New Leicester Highway, Leicester.Banner Elk Winery & Villa (60 Deer Run Lane, Banner Elk, 828-898-9090, www.bannerelkwinery.com) produces about eight or 10 wines from its own French-American hybrid grapes and from grapes from other local producers. Its cabernet sauvignon, seyval blanc, blueberry, marechal foch and other wines have won medals at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh and at other wine competitions. Tastings and tours are scheduled year-round, with varying hours. Call for information. The winery also offers a villa for overnight stays and serves as an event and wedding venue.✷ Biltmore Winery (Antler Hill Village, Asheville, 800-411-3812 or 828-225-1333, www.biltmore.com) is America’s most-visited winery, mostly because a visit to the winery (the modern fermentation room and a rather unimpressive wine cellar) and tasting room are included in estate admission, and the estate gets more than a million visitors a year. There’s often a long line for the tasting, especially in the late afternoon.Tasting of Biltmore’s standard reds, whites and rosés, a total of about 20 kinds, is complimentary, but there’s an upcharge for each premium wine. Biltmore first planted wine grapes in 1971, and now there are some 150 acres in vineyards.Biltmore makes chardonnay, riesling, viognier, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, some from grapes grown on the estate but most, about 80%, from grapes purchased from other vineyards, mainly in California and Washington State.The North Carolina mountain climate is not always friendly for growing French and hybrid French-American wine grapes; in the winter of 1995 the estate lost 100 acres of vines to three days of extreme cold.The first Biltmore wines, especially the reds, were barely drinkable, but thanks to Biltmore winemasters Philippe Jourdain and later Bernard Delille and winemaker Sharon Fenchak the reputation of the winery has greatly improved in recent years, and the estate’s wines have won many awards in national and international competitions. The wine is bottled under several labels: Biltmore, Century and Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore Estate labeled wines are made only from North Carolina grapes. Biltmore wines are sold at the winery shop and in stores in more than 20 states. The winery is open 365 days a year.✷ Burnshirt Vineyards (2695 Sugarloaf Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-2402, www.burntshirtvineyards.com) has more than 21 acres of grapes in production in Henderson County. It has a 10,000 square feet wine production center with a 1,700 square feet barrel room. Some of its wines, including gruner veltliner and merlot wines, have won awards. Tours are offered at 2 pm daily, or by reservation. The vineyard is available for weddings and events. Burnshirt also has a tasting room and bistro in Chimney Rock.Calaboose Cellars (565 Aquona Rd., Andrews, 828-321-2006, www.calaboosecellars.com) claims to be the smallest freestanding complete winemaking operation in the country. The 300 square foot winery is located in the former jail in the little town of Andrews. Calaboose grows some of its grapes on its own and leased land near Andrews. It has seyval, chambourcin, chancellor and catawba grapes.Grandfather Vineyard & Winery (225 Vineyard Lane, Banner Elk, 828-963-2400, www.grandfathervineyard.com) produces a dozen or so wines, mostly from purchased grapes, but there are about 5 acres of planted grapes. Wine tasting daily are $6 to $10, mid-May to November, closed rest of year.Lake James Cellars Winery (204 East Main St./Hwy. 70, Glen Alpine, 828-584-4551, www.lakejamescellars.com) produces about 20 varieties of red, white and sweet wines from North Carolina fruits in a winery in an old textile mill. Tastings are $7.Overmountain Vineyards (2012 Sandy Plains Rd., Tryon, 828-863-0523, www.overmountainvineyards.com) has five varieties of grapes planted -- cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit merdot and petit mansing – on 17 acres. The tasting room is open afternoon year-round Wednesday-Sunday; hours vary. There are about 18 vineyards in the Tryon area in the foothills of the mountains. Before Prohibition, Tryon was one of the major grape growing areas of North Carolina. Overmountain also offers overnight lodging in two villas, listed on Airbnb.plēb urban winery (289 Lyman St., River Arts District, 828-774-5062, www.pleburbanwinery.com) buys grapes from local vineyards and makes the wine in its RAD winery. In a graffiti art filled space, opening to the outdoors through garage doors, it serves a limited selection of its own and other local wines, along with some local craft beers and ciders.Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards (588 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-4002, Saint Paul Mountain Farms | Hendersonville, NC | Tasting Room) is Henderson County’s newest vineyard and tasting room. The vineyard, on a 10-acre tract of land off U.S. Highway 64 northeast of Hendersonville, with another 10 acres in nearby Ednyville, produces nearly 30 varieties of wine grapes. It also has a cidery. Tastings are offered. Call ahead to confirm times and places.South Creek Vineyards & Winery (2240 South Creek Rd., off MM 246 of Blue Ridge Parkway, Nebo, 828-652-5729, www.southcreekwinery.com) produces mostly Bordeaux-style wines in a farmhouse in Nebo near Lake James. The winery’s cabs, merlots and chardonnay have won several awards. Hours vary, but the winery is usually open Wednesday to Saturday, April through November. Call for specific information.Thistle Meadow Winery (102 Thistle Meadow, Laurel Springs, 336-359-2995, www.thistlemeadowwinery.com), a small winery and tasting room off Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 246, is open afternoons is open to visitors but check in advance for times and dates. It produces around 2,000 cases of red, white, blush and sweet wines a year.Valley River Vineyards (4689 Martins Creek Rd., Murphy, 828-837-0691, www.valleyrivervineyards.com) currently produces about eight wines, including two reds, two whites and four sweet. You can pick your own grapes for winemaking, and the company sells winemaking supplies. There are tastings on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 1-6 and tours by reservation.DISTILLERIESSome North Carolinians like to drink. Others would like it if nobody drank. Prohibition began in North Carolina in 1909, a decade before the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages was ratified. National Prohibition began in January 1920 and ended in 1933 with the repeal of the 18th Amendment. Of course, many Tar Heels didn’t abstain, and in the 1920s North Carolina reportedly had the largest number of illegal distilleries of any state in the country.In the last decade, distilleries once again became legal in North Carolina, and there are at least nine distilleries operating in the Asheville area. Due to a recent change in state law you can now buy an unlimited number of bottles per adult at distilleries. Formerly you could buy only one, then five and before that they could only be purchased in ABC or other liquor stores.✷ Asheville Distilling Company (12 Old Charlotte Hwy., East Asheville, 828-575-2000, www.ashevilledistilling.com). Established in 2010, and formerly known as Troy & Sons, Asheville Distilling specializes in "legal moonshine" ... and it's all rather upscale stuff. Ms. Troy Ball and family now make five "American whiskies." Free tours of the distillery are available.Blue Ridge Distilling (228 Redbud Lane, Bostic, 828-245-2041, www.defiantwhisky.com) in Rutherford County currently produces a Scotch-style single malt American whisky called Defiant Single Malt and also a 100% rye, Defiant Rye. Operated by a marine salvage expert, the distillery is open weekdays 9 to 4, with free tours from 9 to 3.✷ The Chemist (151 Coxe Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-525-6260, www.chemistspirits.com), part of Apothecary Beverage Co., focuses on distilling floral gins and also an apple brandy, which you can sample in the tasting room. Closed Sundays and Mondays.Dalton Distillery (251 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-785-1499) makes rums and vodkas, most exotically flavored such as a coffee rum and a vodka distilled from blue agave. Some of it tastes, um, weird.Elevated Mountain Distilling Co. (3732 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, 828-944-0766, www.elevatedmountain.com) in Haywood County makes small-batch moonshine, aged and unaged corn whisky and corn-based vodka. Elevated Mountain is open 10-7 Monday-Saturday, and free tours are offered, but you should book ahead online or by phone.Eda Rhyne Distillery (101 Fairview Rd., Suite A, South Asheville, 828-412-5441, www.edarhyne.com) uses the flavors of indigenous medicinal plants to make herbal liquors and other spirits in small batches. Free tours offered. Closed Sundays-Tuesdays.✷ H & H Distillery (204 Charlotte Hwy., Suite D, East Asheville, 828-338-9779, www.hhdistillery.com) specializes in rum and gin, with a vodka and a whisky on the way. Free tours are available Thursday to Saturday -- call ahead to make arrangements. H & H was founded by the father and son team of Wendell and Taylor Howard in 2015.Howling Moon Distillery (42 Old Elk Mountain Rd., North Asheville, 828-208-1469, www.howlingmoonshine.com) makes a variety of moonshine including, if you can believe it, peach, strawberry and apple pie moonshine.Oak and Grist Distilling Co. (1556 Grovestone Rd., Black Mountain, 828-357-5750, www.oakandgrist.com) distills a gin and a malt whisky. A 100 proof single malt and a rye are coming soon. The tasting room is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1 to 6 pm. Tours are available.LIQUOR, WINE AND BEER STORESABC Stores (828-251-6192, www.ashevilleabcboard.com, most stores open 9-9 Mon.-Sat.) In North Carolina, liquor by the bottle (as opposed to wine and beer, or liquor by the drink) is sold only in state-owned Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) stores and, since 2017, at distilleries that can sell up to five bottles of their own product to visitors.After Prohibition ended in 1933, ABC stores were established in the state beginning in 1937, and the first ABC store in Asheville opened in 1947.A few other municipalities in Buncombe County, including Woodfin and Black Mountain, have since voted for ABC stores. Only three counties in the state do not have ABC stores: Madison, Graham (both in Western North Carolina) and Yadkin. Although ABC stores carry many of the same brands, some stores are larger than others and have a wider selection. The stores in North Asheville (807 Merrimon Ave.) and East Asheville (145 Tunnel Rd.) are the largest in Asheville. Henderson County’s Fletcher ABC store (37 Rockwood Road) near the Asheville Regional Airport is one of the friendliest and best-stocked stores in the region.The NC Legislature has been studying privatizing state-controlled liquor sales in the state. Stay tuned.Until about 40 years ago, to get a drink here in a restaurant you had to “brown bag” your bottle, and the restaurant sold set-ups. In 1979, local citizens voted to permit liquor by the drink in restaurants and private clubs within the Asheville city limits. There are about 300 establishments in Asheville and some other municipalities in Buncombe County that have permits to sell liquor by the drink. Beer and wine are sold in grocery supermarkets, convenience stores and package stores.✷ Appalachian Vintner (745 Biltmore Ave., Upper Biltmore Village, 828-505-7500, www.appalachianvitner.com) is a well-respected store with an interesting selection of wines, including organics, craft beers, ciders, mead and sake. A lounge serves draft beer and wines. AV has regular wine tastings.✷ Asheville Wine Market (65 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-253-0060, www.ashevillewine.com) is one of the area’s larger wine stores, with a knowledgeable staff. It teams up with local chefs to stage wine dinners.Bruisin’ Ales (66 Broadway St., Downtown Asheville, 828-252-8999, www.bruisin-ales.com) is a package store, not a bar. It claims to sell 1,000 different beers. Closed Monday.Earth Fare (66 Westgate Parkway, 828-253-7656, West Asheville, and 1856 Hendersonville Rd., South Asheville, 828-210-0100, www.earthfare.com) has a reasonable selection of wines at both Asheville locations. Earth Fare’s house brand of wines, Ambler’s, was created by the Biltmore Estate winery.Fresh Market (944 Merrimon Ave., North Asheville, 828-252-9098, and 1378 Hendersonville Rd., South Asheville, 828-277-7023, www.thefreshmarket.com), Asheville outposts of this upscale grocery chain, has a decent selection of reds and whites but a terrible selection of champagnes. Don’t expect a lot of wine help from employees.Table Wine (1550 Hendersonville Rd., South Asheville, 828-505-8588, www.tablewineasheville.com) carries some 500 wines, most from small artisanal wineries, and many are organics. Closed Sunday.Tasty Beverage Company (162 Coxe Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-232-7120, www.tastybeverageco.com) is a bottle shop, growler shop and tasting room on the South Slope.Weinhaus (86 Patton Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-6453, www.weinhaus.com) is Asheville’s oldest operating wine store. It has a good selection of beers, too.Whole Foods (70 Merrimon Ave., North Asheville, 828-254-5440, and 4 S. Tunnel Rd., East Asheville, 828-239-9604, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/asheville) has a decent selection of wines, including organic wines, and attentive staffers.Other area supermarkets, including Ingles, Harris-Teeter, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Food Lion, Publix and others, also have varying selections of wines.

Bars, Clubs, Craft Breweries, Cideries, Distilleries and Wineries in the Asheville AreaFrom my new book: Live the Good Life in Asheville by Lan SluderThe symbol ✷ indicates an especially noteworthy option.CRAFT BEER BREWERIES, CIDERIES, WINERIES AND DISTILLERIESWith around 50 microbreweries and brewpubs in the Asheville and WNC area, and with two large national craft breweries (Sierra Nevada and New Belgium), plus a large regional brewer, Oskar Blues, having their East Coast headquarters here, Asheville has won four national online polls as “Beer City USA.” Asheville has more craft breweries per capita than any other city in the U.S.✷ New Belgium Brewing (21 Craven St., West Asheville, 828-333-6900, New Belgium Brewing Asheville brewery and tasting room | New Belgium Brewing) broke ground in April 2014 on its $175 million East Coast headquarters along the French Broad River in West Asheville and the River Arts District. It began producing Fat Tire and some other brews at its Asheville location in 2016. Free tours of New Belgium are available daily, and USA Today named New Belgium’s tours the best in the country. While the brewery does not have a restaurant, it hosts a rotating selection of food trucks. In late 2019, it was announced New Belgium was being acquired by Lion Little World Beverages of Australia, itself owned by Japan’s Kirin. The impact on Asheville’s site is unknown.✷ Sierra Nevada (100 Sierra Nevada Way, Fletcher, South Asheville, 828-708-6176, Home | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.) brewery is on a beautifully landscaped 190-acre site in Mills River about 20 minutes south of Asheville, near the Asheville Regional Airport. The California-based craft brewery is turning out a number of beers at its North Carolina site. Sierra Nevada has a restaurant and tasting room and also offers brewery tours. The tours often are booked far in advance. Sierra Nevada has live music weekly. Check the website for details.Cider is also a growing industry here, with around 10 local cideries. Ditto, distilleries.Most brewpubs are open daily, often just for the afternoon and early evening. In most cases, we've noted days when craft brewery taprooms are closed, but because hours change frequently, we are not able to post those. Check with the breweries for current hours.Andrews Brewing Company (565 Aquone Rd., Andrews, 828-321-2006, www.andrewsbrewing.com). Andrews Brewing produces amber ale, IPAs, a blonde (summer only) and other beers. There's live music on weekends.✷ Archetype Brewing (265 Haywood Rd., West Asheville (near Owl Bakery), 828-505-4177, www.archetypebrerwing.com). Opened in 2017, Archetype brews about a dozen Belgian- and American-style beers and ales. Among its offerings are a coffee porter using Last Dance cold brew. It doesn't serve food, but you can bring in food to Archetype's indoor and outdoor spaces from nearby restaurants including Gan Shan West, Pizza Mind, Billy's Tacos and Owl Bakery. Archetype also has a taproom on Broadway Street in Downtown Asheville. Both locations regularly have live music.✷ Asheville Brewing Co. (77 Coxe Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-255-4077; www.ashevillebrewing.com) makes beer at its downtown microbrewery, pub and music club. It also sells its suds in a converted movie theater in North Asheville, Asheville Pizza & Brewing (675 Merrimon Ave., 828-254-1281). Here you can enjoy a second-run movie ($3, and often sold out), a pizza or burger and a freshly brewed beer, seated on sofas and reclining chairs. Asheville Brewing also has a takeout and delivery location at 1850 Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. Its Ninja Porter has won national awards. An expansion in 2014 increased the brewery’s capacity to 13,000 barrels a year.Balsam Falls Brewing Co. (506 W. Main St., Sylva, 828-631-1987, www.balsamfallsbrewing.com) is a small brewer in downtown Sylva that opened in 2017.Bearwaters Brewery (101 Park St., Canton, 828-237-4200, www.bearwatersbrewing.com), formerly Headwaters Brewing in Waynesville, has seven of its own craft beers including sour ales in rotation on tap in its tasting room, plus three beers from other breweries. It also serves a few wines.Ben's Tune Up (195 Hilliard Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-424-7580, www.benstuneup.com) began as a moderately priced Asian fusion restaurant but has evolved into more of a bar with food. It has its own line of craft beers and also makes sake.✷ Bhramari Brewing Co. (101 S. Lexington Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-214-7981, www.bhramaribrewing.com). Chill brewery and creative gastropub with friendly staff and excellent, if somewhat different, burgers. It's behind the Orange Peel.Biltmore Brewing Company (1 Antler Bill Rd., Biltmore Estate, South Asheville, 828-225-1333, www.biltmore.com) sells a small line of Biltmore Estate beers called Cedric, supposedly named after one of the Vanderbilt family dogs. The Cedric line of beers is brewed by Highland Brewing.Black Mountain Brewing (131 Broadway Ave., Black Mountain, 828-357-5010, www.blackmountainbrewing.com), opened in 2017, has six of its brews on tap.Blue Ghost Brewing Company (125 Underwood Rd., Fletcher, 828-376-0159, www.blueghostbrewing.com). Located in a 4,000 sq. ft. building in Henderson County near the Asheville Regional Airport, Blue Ghost Brewing has indoor and newly expanded outdoor seating. Blue Ghost brews about a half dozen IPAs, ales and a porter, plus seasonal releases. The name of the company comes from a native firefly, the Blue Ghost, Phausis reticulata.Blue Mountain Pizza and Brewpub (55 N. Main St., Weaverville, 828-658-8778, www.bluemountainpizza.com), a Weaverville bar and pizza place that added brewing, specializes in Belgian and American ales. The bar has live music many nights.Boojum Brewing (50 N. Main St., Waynesville, 828-246-0350, www.boojumbrewing.com). A downtown Waynesville brewpub with burgers and other bar food. It has 16 taps of Boojum brews. Closed Tuesdays.Brevard Brewing Company (63 East Main St., Brevard, 828-885-2101, www.brevard-brewing.com) says it is the only brewery in the area to specialize in producing lagers. It does German-style lagers but also brews some American ales.Brouwerïj Cursus Kĕmē (155 Thompson St, South Asheville, 828-412-5193, www.cursuskeme.com) is a brewery tucked away at the end of a side street off Swannanoa River Road. Opened in mid-2018, it's in a former truck repair shop, but once inside you’ll note the attractive refinished woodwork and a number of interesting beers. The name comes from a variety of sources: “Brouwerïj” is Flemish for brewery, “Cursus” is Latin for “courses” and “Kĕmē” alludes to the historical mysteries related to brewing. Currently it’s open only on weekends.✷ Burial Beer Co. (40 Collier Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-475-2739, www.burialbeer.com), owned by folks who moved here from Seattle and opened a small one-barrel system in Asheville in mid-2013, starting with about a half dozen regular brews. By mid-2014, Burial had expanded to a 10-barrel system, with the ability to produce a large variety of canned beer. The Tap Room has about 15 Burial draft beers, plus nearly as many beers in bottles and cans to go. Burial has a full-service kitchen serving "Asheville food" Wednesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner, plus a jazz brunch on Sunday. It has a good double-patty cheeseburger. Burial Beer also has a Raleigh location.Burning Bush Brewery (4891 Boylston Highway, Mills River) is opening in late 2019. It is an ambitious project, with six 15-barrel fermenters and two bright tanks, on about 2 acres. It expects to brew up to 1,000 barrels a year initially. The bar in the taproom is a 1930s-era bar from Chicago.✷ Catawba Brewing Company (63 Brook St., Biltmore Village, South Asheville, 828-424-7290, and on the South Slope at 32 Banks Ave. next to Vortex Doughnuts and Buxton Hall BBQ, 828-552-3934, www.catawbabrewing.com), originally from Glen Alpine and then Morganton, where it still has a location at 212 S. Green Street with 30-barrel brewery.In Asheville, it has a 7-barrel brewhouse. Catawba brews a variety of ales, IPAs and stouts year-round, along with more than a dozen seasonal beers. Its brews are sold on tap in its tasting rooms, in kegs and in cans. It also has a location in Charlotte.Collaboratory by CANarchy Craft Brewing Collective (39 N. Lexington Ave., 828-348-1622, www.collaboratoryavl.com), in the former location of Lexington Avenue Brewery or LAB, which was a lot easier name to remember, is a part of a group of seven breweries around the country called CANarchy. Collaboratory serves burgers and bar food and beers from its own brewery and from those of other members of the Collective, including Cigar City in Tampa, Oskar Blues and Deep Ellum.Currahee Brewing Company (100 Lakeside Dr., Franklin, 828-634-0078, www.curraheebrew.com) opened in Franklin in 2016 with a German-inspired biergarten and then opened in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta in 2018. Currahee has just three year-round brews but does a number of seasonal and special release beers. There is a food truck at the Franklin site. Currahee is a Cherokee word that means "stand alone."DSSOLVR (63 N. Lexington Ave., Downtown Asheville, www.dssolvr.com) opened in Downtown Asheville in late 2019. It plans to do cider, mead and wine as well as craft beers of all types.Eluvium Brewing Co. (11 Florida Ave., Weaverville, 828-484-1799, www.eluviumbrewing.com) opened in Weaverville in 2017. Seven of its beers are on tap at its tasting room. The brewery supposedly is named after alluvial gold placer deposits (in the early 19th century, North Carolina was a leading gold mining state).Eucusta Brewing Co. (49 Pisgah Hwy. #3, Pisgah Forest, 828-966-2337, www.eucustabrewingco.com) is a small brewery and taproom near an entrance to Pisgah National Forest in the Brevard area. It brews about a dozen ales, sour ales and stouts.Eurisko Beer Co. (255 Short Coxe Ave., South Slope, 828-774-5055, www.euriskobeer.com) opened in early 2018. It says it is “taproom-focused” and strives to be a place where friends hang out. Eurisko has a taproom upstairs and an outdoor beer garden. It brews about two dozen interesting beers.Fahrenheit 828 (17 Lee St., Skyland, South Asheville, behind Skyland Fire Department, 828-676-1800, www.fahrenheitpizzabrew.com) serves New York-style crispy pizza, chicken wings and basic brews.Fonta Flora Brewery (317 N. Green St., Morganton, 828-475-0153, and 6751 NC-126, Nebo, www.fontaflora.com) has a small brewery and taproom in downtown Morganton and a farmhouse brewery on a 9-acre former dairy farm in Nebo. Fonta Flora brews a sizable selection of fruit beers, ales, porters and others.✷ French Broad River Brewing Company (101-D Fairview Rd., near Biltmore Village, 828-277-0222 www.frenchbroadbrewery.com), established in 2001, was one of the pioneers of craft brewing in Asheville. It brews lagers and specialty ales in the European tradition, but it has expanded to add IPAs and specialty Pale Ales, along with seasonal brews. Wee-Heavy-Er, Scottish ale, is a best seller. New owners Paul and Sarah Casey took over in 2017.✷ Frog Level Brewing Company (56 Commerce St., Waynesville, 828-454-5664, www.froglevelbrewing.com) is a brewer in the up-and-coming Frog Level section below downtown Waynesville. Its flagship beers include Bouncing Betty (the owner is a vet) and Dragonfly IPA. Frog Level, which has live music on some evenings and serves food, was the first craft brewer in Haywood County.Ginger’s Revenge (829 Riverside Dr., Suite 100, North Asheville, 828-505-2462, www.gingersrevenge.com). Opened in 2017, Ginger’s Revenge specializes in ginger beers. Live music on most Fridays. You can usually get a bite at a food truck parked nearby.✷ Green Man Brewery (27 Buxton Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-252-5502, www.greenmanbrewery.com) is one of North Carolina’s oldest microbreweries, having opened in 1997 as a brewpub, part of Jack of the Wood bar. In 2010 new owners turned Green Man into an independent brewer specializing in ales. Green Man expanded in 2012 with a 30-barrel system and in 2013 began bottling its beers in 12-ounce bottles.The company expanded again in March 2015 to the tune of $5 million, with an indoor-outdoor tasting room on the top floor of its new three-story, 20,000 square foot South Slope building. There's a packaging area in between, and Green Man also has a faster bottling system. In late 2019, Green Man opened its newest taproom, The Dweller, located at 10 N. Market Street Downtown. Green Man's best-known product is the very hoppy Green Man IPA, but it brews more than 30 beers, sold regionally. The Green Man image historically is a representation of a man’s face made of leaves and vines, often seen in churches in Europe. It is a popular name for pubs in England; there’s a Green Man Pub in the basement of Harrods in London.Guidon Brewing (15 8th Ave., East Hendersonville, www.guidonbrewing.com) is a craft brewery run by a German-American family.Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery (461 Main St., Chimney Rock, 828-436-7047, www.hickorynutbrewery.com) was established by a Lake Lure family originally from England. The brewpub is on the banks of the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock. There's a limited menu of bar food, along with more than a dozen brews.✷ Highland Brewing Company (12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Suite H, South Asheville, 828-299-3370, www.highlandbrewing.com) is Asheville’s first (1994) and largest local microbrewer, now run by a second-generation owner. Highland’s year-round brews including Oatmeal Porter, Gaelic Ale and Black Mocha Stout and its seasonal and small-batch beers are available in many restaurants and in supermarkets around the Southeast. A 2014 expansion boosted capacity by about 50% to some 60,000 barrels. Brewery tours are offered daily (hours vary). There’s no charge for tours. The taproom also is open daily, with varying hours. A rooftop bar can accommodate 300. An outdoor entertainment area, The Meadow at Highland Brewing, features live music shows, sometimes with no cover charge. In-season there's music indoors or outdoors several days a week.Hillman Beer (25 Sweeten Creek Rd., Biltmore Village, 828-505-1312, www.hillmanbeer.com) is a family-owned brewery and deli in Biltmore Village. It offers up to 18 house-brewed beers and ales to go with your Reuben in the Rise Above Deli. In 2020, Hillman plans an expansion location in Old Fort.✷ Hi-Wire Brewery (197 Hilliard Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, and at 2 Huntsman Place in Biltmore Village, 828-738-2448, www.hiwirebrewing.com) has taken off since opening in 2013 on the South Slope and in mid-2015 opened a new, larger, 27,000 sq. ft. facility it calls the Biltmore Big Top. The brewery also has opened a location in Durham and one in Knoxville.Homeplace Beer Co. (6 S. Main St., Burnsville, 828-536-5147, Craft Beer Brewery in Burnsville, NC) is Burnsville’s pioneer craft brewer. It only opened in 2017, but until 2010 Burnsville was dry. The taproom has two lagers, an IPA and an ale on tap by Homeplace, plus seasonal brews and guest beers. Homeplace is opening a second location in Burnsville in 2020, a much larger space with the capability to host up to 1,000 for music events.Hoppy Trout Brewing Company (911 Main St., Andrews, 828-835-2111, www.hoppytroutbrewing.com) is a small-batch nano brewer that is willing to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. The brewpub has brick-oven pizza.Innovation Brewing (414 W. Main St., Sylva, and 40 Depot St., Dillsboro, 828-586-9678, www.innovation-brewing.com) is a brewpub based in Sylva with an outpost in Dillsboro. It brews around 30 beers, with 12 usually on tap. Opened in 2013, Innovation is in a former filling station on Scott Creek in Sylva (where Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was filmed).Lazy Hiker Brewing (188 W. Main St., Franklin, 828-349-2337, www.lazyhikerbrewing.com) has a 15-barrel system and produces traditional and black malt IPAs, a golden ale, a stout, several porters and other brews. There's live music on weekends.Mad Co. Brew House (45 N. Main St., Marshall, 828-649-8600, www.madisoncountybrewing.com), opened in 2016, was Madison County's first craft brewery. In downtown Marshall, it's set on the French Broad River, serving small-batch brews with bratwurst and other snacks.Mica Town Brewing (25 Brown Dr., Marion, 828-559-8300, www.micatownbrewing.com) is a pleasant microbrewery with about 10 regular brews, including a blackberry cider.✷ Mills River Brewery (331 Banner Farm Rd., Mills River, 828-585-2396, www.millsriverbrewery.net). Currently located in a strip mall in Arden, Mills River Brewery is moving to its new, larger location in Mills River. The IPAs and other beers are good, and there’s a selection of bar food.✷ Mountain Layers Brewing (90 Everett St. Bryson City, 828-538-0115, www.mountainlayersbrewing.com). We were in Bryson City for the 2017 eclipse -- perfect spot for it, as we found a parking place in the heart of downtown, and the skies were blue and clear -- and decided to have a cold one at a new brewery.The upstairs patio was closed for a private eclipse party, and the main tasting room upstairs, while pretty large was crowded, so we snagged a standing spot near the copper vats and had beers ($5 for pints) and a flight ($7). All good. Pleasant atmosphere. Varied selection of craft beers. Friendly staff. And a great location just off the river on Everett Street in the middle of town.Nantahala Brewing Company (61 Depot St., Bryson City, 828-488-2337 and 747 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, http://nantahalabrewing.wordpress.com) opened in 2010 near Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in Bryson City. Its inaugural and flagship beer is Noon Day IPA, and it also offers the easy-drinking Bryson City Brown. Altogether it has about 18 taps. Its tasting room is open daily (hours vary) March-October, with reduced hours the rest of the year. In 2018, Nantahala opened an outpost on Haywood Road in West Asheville, with beers from its Bryson City facility and a limited food menu.One World Brewing (10 Patton Ave. #002, Downtown Asheville, 828-785-5580, and One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-9992, www.oneworldbrewing.com) has been open in a small, low-profile site near Farm Burger in Downtown Asheville since 2014, and in 2018 it opened a larger location across from Zia Taqueria in West Asheville. The Downtown location has live music most nights, and the West Asheville location has free parking in back with food trucks for snacks, along with live music most nights as well.✷ Oskar Blues Brewery (342 Mountain Industrial Dr.., Brevard, www.oskarblues.com) is a Longmont, Colo., craft brewer that in late 2012 opened a 30,000 sq. ft. brewery and a separate restaurant in Brevard. Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis chose Brevard in part because he has long mountain biked in the area.The Tasty Weasel taproom is open daily with free tours of the brewery, and a food truck, Chubwagon, is on site most days. Oskar Blues is the third largest national craft brewery in the Asheville area after New Belgium and Sierra Nevada. Among its many brews are its best-known Dale’s Pale Ale.Oyster House Brewing Company (625 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-9370, www.oysterhousebeers.com) is across from Sunny Point restaurant. Its Moonstone Stout, among other beers, is brewed with oyster shells. (The oyster beers don't taste like oysters.)The food menu here is primarily based on New Orleans dishes such as gumbo, red beans and rice and fried shrimp and fried oyster po boys.✷ Pisgah Brewing Company (150 Eastside Dr., Black Mountain, 828-669-0190, www.pisgahbrewing.com) just west of Black Mountain is a certified organic brewer that puts out around a half dozen year-round beers, ales and stouts, plus seasonal brews. Its best-known product is probably Pisgah Pale Ale. Free brewery tours are offered.Riverbend Malt House (12 Gerber Rd., Suite C, South Asheville, 828-450-1081, www.riverbendmalt.com) doesn't brew beer. Instead, it provides local and regional craft breweries with locally sourced grains for their brewing. It has 15 standard malts plus customs ones produces 12-16 tons of handcrafted malt every month and sells to hundreds of craft breweries and distilleries across the country.Sanctuary Brewing Company (147 1st Avenue East, Hendersonville, 828-595-9956, www.sanctuarybrewco.com) is located in a 4,000 sq. ft. space in downtown Hendersonville. Sanctuary brews small-batch Belgian-style ales, American stouts and West Coast IPAs in light, hoppy and dark malt styles. Its taproom has a limited food menu.Sideways Farm & Brewery (62 Eade Rd., Etowah, 828-595-4001, www.sidewaysfarm.com) specializes in small-batch artisan beers from ingredients grown on the 10-acre farm in Transylvania County. The tasting room is only open on Friday through Sunday afternoons.Southern Appalachian Craft Brewery (822 Locust St., Hendersonville, 828-684-1235, www.sabrewery.com), formerly Appalachian Brewery in Fletcher, has a dog-friendly tasting room in downtown Hendersonville serving their pilsner, blonde and amber ales, IPA and stout beers on draft, along with pretzels.Sweeten Creek Brewing (1127 Sweeten Creek Rd., South Asheville, 828-575-2785, www.sweetencreekbrewing.com). Opened in December 2015, Sweeten Creek is a micro that only sells its pales and pilsner from a tasting room and sandwich shop.Thirsty Monk (2 Town Square Blvd., Biltmore Town Square Park, South Asheville, 828-687-3873, www.monkpub.com), better know locally as a bar than as a brewery, has a brewing system at its Biltmore Town Square pub, with 28 taps, plus a craft cocktail bar. Thirsty Monk Pub in Downtown Asheville at 92 Patton Avenue has a two-level bar with a rotating list of draft beers on around 20 taps. It also has a cocktail lounge upstairs, Top of the Monk. There’s the 2x4 Pub in Gerber Village on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville. Thirsty Monk also has locations in Denver and Portland.Turgua Brewing Co. (27 Firefly Hollow Dr., Fairview, 828-222-0984, www.turguabrewing.com). Another new brewery in 2017, this one opened on a small farm in Fairview. The focus here is on unusual beers made using local ingredients and seasonal crops like beets, yams and carrots. The taproom usually has about a half dozen regular brews, plus a small selection of seasonal beers. The meaning of Turgua (pronounced Turg-wah) is “valley of the birds,” the area in Venezuela where the owner was born.Twin Leaf Brewery (144 Coxe Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-774-5000, www.twinleafbrewery.com) is a brewpub that opened in 2013. It specializes in its own Belgian ales and other beers on about 15 taps.UpCountry Brewing, formerly Altamont Brewing Company (1042 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-2400) was started in 2016 by the founder of the successful Athens, Ga.-based brewery, Terrapin Beer. It also has a taproom in Brevard at 212 King Street.✷ Wedge Brewing Co. (125B Roberts St., and 5 Foundy St., River Arts District, 828-279-6393, www.wedgebrewing.com) brews artisan beers in the River Arts District. In good weather, you can join the crowds in a picnic area outside, where there are also food trucks. Movies are sometimes shown outside under the stars. In 2017, Wedge opened a second location in the RAD next to the new location of 12 Bones.✷ White Labs (172 S. Charlotte St., Downtown Asheville, 828-974-3868, www.whitelabs.com) has about 28 beers on draft, but when you order you realize that all but a handful are White Labs beers, identified not by name but by the kind of yeast used. White Labs, headquartered in San Diego, is primarily a national provider of brewer’s yeasts to home and craft brewers. The restaurant and taproom has good wood-fired pizzas.Whistle Hop Brewing Co. (1288 Charlotte Hwy., Fairview, South Asheville, 828-338-9447, www.whistlehop.com) is designed around old railroad cars. It brews a large variety of styles of beers and ales, some with usual flavors such as green tea mint lager and maple smoked sweet potato amber ale. The pet-friendly spot has disc golf and music some nights. Eats are usually from a food truck.Whiteside Brewing Co. (128 NC-107, Cashiers, 828-743-6000, www.whitesidebrewing.com), located in Cashiers next to the Laurel Inn, with which it is associated, brews about a dozen beers in a variety of styles. It has a bar menu of wings, burgers and sandwiches.✷ Wicked Weed Brewing (91 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-575-9599, www.wickedweedbrewing.com) won the “Peoples Choice” award at Asheville’s Brewgrass Festival in September 2012 even though the brewery wasn’t yet open at its location next to the Orange Peel. After opening in late 2012 it instantly became one of Asheville’s most popular brewpubs. There’s a good restaurant upstairs, serving pub food and a little more, including steaks and trout and a bison burger, in a nicely built out space with raw brick and a glassed-in open kitchen.The tasting room and a brewery are downstairs. Wicked Weed also operates the Funkatorium, a 12,000 sq. ft. sour beer barrel storage center with a small tasting room at 147 Coxe Avenue Downtown. Next door is another Wicked Weed-owned restaurant, Cultura, opened in 2019. It also has a taproom Wicked Weed West, at its main production facility on Sandhill Road in Enka. In 2017, Wicked Weed sold out to AnBEV, making some local angry and others envious, but its focus is still local. Definitely try the Pernicious Ale!Zebulon Artisan Ales (8 Merchants Alley, Weaverville, www.zebulonbrewing.com) opened in February 2016. It is a limited production microbrewery focusing on Belgian and French farmhouse styles.Zillicoah Beer Co. (870 Riverside Dr., Woodfin, North Asheville, 828-424-7929, www.zillicoahbeer.com) specializes in open-fermented farmhouse ales and lagers. It has a cool location on the French Broad River.BEER TOURSAsheville offers a number of beer tour options. Besides the tours noted below, you can also do it yourself by following the Asheville Ale Trail (www.ashevillealetrail.com). There are maps online plus paper maps distributed at around 150 locations.Asheville Brews Cruise (828-545-5181, www.brewscruise.com) takes beer fans on tours of three or four local breweries for $60 per person. Van tours, daily except Monday (less frequently in winter), last about three hours and include samples of around a dozen beers and ales. Private group and party tours also available, as are shuttles for parties. This company was established in Asheville and now operates in more than a dozen cities nationwide.The Amazing Pubcycle (828-214-5010, www.amazingpubcycle.com) is a bicycle made for 14 that peddles its way (10 of the 13 riders have to help peddle) through Downtown, past various pubs and other sights. Regular guided tours, which should be booked in advance, last about 1½ hours, make two pub stops and cost $25 per person.A shorter “nomad tour” is also available. The 40-minute tour with no pub stops costs $15. Tours, which leave from the Aloft or Renaissance hotels, are BYOB, but glass containers aren’t permitted. The Pubcycle usually doesn't operate in winter.✷ Asheville Brewery Tours (101 N. Lexington Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-233-5006, www.ashevillebrewerytours.com) offers walking and van beer and food tours. Tours last about three hours, include sample beer tastings. Costs range from $49 to $59 per person. The company also does private tours for up to 100 people.✷ Brew-Ed Asheville Brewery and History Walking Tours (828-278-9255, www.brew-ed.com) has walking tours of several Downtown. Tours, led by knowledgeable beer experts, usually start at Hi-Wire Brewing on Hilliard Avenue or Asheville Brewing on Coxe Avenue. Tickets cost $50 for a three-hour, three-stop tour. Walking tours with stops at two breweries are $37.CIDERIESAppalachian Ridge Artisan Ciders (749 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-699-7507) opened in the summer of 2018 in a converted barn surrounded by French apple trees, so naturally they specialize in Normandy-style cider. The owners also have a winery nearby.Black Mountain Ciderworks + Meadery (104 Eastside Dr. #307, Black Mountain, 828-419-0089, www.blackmountainciderworks.com) crafts ciders and mead from local apples and honey. The cider is based on the dry ciders of Kent, England, and the meads are fermented with a high water content.✷ Bold Rock Hard Cider (72 School House Rd., Mills River, 828-595-9940, www.boldrock.com) in late 2015 opened its 22,500 sq. ft. cidery off I-26 not far from Sierra Nevada. An expansion of a Virginia-based cidery, with four locations in Virginia plus the one in Mills River, Bold Rock locally uses apples exclusively sourced from Henderson County. It ships bottled, canned and draft cider and also hard seltzer to customers in both Carolinas and in Tennessee. Its tasting room is open daily. Free tours are offered on weekends.Daidala Ciders (122 Riverside Dr., Studio A, River Arts District, 828-407-3538, www.daidalaciders.com) is a "nomadic" cider maker. It has a small taproom on the second floor of the Historic Cotton Mill Studios. Open limited hours.Flat Rock Cider Company (305 North Main St., Hendersonville, 828-692-2001, www.flatrockcidercompany.com) makes apple and blackberry cider at their orchard in Henderson County.Little Switzerland Orchard & Cidery (405 Elk Park Dr., Woodfin, 828-337-4354, www.littleswitzerlandwinery.com) has a small orchard in Little Switzerland, with a small shop near Asheville, currently open by appointment only. It plans to have its winery and cidery in Asheville, as Little Switzerland is dry.✷ Noble Cider (356 New Leicester Hwy., West Asheville, 828-575-9622, www.noblecider.com) uses Western North Carolina apples to create a variety of gluten free, dry to semi-dry hard ciders, made with no artificial ingredients. It has a production facility and taproom in West Asheville, a bar and bistro, The Greenhouse, in Downtown Asheville on Rankin Avenue and a new taproom and pizzeria in Brevard (open early 2010). Noble Cider is sold on tap throughout the area.TreeRock Social Cider & Mead Bar and Patio (760 Biltmore Ave., South Asheville, 828-505-0130) has a serious selection of ciders and meads. However, it’s not technically a cidery since it only sells and doesn’t make its product, at least a present.✷ Urban Orchard Cidery Co. (210 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-774-5151, and 24 Buxton Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-505-7243, www.urbanorchardcider.com) offers three flagship hard apple ciders on tap with a rotating selection of seasonal batches. All Urban Orchard Ciders are naturally gluten-free. Urban Orchard has opened a second location in Asheville on the South Slope at 24 Buxton Ave. However, only the West Asheville location serves food.WINERIES AND VINEYARDSAsheville is known as for its beer microbreweries, but the area is also home to a number of thriving wineries, including the most visited winery in the country, Biltmore.North Carolina has more than 400 vineyards and 100 wineries. About 20 of the wineries are in Western North Carolina.The Piedmont of North Carolina, immediately east of the mountains, with its milder winters and longer growing season, has the most vineyards and wineries in the state. The biggest cluster of wineries and vineyards is in the Yadkin Valley northwest and southwest of Winston-Salem, home to some three dozen wine operations.The Carolina mountains, with winter temperatures sometimes dropping below zero, and killing frosts possible in some mountain areas from October to May, are not easy places to grow wine grapes. However, some enterprising mountain vintners have succeeded in creating very drinkable chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon wines.Here are some selected winery operations in the mountains. Hours for vineyards and wineries vary seasonally. Call or email in advance to see if the places you want to visit are open and accepting visitors. Most tours and wine-tastings are free, except where noted otherwise, though you likely will be encouraged to buy a bottle or two of wine.Don’t expect the Napa Valley.Note that you must be at least 21 to participate in a wine, beer or distilled liquor tasting.See NC Wine (www.ncwine.org) for information on wine trails in North Carolina.✷ Addison Farms Vineyards (4005 New Leicester Hwy., Leicester, 828-581-9463, www.addisonfarms.net), a 55-acre family farm, has around 6 acres in mostly French-American hybrid wine grapes, with plans to expand to around 10 acres. It produces cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, sangiovese, montepulciano, petit verdot and petit manseng. The shop and tasting room in at 4005 New Leicester Highway, Leicester.Banner Elk Winery & Villa (60 Deer Run Lane, Banner Elk, 828-898-9090, www.bannerelkwinery.com) produces about eight or 10 wines from its own French-American hybrid grapes and from grapes from other local producers. Its cabernet sauvignon, seyval blanc, blueberry, marechal foch and other wines have won medals at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh and at other wine competitions. Tastings and tours are scheduled year-round, with varying hours. Call for information. The winery also offers a villa for overnight stays and serves as an event and wedding venue.✷ Biltmore Winery (Antler Hill Village, Asheville, 800-411-3812 or 828-225-1333, www.biltmore.com) is America’s most-visited winery, mostly because a visit to the winery (the modern fermentation room and a rather unimpressive wine cellar) and tasting room are included in estate admission, and the estate gets more than a million visitors a year. There’s often a long line for the tasting, especially in the late afternoon.Tasting of Biltmore’s standard reds, whites and rosés, a total of about 20 kinds, is complimentary, but there’s an upcharge for each premium wine. Biltmore first planted wine grapes in 1971, and now there are some 150 acres in vineyards.Biltmore makes chardonnay, riesling, viognier, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, some from grapes grown on the estate but most, about 80%, from grapes purchased from other vineyards, mainly in California and Washington State.The North Carolina mountain climate is not always friendly for growing French and hybrid French-American wine grapes; in the winter of 1995 the estate lost 100 acres of vines to three days of extreme cold.The first Biltmore wines, especially the reds, were barely drinkable, but thanks to Biltmore winemasters Philippe Jourdain and later Bernard Delille and winemaker Sharon Fenchak the reputation of the winery has greatly improved in recent years, and the estate’s wines have won many awards in national and international competitions. The wine is bottled under several labels: Biltmore, Century and Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore Estate labeled wines are made only from North Carolina grapes. Biltmore wines are sold at the winery shop and in stores in more than 20 states. The winery is open 365 days a year.✷ Burnshirt Vineyards (2695 Sugarloaf Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-2402, www.burntshirtvineyards.com) has more than 21 acres of grapes in production in Henderson County. It has a 10,000 square feet wine production center with a 1,700 square feet barrel room. Some of its wines, including gruner veltliner and merlot wines, have won awards. Tours are offered at 2 pm daily, or by reservation. The vineyard is available for weddings and events. Burnshirt also has a tasting room and bistro in Chimney Rock.Calaboose Cellars (565 Aquona Rd., Andrews, 828-321-2006, www.calaboosecellars.com) claims to be the smallest freestanding complete winemaking operation in the country. The 300 square foot winery is located in the former jail in the little town of Andrews. Calaboose grows some of its grapes on its own and leased land near Andrews. It has seyval, chambourcin, chancellor and catawba grapes.Grandfather Vineyard & Winery (225 Vineyard Lane, Banner Elk, 828-963-2400, www.grandfathervineyard.com) produces a dozen or so wines, mostly from purchased grapes, but there are about 5 acres of planted grapes. Wine tasting daily are $6 to $10, mid-May to November, closed rest of year.Lake James Cellars Winery (204 East Main St./Hwy. 70, Glen Alpine, 828-584-4551, www.lakejamescellars.com) produces about 20 varieties of red, white and sweet wines from North Carolina fruits in a winery in an old textile mill. Tastings are $7.Overmountain Vineyards (2012 Sandy Plains Rd., Tryon, 828-863-0523, www.overmountainvineyards.com) has five varieties of grapes planted -- cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit merdot and petit mansing – on 17 acres. The tasting room is open afternoon year-round Wednesday-Sunday; hours vary. There are about 18 vineyards in the Tryon area in the foothills of the mountains. Before Prohibition, Tryon was one of the major grape growing areas of North Carolina. Overmountain also offers overnight lodging in two villas, listed on Airbnb.plēb urban winery (289 Lyman St., River Arts District, 828-774-5062, www.pleburbanwinery.com) buys grapes from local vineyards and makes the wine in its RAD winery. In a graffiti art filled space, opening to the outdoors through garage doors, it serves a limited selection of its own and other local wines, along with some local craft beers and ciders.Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards (588 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-4002, Saint Paul Mountain Farms | Hendersonville, NC | Tasting Room) is Henderson County’s newest vineyard and tasting room. The vineyard, on a 10-acre tract of land off U.S. Highway 64 northeast of Hendersonville, with another 10 acres in nearby Ednyville, produces nearly 30 varieties of wine grapes. It also has a cidery. Tastings are offered. Call ahead to confirm times and places.South Creek Vineyards & Winery (2240 South Creek Rd., off MM 246 of Blue Ridge Parkway, Nebo, 828-652-5729, www.southcreekwinery.com) produces mostly Bordeaux-style wines in a farmhouse in Nebo near Lake James. The winery’s cabs, merlots and chardonnay have won several awards. Hours vary, but the winery is usually open Wednesday to Saturday, April through November. Call for specific information.Thistle Meadow Winery (102 Thistle Meadow, Laurel Springs, 336-359-2995, www.thistlemeadowwinery.com), a small winery and tasting room off Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 246, is open afternoons is open to visitors but check in advance for times and dates. It produces around 2,000 cases of red, white, blush and sweet wines a year.Valley River Vineyards (4689 Martins Creek Rd., Murphy, 828-837-0691, www.valleyrivervineyards.com) currently produces about eight wines, including two reds, two whites and four sweet. You can pick your own grapes for winemaking, and the company sells winemaking supplies. There are tastings on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 1-6 and tours by reservation.DISTILLERIESSome North Carolinians like to drink. Others would like it if nobody drank. Prohibition began in North Carolina in 1909, a decade before the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages was ratified. National Prohibition began in January 1920 and ended in 1933 with the repeal of the 18th Amendment. Of course, many Tar Heels didn’t abstain, and in the 1920s North Carolina reportedly had the largest number of illegal distilleries of any state in the country.In the last decade, distilleries once again became legal in North Carolina, and there are at least nine distilleries operating in the Asheville area. Due to a recent change in state law you can now buy an unlimited number of bottles per adult at distilleries. Formerly you could buy only one, then five and before that they could only be purchased in ABC or other liquor stores.✷ Asheville Distilling Company (12 Old Charlotte Hwy., East Asheville, 828-575-2000, www.ashevilledistilling.com). Established in 2010, and formerly known as Troy & Sons, Asheville Distilling specializes in "legal moonshine" ... and it's all rather upscale stuff. Ms. Troy Ball and family now make five "American whiskies." Free tours of the distillery are available.Blue Ridge Distilling (228 Redbud Lane, Bostic, 828-245-2041, www.defiantwhisky.com) in Rutherford County currently produces a Scotch-style single malt American whisky called Defiant Single Malt and also a 100% rye, Defiant Rye. Operated by a marine salvage expert, the distillery is open weekdays 9 to 4, with free tours from 9 to 3.✷ The Chemist (151 Coxe Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-525-6260, www.chemistspirits.com), part of Apothecary Beverage Co., focuses on distilling floral gins and also an apple brandy, which you can sample in the tasting room. Closed Sundays and Mondays.Dalton Distillery (251 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-785-1499) makes rums and vodkas, most exotically flavored such as a coffee rum and a vodka distilled from blue agave. Some of it tastes, um, weird.Elevated Mountain Distilling Co. (3732 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, 828-944-0766, www.elevatedmountain.com) in Haywood County makes small-batch moonshine, aged and unaged corn whisky and corn-based vodka. Elevated Mountain is open 10-7 Monday-Saturday, and free tours are offered, but you should book ahead online or by phone.Eda Rhyne Distillery (101 Fairview Rd., Suite A, South Asheville, 828-412-5441, www.edarhyne.com) uses the flavors of indigenous medicinal plants to make herbal liquors and other spirits in small batches. Free tours offered. Closed Sundays-Tuesdays.✷ H & H Distillery (204 Charlotte Hwy., Suite D, East Asheville, 828-338-9779, www.hhdistillery.com) specializes in rum and gin, with a vodka and a whisky on the way. Free tours are available Thursday to Saturday -- call ahead to make arrangements. H & H was founded by the father and son team of Wendell and Taylor Howard in 2015.Howling Moon Distillery (42 Old Elk Mountain Rd., North Asheville, 828-208-1469, www.howlingmoonshine.com) makes a variety of moonshine including, if you can believe it, peach, strawberry and apple pie moonshine.Oak and Grist Distilling Co. (1556 Grovestone Rd., Black Mountain, 828-357-5750, www.oakandgrist.com) distills a gin and a malt whisky. A 100 proof single malt and a rye are coming soon. The tasting room is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1 to 6 pm. Tours are available.LIQUOR, WINE AND BEER STORESABC Stores (828-251-6192, www.ashevilleabcboard.com, most stores open 9-9 Mon.-Sat.) In North Carolina, liquor by the bottle (as opposed to wine and beer, or liquor by the drink) is sold only in state-owned Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) stores and, since 2017, at distilleries that can sell up to five bottles of their own product to visitors.After Prohibition ended in 1933, ABC stores were established in the state beginning in 1937, and the first ABC store in Asheville opened in 1947.A few other municipalities in Buncombe County, including Woodfin and Black Mountain, have since voted for ABC stores. Only three counties in the state do not have ABC stores: Madison, Graham (both in Western North Carolina) and Yadkin. Although ABC stores carry many of the same brands, some stores are larger than others and have a wider selection. The stores in North Asheville (807 Merrimon Ave.) and East Asheville (145 Tunnel Rd.) are the largest in Asheville. Henderson County’s Fletcher ABC store (37 Rockwood Road) near the Asheville Regional Airport is one of the friendliest and best-stocked stores in the region.The NC Legislature has been studying privatizing state-controlled liquor sales in the state. Stay tuned.Until about 40 years ago, to get a drink here in a restaurant you had to “brown bag” your bottle, and the restaurant sold set-ups. In 1979, local citizens voted to permit liquor by the drink in restaurants and private clubs within the Asheville city limits. There are about 300 establishments in Asheville and some other municipalities in Buncombe County that have permits to sell liquor by the drink. Beer and wine are sold in grocery supermarkets, convenience stores and package stores.✷ Appalachian Vintner (745 Biltmore Ave., Upper Biltmore Village, 828-505-7500, www.appalachianvitner.com) is a well-respected store with an interesting selection of wines, including organics, craft beers, ciders, mead and sake. A lounge serves draft beer and wines. AV has regular wine tastings.✷ Asheville Wine Market (65 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-253-0060, www.ashevillewine.com) is one of the area’s larger wine stores, with a knowledgeable staff. It teams up with local chefs to stage wine dinners.Fresh Market (944 Merrimon Ave., North Asheville, 828-252-9098, and 1378 Hendersonville Rd., South Asheville, 828-277-7023, www.thefreshmarket.com), Asheville outposts of this upscale grocery chain, has a decent selection of reds and whites but a terrible selection of champagnes. Don’t expect a lot of wine help from employees.Table Wine (1550 Hendersonville Rd., South Asheville, 828-505-8588, www.tablewineasheville.com) carries some 500 wines, most from small artisanal wineries, and many are organics. Closed Sunday.Tasty Beverage Company (162 Coxe Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-232-7120, www.tastybeverageco.com) is a bottle shop, growler shop and tasting room on the South Slope.Weinhaus (86 Patton Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-6453, www.weinhaus.com) is Asheville’s oldest operating wine store. It has a good selection of beers, too.Whole Foods (70 Merrimon Ave., North Asheville, 828-254-5440, and 4 S. Tunnel Rd., East Asheville, 828-239-9604, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/asheville) has a decent selection of wines, including organic wines, and attentive staffers.Other area supermarkets, including Ingles, Harris-Teeter, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Food Lion, Publix and others, also have varying selections of wines.CLUBS, BARS AND NIGHTLIFEDrinkers and clubbers are fickle, so music clubs, watering holes and dive bars tend to change frequently. For the latest hotspots and openings and closings, see Asheville’s Mountain Xpress newspaper (a free tabloid-size paper published every Wednesday) or check online review sites such as Yelp.Note that a number of the clubs and bars in Asheville are “membership clubs,” which basically means that under rather ridiculous North Carolina beverage control laws the bars don’t serve enough food to qualify for a restaurant liquor license (to do so food sales must total at least 30% of revenue), so they are licensed as private clubs. This doesn’t mean you can’t go in and drink, but you may have to pay a small fee (sometimes as little as $1), separate from any cover or admission charge, to join the private club, or you can be signed in as a guest of a member. North Carolina has been looking at doing away with the private club charade.Here are some of the Asheville nightspots popular at the time of this writing. For more options see also the Beer City USA and the Dining sections. Establishments are listed alphabetically (articles like "the" are ignored in alphabetizing). By law bars must stop serving alcohol at 2 am.Asheville Beauty Academy (28 Broadway St., Downtown Asheville) at the former location of the long-established Tressa’s, is a new bar and dance club operated by the owner of Ole Shakey’s and Sovereign Remedies.Asheville Guitar Bar (122 Riverside Dr., North Asheville near River Arts District, 407-616-4917) is a small music venue for musicians, but it's open to the public. Co-owned by a musician. Moderately priced beer and wine (not cocktails). Music most nights, with a $5 to $10 cover. Closed Wednesday.Asheville Yacht Club (97 Patton Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-255-8454, www.ashevilleyachtclub.com). Out of place tiki bar atmosphere with tropical drinks and live music some nights.✷ Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar (Grove Arcade, 1 Page Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-252-0200, www.batteryparkbookexchange.com) is a combination used book store (with thousands of titles) and a wine and champagne bar (you also can get beer). Books and wine – what a concept!Bier Garden (46 Haywood St., Downtown Asheville, 828-285-0002, www.ashevillebiergarden.com) offers about 200 different beers, including around 30 on draft, most priced at or under $5 a pint.Barley’s Tap Room (42 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-255-0504, www.barleystaproom.com) has live bluegrass and other music some nights, with no cover charge. The bar and restaurant (serving pizza, wraps and burgers) on the first level offers about two dozen microbrews on draft, and a second bar upstairs has a pool table, darts and more taps.Broadway’s (120 N. Lexington Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-285-0400) is a dive bar with a good jukebox and a pool table and cheap PBR on the first floor. Live music, mostly garage rock, happens on the second floor. This is a private club, so you have to join or sign in as a guest, but it's no big deal.Burger Bar (1 Craven St. West Asheville, 828- 761-1311) straight up, no frill old school bar. No craft cocktails, and no burgers. Just beer and cheap booze. Great if that’s your kind of place. It may, or may not, be the oldest bar in Asheville.✷ Capella on 9 (AC Marriott Hotel, 10 Broadway St., Downtown Asheville, 828-258-2522, www.capellaon9.com) on the ninth floor of the new AC Hotel Marriott just north of Pack Square, Capella on 9 is Asheville's best rooftop bar. Beautiful views, sophisticated setting with lots of art, both inside and out, and if you're hungry you’ll enjoy the small plates menu.Casablanca Cigar Bar (18 Lodge St., Biltmore Village, 828-505-0342, www.casablancacigarbar.com). Good spot to enjoy a fine cigar and a cocktail, wine or beer. There is walk-in humidor with a very large selection of cigars for sale. This members only bar, with a large selection of bourbons and Scotches, costs $2 for a day pass or $5 for an annual pass.✷ The Crow & Quill (106 N. Lexington Ave., Downtown Asheville, www.thecrowandquill.com). This bar with a speakeasy atmosphere says it has more than 400 whiskeys/whiskys – it’s especially strong on Scotches, and some are pretty pricey -- and a total of 600 kinds of spirits, not including craft beers. Live music some nights, a DJ on others. This is another membership bar. It is not well signed, which is part of the concept. It is, uh, very hip.Crucible Bar (140A Roberts St., River Arts District, 828-575-9996). Tucked away in the River Arts District with no sign on the door, Crucible has a sizeable following of locals who like the moderately priced drinks and cozy atmosphere. Since no food is served, you this is a membership spot, but you can become a member for a buck.DeSoto Lounge (504 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-255-1109, www.desotolounge.com) was once voted Asheville’s best dive bar by Mountain Xpress readers. Limited bar food, mostly small plates and sandwiches. There’s Ethiopian food on Tuesdays. Jukebox with a lot of indie music, pinball and foosball. loud.The Double Crown (375 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828- 575-9060). Small dive bar with lots of bourbons and sometimes live soul and R&B.5 Walnut Wine Bar (5 W. Walnut, Downtown Asheville, 828-253-2593, www.5walnut.com) has added more jazz and other music, so now it’s a place to hear music, not just to have a quiet glass of wine, cheeses and appetizers. Lots of brick and wood, and the wines are affordable, most $8 or $10 a glass.✷ Foggy Mountain Brew Pub (12 Church St., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-3008, www.foggymountainavl.com) is tucked off the main drag on Church Street. Popular for brews and shots at Foggy Mountain (sometimes locally called Foggy Bottoms). Burgers and sandwiches are good. The beer is cold, service friendly and live music (some nights) is nice.✷ Great Hall Bar at Omni Grove Park Inn (290 Macon Ave., North Asheville, 828-252-2711, www.omnihotels.com/hotels/asheville-grove-park) is in the bar in the lobby of the century plus-old resort, but what a lobby this is! Two 14-foot wide stone fireplaces bookend the historic room, and you can wander out to the Sunset Terrace dining room and take in the views of Asheville. Drinks are fairly expensive -- signature cocktails are $14 to $18 and aren’t big pours, beers are around $6 and wine by the glass is $10 or more – but you’re paying for the ambiance and part of the hotel overhead.Greenhouse Moto Café (Mills River, 4021 Old Haywood Rd./Brevard Rd./NC Hwy. 161, Mills River) has 26 beers on tap and about 60 vintage motorcycles on display in a glass greenhouse. It's not really a biker bar, though.✷ Grey Eagle (185 Clingman Ave., River Arts District, 828-232-5800, www.thegreyeagle.com) in the River Arts District is a popular listening room with live music most nights. Mostly this is a rock venue, with national and local bands. Some name artists like Loudon Wainwright III, Chris Smither and Arlo Guthrie have played here. Ticket prices vary but range from around $10 to $25 and usually with no age limitation. There’s contra dancing on Mondays and occasional open mic nights. During the day, Grey Eagle is a taco joint.The Imperial Life (48 College St., Downtown Asheville, 828- 254-8980, www.imperialbarasheville.com), upstairs above Table Restaurant, is a small upscale bar with a good selection of craft cocktails (mostly $10 to $15), wines and beers. Plus, you can get a selection of snacks from pigs in blankets to oysters on the half shell. There's live music some nights, and a DJ on others. Steep stairs, no elevator.✷ Isis Music Hall (743 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-2737, www.isisasheville.com), in a full-tilt renovation of the old Isis Theater, comes alive with music, especially after 9 or 10 pm. On the ground level, after you enter under a faux movie theater marquee, there's a dining area in the front of the restaurant and the main music stage at the back (where the movie screen was), with a bar connecting the two areas. On the second level, a more intimate bar/lounge, with a piano and small stage, is ideal for a lounge lizard or jazz trio. Overlooking the main music stage is a standing area for drinkers and music listeners. Music is an eclectic mix of bluegrass, rock and reggae, with jazz or a lounge singer upstairs. Drinks, wines and beers at Isis are moderately priced. Cover charges typically are $10 to $15.✷ Jack of the Wood (95 Patton Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-252-5445, www.jackofthewood.com) is a comfortable, friendly Celtic-style bar Downtown featuring English ales from Green Man Brewery. The music is mostly acoustic, with bluegrass picking and Irish tunes. There’s trivia here every week.Lazy Diamond (4 Woodfin St., North Asheville, 828-575-9676) Rock ‘n Roll dive. bar with an arcade in back.✷ The Montford (Hyatt Plaza Hotel, 199 Haywood St., Downtown Asheville, 828-505-8750, www.themontford.com), the rooftop bar at the Hyatt Plaza, has fabulous views. Drinks are a little pricey, and service is not always as fast as you'd like. Food choices are limited. The views are the thing here.✷ The Mothlight at Mr. Fred's (701 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, A home for musicians who value creative artistic expression), at the former location of Mr. Fred's Beds, is open daily from 5 pm to 2 am. There's live music three or four nights a week, mainly by local and regional bands, and you can dance. The Mothlight space has brick walls and a West Asheville feel. Street parking is available along Haywood Road; avoid parking on Jarrett Street, which is for local residents only. The Mothlight is a private club. You have to sign in as a member or as a guest.The Odditorium (1045 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-575-9299, www.ashevilleodditorium.com) definitely has an odd decor, with all kinds of strange art, dolls and such. Live music most nights.Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar (22. N. Market St., Downtown Asheville, 828-785-1390, www.offthewagonrocks.com). Convivial bar with live music including, yes, dueling pianos. The worst thing about this place is the pickup truck that sometimes drives around town at time advertising it with obnoxious music. Closed Monday-Tuesday.✷ O. Henry’s (237 Haywood St., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-1891, www.ohenrysofasheville.com) is one of the oldest gay bars in North Carolina, usually attracting an older, quieter male gay crowd. The Underground at O. Henry’s is a second bar and dance space at the club. Under new management. A members only club, an annual pass is $7.Ole Shakey’s (790 Riverside Dr., North Asheville, 828-545-6985, www.oleshakeys.com), operated by the owner of the upscale Sovereign Remedies and the new Asheville Beauty Academy, both Downtown, is a former old-school dive bar that has been somewhat updated. There’s pool, karaoke and occasional live music or a DJ.✷ Orange Peel Social Aid and Pleasure Club (101 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-225-5851, www.theorangepeel.net) is Asheville’s top mid-size venue for live music. In the 1950s the building that now houses the Orange Peel was a skating rink, and then it became a series of R&B clubs. It opened as the Orange Peel in 2002. In 2007, the Smashing Pumpkins played a nine-night gig at the Orange Peel, drawing national attention since this was the group’s first performance in the U.S. in six years.The next year, Rolling Stone named it one of the top five rock clubs in the country. Although it features many local and regional bands, it has hosted a number of big names, including Bob Dylan, Joan Jett, Blondie, Beastie Boys and Modest Mouse.After an expansion in 2009, the club now can handle up to 1,100 standing. And we do mean standing – there’s limited seating at the Orange Peel so be prepared to stay on your feet. The dance floor has springy wood slats. The PULP is a private club below the main level, seating up to 150 and serving drinks. The Orange Peel doesn’t have a parking lot, so you’ll need to park on the street or in nearby lots such as the City of Asheville garage under the Aloft Hotel. (When popular groups are at the Orange Peel, you’ll pay event parking rates at the Aloft garage.) If you don’t have a car or don’t feel you should drive, when you’re ready to leave the club will call a taxi for you. Ticket prices at the Orange Peel vary from around $5 to $40, and more for a few acts.The Prospect (11 Buxton Ave., South Slope, Downtown Asheville, 828-505-0766). This is a no-frills old-school bar with a jukebox and a pool table.✷ Rankin Vault Cocktail Lounge (7 Rankin Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-4993, www.rankinvault.com) is dark, popular and mostly local, with cocktails moderately priced at around $7 to $10 for most. It does have an actual room-sized bank vault in back. Parking is handy across the street at the City of Asheville’s Rankin garage. The Vault also has a very good burger. You place your food and drink order at the bar, and it's brought to your table.Red Stag Bar at Bohemian Hotel (11 Boston Way, Biltmore Village, 828-505-2949, www.bohemianhotelasheville.com) with what think is a garish decor, heavy on the reds, may put you mind of an old New Orleans bordello, but if you’re in Biltmore Village it’s a convenient place to get an after-dinner drink.Santé Wine Bar & Tap Room (Grove Arcade, Suite 152, 1 Page Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-8188) serves both wine and beer from taps. There’s also wine in bottles. In good weather there’s outdoor seating.Scandals Nightclub (11 Grove St., Downtown Asheville, 828-505-1612, www.scandalsnightclub.com), around for more than 30 years, formerly was considered Asheville’s top gay bar, though many patrons were not LGBT. However, it is now more of an event space, although there are still drag shows and dancing on weekends and other events open to the public. Usually there’s a $10 cover for these shows and dancing. It’s actually three venues in one, part of a complex of clubs and bars at historic 11 Grove Street, at one time Asheville’s YMCA, the others being Boiler Room (a live music space) and Club Eleven on Grove (a somewhat quieter lounge).The Social Lounge (29 Broadway St., Downtown Asheville, 828-575-9005, www.thesocialasheville.com) is one of Asheville’s takes on an adult cocktail bar. There’s bar (and limited table) seating on the main level, and an appealing rooftop bar upstairs.✷ Sovereign Remedies (29 N Market St., Downtown Asheville, 828-919-9518. www.sovereignremedies.com) is in a cozy, elegant but fairly small space in a convenient location Downtown, diagonally across from the Asheville Community Theatre. Bartenders serve up creative craft cocktails at not-too-expensive prices, but if you're more old school they'll also do traditional drinks like Gin & Tonics, Old-Fashions and such. This bar is a fine place to enjoy a nightcap after dinner Downtown. The bar also is open for lunch, serving a limited menu. There’s a very limited dinner menu, and a late night menu with a good burger after 10 pm.✷ Storm Rhum Bar and Bistro (125 S. Lexington, Downtown Asheville, 828-505-8560, www.stormrhumbar.com) is more of a restaurant than a bar, but you can get cocktails (mostly $8 to $12), craft beer and a good burger with fresh-ground meat. It can be loud.Thirsty Monk (92 Patton Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-254-5470, www.monkpub.com) has one of Asheville largest selection of taps with a rotating list of draft beers. Top of the Monk, upstairs at its Patton Avenue location, is known for creative cocktails. The bar also has a brew pub in South Asheville at Biltmore Park and a location at Gerber Center on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville, and a couple of locations in other cities.Timo’s House (5 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-575-2886), on Biltmore near Pack Square, with a DJ and dancing most nights. It bills itself as "Downtown Asheville's Underground Party House."Tiger Mountain Thirst Parlour (103 Broadway St., Downtown Asheville, 828-407-0666) is on the lower end of Broadway near the expressway. Kitschy atmosphere with red lights and velvet paintings. Some consider it a singles spot.The Times at S&W (56 Patton Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-575-9551). In a wonderful Art Deco building, this bar on the main floor of what used to be Asheville’s best-known cafeteria and meeting space. There’s wine by the glass, craft beers (but nothing on tap) and a nice selection of craft cocktails, some from Prohibition-era recipes. Note that this may change, as a food court is planned for the S&W Building in 2020.✷ Wedge Brewing Co. (125B Roberts St., and 5 Foundy St., River Arts District, 828-505-2792, www.wedgebrewing.com) in the old Farmer’s Federation Building in the River Arts District is one of Asheville’s most popular brewpubs. A kid’s playground and picnic/seating area is outside. The bar doesn’t serve food, except free peanuts, but you can buy Korean BBQ or tacos or other items from food trucks that set up here. In summer, the Wedge shows movies outdoors. The bar is very dog friendly. The new, second location of the Wedge on Foundy Street near 12 Bones, also in the RAD, is cool, too.Westville Pub (777 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 828-225-9782, www.westvillepub.com) is a popular West Asheville bar with live music many nights. Food is okay but not the main reason to come here.✷ The Whale (507 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, behind Haywood Common restaurant, 828-575-9888, www.thewhaleavl.com). Unlike most Asheville bars that focus on well-known local craft beers and ciders, this one gathers top craft beers from around the country and also the best of international beers. A "whale" in this sense is something that is unusual and hard-to-find, akin to a black swan. The bar has a large whale skeleton (not real) hanging from the ceiling and features the whale theme in designs throughout the bar.✷ Wicked Weed Brewing (91 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-575-9599; www.wickedweedbrewing.com), next to the Orange Peel, opened in late 2012 and instantly became one of Asheville’s most popular brewpubs. There’s a good restaurant upstairs, serving pub food and more, including steaks, mussels and trout, in a beautifully built out space with raw brick and a glassed-in open kitchen. The tasting room and brewery are downstairs, and there's a takeout shop beside the pub. Wicked Weed, which was purchased by beverage giant AB InBev, also operates the Funkatorium on Coxe venue Downtown, which specializes in sour beer (Wicked Weed opened a restaurant, Cultura, near the Funkatorium in 2019) and Wicked Weed West, a taproom on Sand Hill Road in Enka, at its main production and distribution center.Wxyz Bar at Aloft Hotel (51 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville, 828-232-2838, www.aloftashevilledowntown.com) is on the second floor of the hotel. You can sit at stools at the bar, in chairs in eye-popping colors or sip your drink on an outdoor ledge patio overlooking Biltmore Avenue. Re:mix lounge, connected to Wxyz bar, has free wi-fi and a pool table.