Any must have local beers in Asheville, NC.

Going to be there in a few weeks and wondered about the local brews. Maybe a good place for a steak too.

Anything by Highland brewing. Their Gaelic Ale is their flagship, and is very good. You'll be getting there just in time for their fall seasonal, Clawhammer. Too bad you're not there in the winter; their winter seasonal is the absolute best.

+1 to Highland. Everything they make is great.

For a great tap house, go check out Barley's. It is a cheap pizzaria with typical Ashville hippy charm and about 30 craft brews on tap.

There is Wedge, pisgah (may be in the near area), Lex. Ave. Brewery, french broad, and of course Highland. Probably another or 2.

I love Pisgah, Highland and French Broad. Pisgah is actually on Black Mountain, a few exits east of A-ville. Nice place to hang out and enjoy some very good organic brews.

There are so many local breweries that are popping up there. There must be 8 to 10 within a 20 mile radius of A-ville.

Also check out a shop called Bruisin' Ales. It's a retail store that specializes in high gravity beers from all over the world. Awesome selection.

+1 on Barleys...they do have a good selection on tap and the pizza is alright too.

Jack of the Wood is a quirky hole in the wall Celtic pub where you can get local Green Man brewing English style beers, along with some other good craft brews (Stone, Bells).

Just down the street is the Lobster Trap which has some good food and is home to the Oysterhouse nano brewery. I thought the beer there was decent but not great - the place gets pretty packed for dinner though.
I did the Highland brewery tour last time I was up there and that was interesting - they're like the second or third biggest microbrewery in the South (Abita and maybe Sweetwater are bigger). I like their Mocha Stout and St Theresa's Pale Ale.
Next time I go up I want to check out Lex Ave and French Broad. My brewclub in Charlotte is supposed to be doing a bus trip brewery tour to Asheville this fall - that will be a blurred adventure I think.

ps: If you happen to be there on Sept 10, the local homebrew club is holding a competition at Highland Brewery. You could stop in, have a beer and hang out with other home brewers. Most of the homebrew clubs around the Carolina's are participating.

Edit #2: This may help you too: http://www.ncbeer.org/ncs-craft-breweries/

We have ten craft breweries in Asheville (though one is not quite fully functional as of this writing). AND two craft distilleries (same story, one's still nascent).

I think my favorite beer of all time, I mean in the entire Universe, is the Iron Rail IPA at the Wedge Brewery. Perhaps that's got something to do with the history...

The Wedge was another run down shell on the train tracks when it was purchased by a metal sculptor in the 70's, for pennies on the dollar. Decades later, that run down section of the city is known as The River Arts District and, thanks to John Payne, it's the most thriving and promising section of the entire city.

Unfortunately, John Payne died just a few years ago but his memory lives on in Iron Rail, the beer named for him by the brewery in the building he resuscitated. If the weather is nice, PLEASE don't miss sitting outside, in the metal garden built by Mr Payne, enjoy an Iron Rail, and eat from the bottomless bowl of salty peanuts. Keep in mind, this ain't no froo-froo experience. If you're lucky, the taco truck might be there. If not, the peanuts will have to do.

There's even a geocache there, if you want to nerd out with the GPS!

The French Broad Brewing Company is also another small, simple and extremely local place in the area around the Biltmore House. You can catch a bluegrass band and tip suds with the locals there.

Can you tell I'm rather passionate about Asheville Beer? So much so that I've just started a blog that will serve to answer questions such as yours: Beer City Guide. There's not much there as yet but there is a rundown of all the breweries in Asheville and info about the distilleries. I hope to have it full of information about where to stay, where to eat, and what beers to drink in short order.

Maybe we'll get to tip some suds together someday!

Carl Donovan

Well, I only got to sample a few local beers while I was there. The one that I found interesting was the Gaelic Ale from Highland brewing.

It would be nice to know the recipe.

The Bier Garden !!

If you like lagers, look for Red Oak brews from a small brewery just east of Greensboro.

My family lives in Asheville, so I visiter there several times a year...

Iron Rail is a great beer! The Wedge's porter is also pretty damn good - as are most of their beers. It's really a pretty sweet little location to visit!

My personal favorite is French Broad's 13 Rebels ESB, and Asheville Brewing company's Shiva IPA is way up there too - both are very easy drinkers.

One last thing, I would stay away from Craggie Brewing...every beer I've had from them has been pretty terrible, which is unfortunate because I really like to support local beer producers :^(

Great beers/brewpubs of Asheville...
Wedge Brewery...Russian Imperial Stout (hints of raspberry and chocolate goodness).....3rd Rail IPA (barleywine IPA...amazing) ....Wit beer is pretty good for summer afternoons in the metalwork beer garden (great people watching and conversating).

Green Man Brewery....Actually called Dirty Jacks. It's a fun hole-in-the-wall pub, with the tanks in the background. Green Man IPA is my personal in-town favorite!!

Highland Brewery...brewpub only open 1 day a week. Highland Gaelic (an American style ale, named in honor of the Scotch/Irish that settled this area) is becoming a local standard. Tasty, interesting, well balanced. Another good beer is their yearly seasonal called Cold Mountain Ale...different every year, very limited quantities.

I know this is too late for your visit, but I wanted to brag a little about our local brews anyway.

I have always enjoyed French Broad and Asheville Brewing Co. I like French Broad's 13 Rebels, Anvil Port and Gateway Kolsch. Asheville Brewing has great beer (Shiva IPA, Roland ESB and Ninja Porter) and Pizza.

Here soon you'll be able to add Sierra Nevada to that list =) But it definitely won't be before your trip.

I know this thread is a little old but I just got back from Asheville a couple weeks ago. I believe I hit 8 or 9 breweries in the few days that we were there. For the most part I just had sampler at each brewery. There were a few that really stood out though and warranted a pint or 3.

Greenmans ESB
Wedge Iron Rail IPA
Pisgah Chocolate Stout

Those 3 were by far my favorite of all the beers I tried while there.