This ones for the beer enthusiasts.

I remember the good ole days when PBR and Bud Weiser were perfectly fine choices for beer. I was young, so young, and knew nothing about the glorious world of craft brews. I have come a long way from the Coors Light slinging 21 year old I used to be. I credit this transition entirely to Asheville, who single handedly opened up my eyes and my ever so grateful taste buds to the true craftsmanship that goes into brewing our fermented friends.

Our beers flow and pour about as continuously as our mountain springs do. Asheville has a near endless reel of winning Beer City USA since 2009 and the whole country has taken notice. When we throw pubs like the Thirsty Monk into the mix, the world beings to take notice too.

So what makes Asheville such a leader in brew land? Why do people come from all over to experience “beercations” here? How does our little mountain town stand up next to such big cities like Portland, Oregon for recognition?

At first, I thought it was mostly about our community. Asheville is a tight nit group of folks. We love to support our farmers and small scale growers, our talented DIY friends that make soft and colourful scarves and create nourishing home-made lotions to pamper ourselves with, our small businesses, musicians, herbalists and definitely our brewers.

I think our grassroots movement and dedication in supporting our friends and friends of friends is at the core of our flourishing beer scene. Now besides the obvious fact that we take brewing very seriously here in Asheville and strive to brew excellence at all times, a really great point was made that “ashevillians” are the new guys on the scene.

We are the excited kids with huge dreams and endless possibilities just pouring into our craft. We are not doing the same old thing. Tradition is here and will always have its place but our beers have been elevated by ramped up and creative minds wanting to birth something different. Beers that stand tall and stand out.

I’ve had beer with rosemary, beer crafted with jalapenos (yes, it was delightfully spicy), dandelion beer and beer brewed with the kick of smoked chipotle chili peppers. I loved them all. Especially the Rosemary infused beer!

With the arrival of winter chilling our bones one of the most sure ways to add heat to your hearth is to cozy up to a nice beer. With this in mind I’ll be taking you to some of the best spots in Asheville this winter that have some of the greatest; and in some cases most renowned beers around. Stay tuned.