Mountain Xpress 05.23.18: AVL Beer Week Guide

Pisgah Brewing @ 215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler, N C 287 15 (828) 6 67- 0 6 6 6 :: thefarmevents.com

THurSDAY, MAY 31 6-9:30 pm

CHEERS TO AVL BEER WEEK

Seasonal pisgah brews unique dinner pairings musical guest Come to The Farm in Candler, for an amazing evening of fine food, craft brews and live music.

Pisgah Brewing and The Farm’s Executive Chef Mike Ferrari have collaborated on seasonal small plated paired with exclusive cellar releases. Enjoy live music from Leeda “Lyric” Jones.

Tickets $60; $55 before May 28; $10 for kids under 12

ABOUT THE COVER The cover image was provided by Ginger’s Revenge, a brewery in the Ramp Studios building on Riverside Drive that specializes in alcoholic, gluten-free ginger beers.

Photo by Jack Sorokin; illustration by Scott Southwick and Olivia Urban 2

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ROYAL TREATMENT: Wicked Weed Brewing’s annual Ménage-a-Freak Triple IPA release party is a longtime AVL Beer Week favorite. Photo courtesy of Asheville Brewers Alliance In line with the selection of flagship, seasonal and one-off batches found at Asheville-area breweries on any given day, AVL Beer Week is likewise rooted in an exciting blend of reliable and experimental offerings.

For the seventh annual celebration, attendees will find favorites like the Just Brew It festival, spotlighting creations by some of the region’s top homebrewers, and Burial Beer Co.’s Skillet Six Ways, in which a half-dozen variations of the brewery’s beloved Donut Stout are served in a flight and paired with six samplings from Vortex Doughnuts.

Also on the schedule are such new entries as the Plow to Plate dinner at Smoky Park Supper Club, which brings together the skills of five North Carolina farms, chefs and breweries, and Twin Leaf Brewery’s Gathering of the Goses, featuring five small-batch takes on the refreshing summer style, themselves

matched with selections from DoughP Doughnuts. (May we go ahead and plan on 2019 being AVL Beer and Doughnut Week?)

The mix of cherished standards and new entries primed to work their way into AVL Beer Week lore makes each iteration special and is perhaps best exemplified by this year’s twist on the Asheville Brewers Alliance collaborative beer. Instead of combining forces on a single official brew for the week, ABA members were invited to make any IPA they desired, be it solo or in tandem with fellow brewers, to pour at their respective establishments. The pivot is the latest sign that innovation remains at the core of the local brewing industry and suggests AVL Beer Week will be around for many more years.

— Edwin Arnaudin, beer coverage coordinator

PUBLISHER Jeff Fobes ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER Susan Hutchinson EDITORS/WRITERS Edwin Arnaudin, Alli Marshall, Gina Smith CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kim Dinan, Tony Kiss LEAD DESIGNER Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNER Olivia Urban LISTINGS Able Allen, Lauren Andrews CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Rob Mikulak Published by Mountain Xpress P.O. Box 144 Asheville, NC 28801 828-251-1333 Copyright 2018

A TRUE HOME BREW Asheville beer industry nearing self-sufficiency for core four ingredients

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Water, barley, yeast and hops are at the core of nearly every beer. And as the Asheville area’s brewing industry continues to grow and evolve, local craft beverage makers can increasingly source all four ingredients from neighborhood businesses, almost to the point of self-sufficiency.

The access to fresh products not only results in better-tasting products and keeps more money in the local economy, it also accelerates the innovation key to keeping Asheville at the forefront of the nation’s beer providers.

THE GRAIN GAME Brent Manning and Brian Simpson started Riverbend Malt House in 2010. In search of an encore career after the housing market collapsed, the environmental consultants took a close look at Asheville’s beer industry — which then had a total of 12 breweries — with a desire to improve the sustainability of one of its sectors.

At the time, there were only a couple hundred pounds of hops grown annually in North Carolina, but the limited number of varieties that grow well and aren’t trademarked made investing in them a dicey endeavor. Land and infrastructure were also needed yet absent, though the opposite was true for small grains. Combine that corner’s potential with the lack of an area malt house and a light bulb went on for the business partners.

“North Carolina grows hundreds of thousands of acres of small grains for a variety of different industries, including human food consumption, so the quality piece was there [and] the infrastructure was there,” Manning says. “There was an ag extension network of researchers studying everything and improving upon the quality every year, so we said, ‘Wow! OK, maybe this could make sense. Maybe we can use some of these locally sourced grains to make malts, and we’ll provide our breweries with truly local ingredients.

I feel like we were in the right place at right time with the malt house idea.”

WOLFPACK GRAINS: N.C. State University’s Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River is one of six sites across North Carolina conducting trials of established and experimental barley, including Calypso 2-row, right. Photos by Brent Manning Riverbend has grown high-quality 2- and 6-row barley on the Biltmore Estate as part of a partnership, and Manning notes that the property has some of the best farmland in the Asheville Basin. He says barley also can grow in the Mills River area, but it’s fairly challenging because of the narrow bottomland and the impact of the mountains with regard to the morning fog not clearing out of the valley. In turn, moisture creates conditions in which fungal growth can occur, which is bad for barley quality.

“The surrounding area — the farmland around Shelby and that part of the world — provides a perfect complement to the craft beer industry because they’re close in proximity, but have broader, flat land that’s more conducive to growing highquality grain at scale,” Manning says.

Riverbend has cultivated relationships primarily with family farms of less than 300 acres. In the mutually

beneficial partnership, it purchases winter grains grown in the offseason (October-June), a time when farmers would normally have a cover crop, which Manning says doesn’t add monetary value to the land besides cheap fertilizer and maintaining topsoil. As a result, the farmers receive a second or third paycheck out of their land management.

As for working with breweries, Manning says it’s the most exciting part of his job, especially the expanded collaborative approach to making malt and delivering unique products made possible by Riverbend’s new 70,000-square-foot facility and cutting-edge equipment.

He adds that 2 million pounds of malt a year are used by South Slope breweries. Riverbend can theoretically provide that amount if every brewery bought all of its malt from the malt house, but due to cost constraints, that’s not the case. He compares the

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choice to eating at a nice restaurant versus a fast-food establishment as far as the different price points, not the quality of mass-produced malt, which he says is excellent. The main difference, however, is that the latter is made in enormous batches and trucked in from long distances, thereby creating a sizable carbon footprint.

“The closest major malt house is in Chilton, Wis. — 1,500 miles away.

That’s Briess Malting, and Briess sources a majority of their barley from the Big Horn Valley in Wyoming, which is another thousand miles west, so now we’ve got 2,500 miles in between farmer and fermenter,” Manning says. “Riverbend sources 100 percent of their ingredients from a 500-mile radius, and for 2018 we’re hoping to shrink that a little bit by tapping into some growers in the Shelby and Hickory areas.”

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FOCUS ON INNOVATION: As White Labs develops new and exciting yeast products at its Asheville location, local brewers are the first to have access to them in the Southeast. Photo courtesy of White Labs

MICROSCOPIC DISTANCE One of the world’s leading producers of brewer’s yeast, White Labs had been shipping its products to numerous Asheville area breweries from its San Diego headquarters. In 2017 when the company opened its eastern U.S. location in Asheville, a few blocks away from the South Slope brewing district, those same clients could walk or take a short drive to pick up their yeast and take advantage of the facility’s other offerings.

“When we made the announcement, more breweries and homebrew stores called us up and said they wanted to work with us,” says Chris White, president, founder and CEO of White Labs. “The support we got from the local community was way more than we ever expected. There was so much excitement, and we’re just trying to live up to that now.”

When searching for a building, many possible locations were situated outside of downtown Asheville and therefore didn’t interest White. He and his colleagues knew the facility’s

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will-call area, through which brewers can place individual orders and pick them up that day, would be popular and therefore wanted the new White Labs to be a destination with easy access. He notes that a White Labs box can cost $50 or more to ship, and those savings add up for local breweries.

“Every beer needs yeast. It doesn’t have to be ours, of course, but we make a big selection, and with us making a lot of fresh yeast right there, it makes sense for a lot of brewers,” White says. “A lot of times, brewers know exactly what they want. They just call us, we have a talk about when they can get it and within days we have it right there in Asheville. A lot of it’s about the availability, but it’s often about what strain to use, too.”

As White Labs develops new and exciting products in Asheville, local brewers are the first to have access to them in the Southeast. White also sees the operation’s tasting room and its rotation of different yeast strains as a resource for brewers to go and explore fresh ideas.

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FRIENDLY FACE: With hops unable to grow on a commerical scale in North Carolina, many local breweries turn to Ashevillebased account manager Beau Evers of Crosby Hop Farm for fresh hops from Oregon. Photo courtesy of Crosby Hop Farm “There’s so many brewers to collaborate with, not only in our own individual little projects but theirs.

When you’re trying to develop and innovate something, it’s superhelpful to have people around to help with that, whether in the testing part or participating in other ways,” White says. The Asheville facility “opened last January, so we’re a year and so many months in and still, in my mind, in its infancy. It’s still getting going, so that’s the stuff that I’m really excited about for the future is innovation and development of new things there.”

THE HOPS CONNECTION Beau Evers, Crosby Hop Farm account manager for the Southeast and Rocky Mountain districts, identifies mildew as the No. 1 killer of hops.

Due to North Carolina’s moist air and consistently humid summers, it’s been difficult to grow the crop on a commercial level within the state.

“Hops don’t really like that, and that’s what’s essentially a catalyst for that mildew,” Evers says. “When you have a downy mildew, it stunts the initial binds coming up, and the nodes are really short. You want the nodes to be really long so it can grow higher.”

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Evers says over 99 percent of the yearly U.S. hops crop comes from Oregon (where Crosby is headquartered), Washington and Idaho. In lieu of area production on a significant scale, he provides breweries a local human connection with a wide variety of fresh hops from the Pacific Northwest.

“All these hop varieties were bred either by Oregon State [University] or Washington State [University] through the USDA public program, and those hops have been bred for the Pacific Northwest. That’s where they were crossed and put in greenhouses and inoculated with mildews, separated between male and female and they figured out all the different agronomics that were going on with that,” Evers says. “So ultimately, if certain regions of the country want to succeed in growing hops, you have to breed for certain regions.”

The Nashville native spent six years in Oregon but felt a calling to come back and be closer to family and friends. Once Crosby grew to the point where it could have regional account managers, Evers could have lived anywhere in the Southeast but chose Asheville as his base for the craft beer culture.

He compares the community to Portland with its many neighborhood

breweries and, though he’s been here six months and is on the road 50-60 percent of the time, is already seeing the benefits of face-to-face dealings with Asheville brewers with whom he’d been doing business from afar for five years.

“There’s a certain osmosis effect: If you’re not based in an area, you’re going to miss it. You’re not going to be able to go to your local beer fest and be part of the guilds or the Asheville Brewers Alliance. You miss out because you’re inherently not around,” Evers says.

While farmers can and do grow Cascade and Centennial hops in North Carolina, Evers says the current low yields typically make the undertaking not viable for business. As for the potential of genetic modification aiding the state’s growing power, he says the hops industry — whose lone product is beer — doesn’t produce enough global revenue for a company like Monsanto to become involved.

BASE LIQUID In selecting the Asheville area as the home for its East Coast operations, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery have all cited the

region’s high-quality water as a major determining factor.

According to David Melton, interim director of the city of Asheville’s Water Resources Department, the city’s primary sources of water are located in eastern Buncombe County.

Water flows from pure mountain streams into two pristine lakes that are surrounded by 20,000 acres of highly protected forests owned by the city. Proactive management of the watershed ensures the high quality of the source water, which in turn yields a very high-quality treated water product.

“The watershed is surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest, which is also protected and managed,” Melton says. “The Water Resources Watershed Team manages the health of the forest surrounding the reservoir, which prevents erosion and other factors that can affect quality.”

The reservoir is completely nonrecreational, and the team ensures that it remains undisturbed. The active management decreases the susceptibility to potential contaminants, and both the source and finished water are consistently monitored and rigorously tested for changes in pH, alkalinity, turbidity, total organic carbon, bacteria, pathogens and other factors. The finished water meets and/ or exceeds all state and federal regulated standards — just what brewers want to hear.

“Interactions with breweries or prospective breweries primarily include sharing information related to water quality, water chemistry and water delivery in the early stages,” Melton says. “The ongoing maintenance and operation of the water system by highly trained staff keeps the quality consistent upon delivery.”

ALL ON THE FARM On Sideways Farm & Brewery in Etowah, owners Carrieann and Jon Schneider are working to provide all of the core ingredients — and then some — themselves.

Sideways currently uses Hendersonville city water, but the Schneiders are looking into putting a well on the property, which they say will involve lots of testing to make sure the quality of the water is up to the brewery’s standards. They will also be working with White Labs to learn how to harvest their own yeast from the farm. “There’s ways that we can do it on our own, but to get a

reliable culture we’d like to involve them,” Carrieann Schneider says.

Likewise on the locally sourced front, though slightly less orthodox, Sideways plans on using the two types of brewer’s yeast that N.C. State University scientists discovered in the microbes of a wild bee and wasp, respectively. And as for hops and barley, the business is receiving help from N.C. State’s Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River.

“They have some experimental hops that they want to have us test,” Jon Schneider says. “What they’re doing out there is splicing a particular hop that has done very well in their trials with some of the other hops varieties that we’re using in hopes that they can capture that growth of the one particular into the others.”

The Schneiders have also run one trial using two different barley varieties. Though neither grew very well, they’ll do more trials next winter and will otherwise source extensively from Riverbend. Leaning on local businesses for sourcing has been at the forefront of their decision-making — even before they bought the Sideways property in early 2015. And in line with Manning’s hopes that within five years, hops-knowledgable craft drinkers will have a favorite malt, and Evers’ desire for buyers to demand sustainably sourced hops, the Schneiders see the increased education of craft beer consumers as an exciting development.

“A lot of the other breweries are starting to get it, where they’re using local farms. Rayburn Farms, for example. But I think consumers still think of beer as more of an industrial product,” Carrieann Schneider says.

“When you go to a winery, you go out to the farm and you have that experience and you start to make those connections. There’s not a lot of breweries in the area that you go to that you make the connection that beer is an agricultural product. So for us, it’s about starting with the consumers and having them make that connection, which will in turn hopefully cause them to care a little bit more about the sustainability of water and farms that are producing the barley and hops and what kinds of things they’re using on those farms.” X

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BEYOND BREWERIES AVL Beer Week events highlight a range of craft beverages through partnerships with local bars, cideries and distilleries

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT: Oak & Grist Distilling Co. of Black Mountain joins the AVL Beer Week celebration with an invitation for visitors to learn more about the production of whiskey and gin. Pictured is the company’s president and head distiller, William Goldberg. Photo courtesy of Oak & Grist

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Although the North Carolina Craft Beverage Museum is still in its development stages, it will have a presence at this year’s AVL Beer Week. Organizers will highlight the effort at the Beer City Festival downtown on Roger McGuire Green on Saturday, June 2, says Asheville Brewers Alliance Executive Director Kendra Penland.

But the museum will be about more than just beer — it will showcase the gamut of Tar Heel-made craft beverages, including ciders, wines, spirits and soft drinks. A website and social media sites have already been launched, says the museum’s executive director, Kimberly Floyd, and the next step is to raise money for a traveling exhibit.

“We hope to open our permanent location in 2021,” she says. “We took in our first set of artifacts from Jimi Rentz at Barley’s.”

And like the museum concept, the 2018 AVL Beer Week encompasses more than just area breweries. This year, two local distilleries, one cidery and a couple of cocktail bars will also join the festivities with drink specials and activities.

Asheville’s H&H Distillery will team up with Post 70 cocktail and tapas bar to serve shandies made with a locally made lemonade and H&H Highway 9 Gin, says distillery co-owner Leah Howard. H&H, which has been open since 2015 in East Asheville producing both gin and Hazel 63 rum, sees AVL Beer Week as a good way for local distilleries to connect with a broader audience.

“The beer industry here has paved the way [for craft distilling], and we have learned a lot from that,” she says. “This is a good way to reach out to people who may not have heard of us.”

Bold Rock Hard Cider in Mills River has long been a player on the craft beer scene: Bold Rock’s products can often be found in beer tasting rooms, and the cidery has offered local beers in its own taproom. “We don’t make beer, but we love and support craft breweries,” says taproom manager Dylan McLean.

To celebrate AVL Beer Week, Bold Rock will serve snakebites, which will include

area beers mixed with Bold Rock ciders.

Available blends will include Asheville Brewing Co.’s Ninja Porter with Bold Rock’s Carolina Draft and Green Man Brewery’s ESB with Orchard Frost cider. Bold Rock will also offer cider specials throughout Beer Week, McLean says.

Other interesting beer mixes can be found at Sovereign Remedies. The downtown craft cocktail bar will offer a variety of boilermaker specials 2 p.m.-2 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-2 a.m. weekends throughout AVL Beer Week. The specials begin Friday, May 25, with a choice of Allagash Belgian White, Ommegang Three Philosophers Quad or Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit accompanied by a shot of Old Forester Bourbon.

Other highlights from the lineup include a Mikkeller beer with Elijah Craig bourbon on Saturday, May 26; a Burial Beer with a yetto-be-announced tequila on Sunday, May 27; and a Highland Brewing Co. beer with Jim Beam bourbon or rye Thursday, May 31.

Oak & Grist Distilling Co. plans to bring an educational element to AVL Beer Week with the intention of shining a light on the connections between craft brewing and spirits-making. The Black Mountain distillery will offer discussions about its production process, which begins with malted barley from Asheville’s Riverbend Malt House, 2-3:30 p.m. Friday, May 25, and 1-2:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 26.

Oak & Grist brews a single-malt beer that later becomes its whiskey and gin, explains owner William Goldberg. Visitors will be able to taste that beer during the discussions, and the gin will be available for purchase. “I think this will be an eye-opener for people,” he says. “I don’t think a lot of people realize a lot of the same science that goes into the manufacture of beer also goes into making spirits.”

For more on the North Carolina Craft Beverage Museum, visit ncbevmuseum.com.

For more details on featured drink specials and activities, visit avlbeerweek.com.

— Tony Kiss X

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE Just Brew It promotes homebrew community, living wage at new venue

JUST CAUSE: Now in its ninth year, the annual Just Brew It homebrew festival attracts some of the area’s best amateur beer-makers while promoting organizer Just Economics of Western North Carolina’s mission of encouraging employers to offer a fair living wage. Photo courtesy of Just Economics Asheville’s popular Just Brew It homebrew beer festival will have a new look and vibe on Saturday, May 26, as it moves from the original Wedge Brewing Co. to the new Wedge at Foundation development, just down the French Broad River.

The new location will offer significantly more parking than the previous space and won’t interfere with the businesses around the original Wedge. The popular 12 Bones Smokehouse barbecue restaurant next to the new Wedge, which always brings a lot of traffic to the Foundation property, isn’t open on Saturdays, freeing up even more parking.

Much about the 2018 festival is the same, though, starting with its mission.

It’s still presented by Just Economics of Western North Carolina, which encourages employers to offer a fair living wage.

Just Brew It also continues to feature locally homebrewed ales and lagers. These are creative beers not sold in area taprooms and unavailable outside of this annual event.

Attendees also technically can’t buy a ticket to Just Brew It, as it’s open only to members of Just Economics. But the group will happily enroll new members online prior to the event at $30 for a basic member-

ship that includes festival admission; $40 for a standard membership which covers festival admission and a souvenir glass and raffle ticket; or $60 for a VIP membership that comes with one-hour-early festival admission, the glass, raffle ticket and a food truck voucher. No one will be enrolled at the gate.

Now in its ninth year, Just Brew It “raises some important funds for our organization and celebrates the culture of homebrewing in Asheville,” says Vicki Meath, executive director of Just Economics.

She’s expecting 40-50 homebrewers to take part in the 2018 edition. Brewers may bring whatever beers they choose to the festival, and Meath says she’s seen a wide variety of styles over the years. Moving to the new Wedge brewery site provides more room for beer drinkers, which typically total 400-600 people. “And when you add the brewers involved, it gets higher than that,” Meath says.

The festival has also brought substantial attention to Just Economics. “Our mission is to educate, organize and advocate for a just and sustainable local ecnomy that works for all in Western North Carolina,” Meath says.

“We work on the issue of living wages, better transit and affordable housing. We have the largest living wage certification program in the country. And we work on public policy at the local level and the state level. We are committed to working with people who are most impacted by economic injustice.”

Meath says the Just Economics living wage standard is “a more just number than the minimum wage.” In 2018, the Asheville and Buncombe County living wage is set at $13 an hour if the employer doesn’t offer health insurance, and $11.50 per hour if the insurance is provided. Even that level of income makes it difficult for many employees to support themselves, though Meath calls it “a starting point.”

The organization has been operating in Asheville since 2007. “We have around 400 employers that are certified,” Meath says.

To qualify, every full- or part-time worker at those businesses must be paid the liv-

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ing wage, though there are exceptions for interns or apprentices. There’s also a process to determine if tipped employees make an average living wage.

“We’ve been able to work with new businesses every month,” Meath says.

“We do outreach to new employers, and there is also peer-to-peer encouragement to become Living Wage Certified. And sometimes employers find us.”

She continues, “When we talk with employers, we talk about the benefits of our program, such as being marketed as a living wage employer. And there is increased productivity that comes along with workers who are not constantly looking for another job or having to take multiple jobs just to put a roof over their heads.”

Several of the area’s breweries have been Living Wage Certified, including Wedge, Hi-Wire Brewing, Burial Beer Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard.

Wedge has long been Living Wage Certified and is a big believer in the program. “Just Economics is really important for Asheville. We pay a living wage and always have,” says brewery owner Tim Schaller, who’s looking forward to once more hosting Just Brew It. “The homebrewers have helped make Asheville ’Beer City.’

They are really educated drinkers.”

— Tony Kiss X

WHAT Just Brew It homebrew festival WHERE Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St. justeconomicswnc.org WHEN Saturday, May 26, 2-5 p.m. with 1 p.m. entry for VIP members of Just Economics of Western North Carolina. $30 basic membership/$40 standard membership/$60 VIP membership.

No memberships sold at the gate.

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STRANGE BREW The Odditorium celebrates five years with new events and concoctions

Hot Sauce Company CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: “We always say, ‘It takes a village to run this place,’” says Amy Marshall, left, who owns the West Asheville venue with her partner, Tamy Kuper, right. By taking over the venue five years ago, the couple were able to honor their roots: “the odd, the unusual, the queer.” Photo by Cindy Kunst

BY ALLI MARSHALL

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2018 AVL BEER WEEK OFFICIAL GUIDE

amarshall@mountainx.com With additional reporting by Edwin Arnaudin It’s not every bar that lends its outdoor space to a monthly summer-season yard sale, hosts regularly occurring vintage markets and medieval-themed bazaars or houses a museum of curiosities. But The Odditorium — as its name suggests — is not every bar.

“We always say, ‘It takes a village to run this place,’” says Amy Marshall, who owns the West Asheville venue with her partner, Tamy Kuper. While many other local watering holes benefit from large budgets and staffs, The Odditorium receives support, in part, through random acts of kindness from its community.

“One of our patrons put up speakers in our lounge,” says Marshall. “We’ll come in, and somebody’s fixing our picMOUNTAIN XPRESS

nic tables or installing doorstops.” For those small assists, Marshall and Kuper want to thank Asheville, but they’re also celebrating the major business milestone of The Odditorium’s fifth anniversary, which happened on April 1.

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT BEER Among the festivities is a forthcoming beer collaboration with UpCountry Brewing Co., located just across Haywood Road. The two businesses previously dreamed up a popular brew made with edible glitter that sold out quickly and is slated to be back on tap in time for AVL Beer Week. The second beer will be a modified version of an existing UpCountry beer with glitter addition.

“We’ve always had a great relationship with The Odd. Since we’re the closest place to get food, and a lot of our employees like to go over there for a

drink after work, it’s a good situation for both of us,” says Zac Voeller, field rep for UpCountry. “It’s not bleeding-edge craft innovation, and most brewers will probably groan if you bring up edible glitter, but we really wanted to do something special for our closest neighbors.”

Calling glitter beer “such a perfect fit for [The Odditorium] that there was no way our brewers could say ‘no,’” Voeller says UpCountry experimented with a light Kölsch and a dark, malty Schwarzbier, choosing the latter for its superior ability to hold the glitter.

“We’re going to keep making it just for The Odditorium. No other bar or pour room will have access to anything glitter-related from us,” he says. “The naming process is still underway, but with ideas like Dark and Not So Normy and Tears of the Last Dying Unicorn, you can tell how much fun we’re all having with it.”

The Odditorium and UpCountry will also co-host a collaborative dance party during AVL Beer Week on Wednesday, May 30, during which patrons of both establishments will be able to walk back and forth enjoying the vibes at both dance floors. “I think it’s great that an outdoorsy, jam-band-oriented brewery and a punk music, burlesque-showing joint can get on so well,” Voeller says.

“We’re really thrilled to be working with such a unique and beautiful place that so well embodies the fun and freedom of West Asheville.”

ODD ONES IN The Odditorium’s calendar includes an array of rock, punk and alternative shows (Cloud City Caskets and The Shrunken Heads on Friday, May 25; Chew, Gostdog and Luxury Club on Saturday, May 26) as well as recurring events. There’s Tuesday night comedy, hosted by Tom Peters since the venue’s inception, and Risque Monday Burlesque, hosted by Deb Au Nare. A weekly drag night will launch in July, and a monthly community yard sale, held the last Saturday of each month, kicks off May 26.

But the clientele drawn to The Odditorium — a mix of regulars, adventurous newcomers and occasional tourists — come for more than the bands.

An older British couple, who traveled to Asheville after the Masters Tournament, “ended up here for storytelling night,” says Marshall. Swing dance nights bring out seniors, too.

“You saw our building and got out of your car and are in? That makes me warm,” Marshall jokes.

In fact, with its sideshow-themed murals and quirky art, The Odditorium is living-room cozy (albeit, with an unorthodox aesthetic). And there’s a growing group of fans (including the bar’s staff, some regulars and a few visitors) who’ve gotten The Odditorium’s logo — a hand with an eye on the palm — tattooed on their bodies. Those who show their ink to Marshall or Kuper are rewarded with free entry to The Odditorium’s shows.

But early on, the vibe — left over from dive bar The Get Down and Cowboy’s Nightlife, both of which previously occupied 1045 Haywood Road — was rougher. Marshall and Kuper decided to take over the space because they were looking for a project to do together. At The Odditorium they were able to honor their roots: “the odd, the unusual, the queer,” says Marshall.

“That includes the gay community.”

Enjoy your favorite beer

INSIDE STORY The couple, both from creative families, also put their artistic skills to work in the museum — a series of displays in the venue’s lounge that hold curios such as skulls, creepy dolls, fetal animals in jars of formaldehyde, old photos, masks and magical implements. “Because we both love art and the strange and curious we wanted to … not just have a bar or an event space,” says Kuper. “We wanted to bring in things that make us smile and have a story.”

Marshall adds, “They create conversations. People who [came in] just to tour the museum stay for a drink and to talk about our Chinese binding shoes.”

These days, The Odditorium’s art and collectibles are mostly curated by Justyn Travers of Dark and Deviant Oddities, and most items are for sale.

Travers also sells his wares online and at The Odditorium’s yard sale Early on, Kuper and Marshall imagined taking long weekend trips to search for curios. But, “It’s hard to go out into the world and collect while you’re trying to do payroll and manage the bar,” says Marshall. But relinquishing that bit of creative work has freed up time to introduce other fresh ideas to the venue.

Cannabidiol oil will also soon be available, and a line of medicinal tinctures is about to be launched. “You can add them to any drink or concoction,” says Kuper. There are remedies to address anxiety or promote wellness and love.

This particular initiative has been in the works for three or four years. “We want to do it like an old-school apothecary,” says Kuper, because “bartenders are like therapists a lot of time.”

It’s the kind of touch that will likely create more of a feeling of magic and belonging to the loyal-if-disparate crowd that already frequents The Odditorium, and will attract more of the sort of visitors who gravitate toward queer bars and oddities museums and, some might say, are honorary Ashevilleans.

In fact, when such visitors find their way to the Haywood Road watering hole or purchase something from the museum or strike up a conversation about the human skull in the display case, “it reminds me of why we did this,” says Kuper. “We just wanted our little piece of Asheville.”

“And our little piece to give back,” says Marshall. “It has stayed true to that.” X

for happy hour in your own home, at your next party, picnic or event.

Sales

Rentals

Frank Beard

Service

828-275-0510

beercitykegerators@gmail.com www.beercitykegeratorsofasheville.com

• Economy & commercial kegerators • Portable setups • RENTALS: Kegerators, Portable Kegerators, Jockey boxes

Join Us for Asheville Beer Week & Let the Locals Drive YOU! At Asheville Brewery Tours, you will not only sample some of Asheville’s greatest craft beers, you will also get to immerse yourself in the eclectic ambiance that is the local beer scene of Asheville.

Each of the Asheville breweries on our beer tour has a distinct style in their brewing and in their incredibly varied atmosphere.

NEW FOOD & BREW TOURS!

• Behind-The-Scene Access to local, downtown breweries • Meet the Brew-Masters & understand their craft • Fun walking tours & mobile tours

Give the gift of Beer with our Gift Cards!

• Led by friendly & knowledgable tour guides • Sample local craft beer & seasonal varieties on tap • Ask about our Private Tours

Reserve your tour online, email or call us and we’ll guide you through all your questions!

www.ashevillebrewerytours.com • 828-233-5006 info@ashevillebrewerytours.com MOUNTAINX.COM/BEERWEEK

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BREW YOUR OWN Kyle Brown reduces his environmental footprint by making his own beer

BREW CREW: Kyle Brown, left, and Emmet Leahy mill grain for homebrewed beer. Photo by John Kepchar When Kyle Brown was in graduate school, he made a friend in the environmental science program who brewed his own beer. “He grew a bunch of barley and malted it. He was trying to brew what he called ‘carbonneutral beer,’” explains Brown.

This was nearly 15 years ago, when small-scale microbreweries were a rare find. “At the point that I was introduced to homebrewing, craft beer wasn’t the thing that it is today. You could either buy imported beer or beer that was made by a big company and brewed far, far away,” says Brown.

Brown brews his beer at his home in Asheville and buys his ingredients from local homebrewing shops. His setup is pretty simple.

“There’s a scale,” he says. “You can make beer with only a plastic

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bucket and a lid and some pots and pans from your kitchen.” To bottle the beer, he saves bottles from used six-packs, buys reusable swing-top bottles or uses a simple keg setup.

“That’s where it’s at,” Brown says.

While the effort may seem small, by brewing his own beer Brown is reducing waste and saving the resources it takes to transport beer brewed in other parts of the country to stores in Western North Carolina. And while he may have never reached the carbon-neutral beer goals of his first homebrewing friend, he knows that his efforts make an impact. “It takes a lot of energy to ship a finished product, especially liquid, all the way across the country,” Brown says.

— Kim Dinan X

BLAST FROM THE PAST A look at some scenes from Asheville’s recent beer history.

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is picRangel 013 e ik M r in 2 owne opening 6. ing Co. s it w re re B fo 1 e Asheville e Mill Room b losed in late 20 h c t e in u tured e ven e Avenu The Cox

Serving Flagship Beers and Rotating Taps

established 2014

New Location OPENING SOON!

• Moving up to a (10) barrel brewing system • Full circular bar, serving craft cocktails & beer • Outdoor space, wrap around deck • Dog and kid friendly, ‘til 8pm • Rotating food truck vendors over the weekend • Live music & yard games

520 Haywood Rd. • West Asheville • Open 7 Days a week Mon-Thu: Noon-Midnight • Fri-Sat: Noon-1am • Sun: Noon-Midnight

Parking in Rear, off Allen Street MOUNTAINX.COM/BEERWEEK

2018 AVL BEER WEEK OFFICIAL GUIDE

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PLOW TO PINT

Rayburn family farm keeps local beer industry flavorful

BREWERY MARKET: Rayburn Farm specializes in growing herbs and vegetables for local breweries. Pictured are Lauren Rayburn and son Elijah. Photo courtesy of Rayburn Farm When Michael and Lauren Rayburn began farming in 2014, they didn’t know that 80 percent of their market share would one day come from local breweries. “I stumbled into the brewery market,” Michael says. “And once I did, I just kept going with it.”

Rayburn Farm, located in Barnardsville, grows herbs, spices and a few select vegetables for breweries like Wicked Weed Brewing, Hi-Wire Brewing, Green Man Brewery, Asheville Brewing Co. and more than a dozen others. “I just started knocking on doors and asking [brewers] if they would want me to grow them anything,” Michael explains. Today, he introduces up to 10 new crops to brewers every year. “I say, ‘Hey, have you tried this? Do you want to try this?’ I go around with samples and ask them what they think. Most of the time, they like what I’m bringing.”

While Michael acknowledges the sustainability and economic advantages of using local crops to flavor 14

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local beer, he also warns against falling into a hyper-local trap. “You have to keep in mind that there are things that aren’t sustainable for us to grow and produce here but they can be grown just a few counties away in North Carolina, Tennessee or South Carolina,” he says. If we allow crops to be grown where they grow best, he adds, it “frees up more area for the things that grow well here.”

Of course, Michael’s specialty is determining what does flourish in this area and then growing it. Take, for example, Italian basil. “We tried several varieties of Italian basil until we found one from Rwanda that is grown for the oil industry,” he explains. “[Brewers] don’t need your standard sweet Italian basil. They need basil that will really come through in the beer.”

— Kim Dinan X

MOUNTAINX.COM/BEERWEEK

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AVL BEER WEEK

by Tony Kiss

avlbeerguy@gmail.com

BREWERIES IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY A rundown on the breweries in Asheville and Buncombe County by neighborhood

DOWNTOWN Lexington Avenue Brewery, 39 N. Lexington Ave. The popular foot-traffic destination combines a brewpub with a spacious restaurant serving snacks, sandwiches, salads and entrees. 11:30 a.m. until last call Monday-Saturday, noonmidnight Sunday. lexavebrew.com One World Brewing, 10 Patton Ave. Access to the underground taproom with a speakeasy vibe is at the end of a short alley separating Farm Burger and Salsa’s restaurants. 2 p.m.-midnight Monday, 4 p.m.-midnight TuesdayWednesday, 2 p.m.-midnight Thursday, noon-midnight Friday-Saturday, noon10 p.m. Sunday. oneworldbrewing.com Thirsty Monk, 92 Patton Ave. Known for its big selection of Belgian beers, the pub also features house brews by Norm Penn. 4 p.m.- midnight Monday-Thursday, noon-1:30 a.m.

Friday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday. monkpub.com Wicked Weed Brewing, 91 Biltmore Ave. The combination restaurant and brewery is famed for sour and barrel-aged beers. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.11 p.m. Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m.

Friday-Saturday, noon-11 p.m. Sunday. wickedweedbrewing.com

NORTH ASHEVILLE BEER NEAR BILTMORE: Hillman Beer and Rise Above Deli opened in spring 2017 on Sweeten Creek Road near Biltmore Village.

Pictured, from left, are brewery co-owners Brad Hillman, Brandi Hillman and Greig Hillman. Photo courtesy of Hillman Beer

SOUTH SLOPE Asheville Brewing Co., 77 Coxe Ave. The new home to the brewery’s production operations includes a covered patio, house beers, full liquor bar, restaurant serving pizzas, burgers and more. 11 a.m-11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-midnight Thursday-Saturday. ashevillebrewing.com Ben’s Tune-Up, 195 Hilliard Ave. Just around the corner from the downtown Asheville Brewing, Ben’s has house beers and sakes, plus tasty Asian eats like dumplings and egg rolls. 4 p.m.2 a.m. Monday-Friday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m.

Saturday-Sunday. benstuneup.com Bhramari Brewhouse, 101 S. Lexington Ave. Located behind The Orange Peel music venue, it has a big selection of house beers, full restaurant and a parking lot. 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. FridaySaturday. bhramaribrewhouse.com Burial Beer Co., 40 Collier Ave. Multiple new beers join popular returning creations each week, so be prepared

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2018 AVL BEER WEEK OFFICIAL GUIDE

for a range of fresh, exciting tastes. Burial is soon adding a second location near Biltmore Village at 16 Shady Oak Drive.

2-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday. burialbeer.com Catawba Brewing Co., 32 Banks Ave. The Morganton brewery was one of Western North Carolina’s pioneering craft breweries. 2-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday. catawbabrewing.com Eurisko Beer Co., 255 Short Coxe Ave. One of Asheville’s newest breweries strives to craft a range of styles that reflect the standards of tradition while playing with modern processes.

4-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2-10 p.m.

Saturday, 2-8 p.m. Sunday.

The Funkatorium, 147 Coxe Ave. Wicked Weed Brewing’s second location offers a wide variety of sour and barrel-aged beers in a cool, Old World ambiance. 2-10 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, noon-midnight Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday. wickedweedbrewing.com/ locations/funkatorium

MOUNTAIN XPRESS

Green Man Brewery, 23 Buxton Ave. With a predominantly English and Irish style of brewing, one of the Asheville brewing scene’s originators has greatly expanded and now has a top-floor balcony area next door to the original Dirty Jack’s taproom.

Greenmansion: 2-10 p.m. MondayThursday, noon-11 p.m. FridaySaturday, noon-10 p.m Sunday. Dirty Jack’s: 2-9 p.m Monday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday. greenmanbrewery.com Hi-Wire Brewing, 197 Hilliard Ave. The circus-themed brewery’s original location and home to its specialty and small-batch beers. 4-11 p.m. MondayThursday, 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, noon1 p.m. Saturday, 1-10 p.m. Sunday. hiwirebrewing.com Twin Leaf Brewery, 144 Coxe Ave. Tim Weber runs this 10-barrel system and neighborhood pub. 3-11 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, 2 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, 1-10 p.m. Sunday. twinleafbrewery.com

Asheville Brewing Co., 675 Merrimon Ave. The brewery’s original location remains active, thanks in part to its discount movie theater and family game room. 11 a.m-11 p.m. SundayWednesday, 11 a.m.-midnight ThursdaySaturday. ashevillebrewing.com Ginger’s Revenge, 829 Riverside Drive, Suite 100. Nestled in an unassuming warehouse, the welcoming space offers alcoholic ginger beer plus grain-based beers. 4-9 p.m.

Wednesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m. Friday, 2-10 p.m. Saturday, 2-8 p.m. Sunday. gingersrevenge.com Habitat Brewing Co., 174 Broadway.

The neighborhood pub serves both house and guest beers. 3-10 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, 3 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, noon10 p.m. Sunday. habitatbrewing.com Zillicoah Beer Co. 870 Riverside Drive. Located along the French Broad River, one of Asheville’s newest players specializes in open-fermented farmhouse ales and lagers.

2-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday. zillicoahbeer.com

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AVL BEER WEEK SOUTH ASHEVILLE Catawba Brewing Co., 63 Brook St. The Biltmore Village tasting room was the brewery’s first Asheville property. 4-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3-10 p.m. Friday, 2-10 p.m. Saturday, 2-9 p.m. Sunday. catawbabrewing.com French Broad River Brewery, 101 Fairview Road. One of Asheville’s oldest breweries frequently offers live music at its taproom. 1-8 p.m. daily. frenchbroadbrewery.com Hillman Beer, 25 Sweeten Creek Road.

This small, family-owned brewery focuses on classic styles. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. MondayThursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, noon11 p.m. Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday. hillmanbeer.com Hi-Wire Brewing, 2 Huntsman Place.

Affectionately dubbed The Big Top, the brewery’s production facility is also home to such festivals as fall’s Stout Bout. 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, 1-10 p.m.

Sunday. hiwirebrewing.com Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Road. Owned and operated by Joey and Erica Nelson, who both previously worked at Highland Brewing Co., it also includes a popular sandwich shop. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. TuesdaySaturday, 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday. sweetencreekbrewing.com Thirsty Monk, 2 Town Square Blvd.

The Biltmore Park pub offers copious outdoor seating. Noon-midnight MondayThursday, noon-1:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday. monkpub.com

EAST ASHEVILLE

SUMMER PICNIC SERIES KICKOFF PARTY!

1127 Sweeten Creek Rd, AVL 828.575.2785 SweetenCreekBrewing.com

May 26th — All Day —

Live Outdoor Music 3-8 PM Outdoor bar with all of our house brews!

Upcoming Picnic Party Dates: June 16th check our Facebook Page for details on these and other events Serving Beer & Sandwiches Tues-Sat 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM *Sun 11:30 AM - 7:30 PM

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Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Highway. Asheville’s first craft brewery has a big indoor tasting room, a rooftop space and a meadow with live music. 3-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday. highlandbrewing.com Turgua Brewing, 27 Firefly Hollow Drive, Fairview. This small farmhouse brewery uses locally sourced ingredients in its beers. 4-7 p.m. Thursday, 4-9 p.m.

Friday, 1-8 p.m. Saturday, 1-6 p.m. Sunday. turguabrewing.com Whistle Hop Brewing Co., 1278 Charlotte Highway, Fairview. The brewery is built inside old railroad cars and includes a patio. 4-10 p.m. Thursday, 3-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday. whistlehop.com

RIVER ARTS DISTRICT New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St. The city’s biggest brewery ships its beer throughout the eastern U.S. The Liquid Center tasting room overlooks the French Broad River and a greenway. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday,

noon-8 p.m. Sunday. newbelgium.com/ Brewery/asheville Wedge Brewing Co., 37 Payne’s Way and 5 Foundry St. Both located in the River Arts District, the original Payne’s Way brewery has a great view of a Norfolk Southern railroad line. The Foundry Street location on the Foundation property is next to 12 Bones Smokehouse. Both locations: noon-10 p.m. daily. wedgebrewing.com

BLACK MOUNTAIN Lookout Brewing Co., 103 S. Ridgeway Ave. The small-scale brewery turns out a big lineup of beers and is a popular local hangout. 2-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 2-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, 2-7 p.m. Sunday. lookoutbrewing.com Pisgah Brewing Co., 150 Eastside Drive.

Famous for its pale ale, the brewery books big musical acts and local performers for its outdoor stage and inside the taproom.

4-9 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 2-11 p.m.

Thursday-Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, 1-10 p.m. Sunday. pisgahbrewing.com

WEAVERVILLE Blue Mountain Pizza and Brewpub, 55 N. Main St. The popular downtown café has a small brewery with house beers. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sunday. bluemountainpizza.com Eluvium Brewing Co., 11 Florida Ave. The new downtown operation serves four house beers at a time alongside guest offerings. 4-9 p.m. Thursday, 2-10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday. eluviumbrewing.com Zebulon Artisan Ales, 8 Merchants Alley. Just off Main Street, the brewery serves small pours and flights in its modest tasting room, as well as chilled 750-milliliter bottles that are also available to go. 1-6 p.m.

Friday-Saturday. zebulonbrewing.com

WEST ASHEVILLE Archetype Brewing Co. 265 Haywood Road. The spacious taproom features a variety of beer styles, including recent forays into barrel aging. 3-10 p.m. MondayThursday, 1 p.m-midnight Friday-Saturday, 1-9 p.m. Sunday. archetypebrewing.com Oyster House Brewing Co., 625 Haywood Road. Famous for its Moonstone Oyster Stout, brewed with oyster shells, the neighborhood brewpub offers a nice selection of seafood. 3-11 p.m. MondayThursday, 3 p.m.-midnight Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday. oysterhousebeers.com UpCountry Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road. Operated by John Cochran, cofounder of Terrapin Beer Co. of Athens, Ga., it includes a restaurant. 2-10 p.m.

Sunday-Thursday, 2 p.m.-midnight FridaySaturday. upcountrybrewing.com X

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BEER COLLABORATIONS, PROMOTIONS & SPECIALS

AVL BEER WEEK

COLLABORATIONS, PROMOTIONS AND SPECIALS The following events will take place throughout AVL Beer Week 2018, Friday, May 25, through Saturday, June 2.

12 BONES AND OSKAR BLUES AVL BEER WEEK THROWDOWN G 12 Bones South, 3578 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden, prices vary 12 Bones South will serve barbecue and sides infused with beer from Oskar Blues Brewery throughout AVL Beer Week — excluding Sunday and Monday when the restaurant is closed.

Selected pairings, Oskar Blues swag giveaways and a beer can cooler takeover will also be featured.

SIERRA NEVADA TAPROOM AVL BEER WEEK MENU G Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., 101 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River, prices vary The Taproom at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will debut a special AVL Beer Week menu featuring the four ingredients of use in brewing beer — malt, hops, yeast and water.

POST 70’S H&H DISTILLERY SHANDY SPECIAL Post 70, 1155 Tunnel Road, $TBD Post 70 will feature a shandy cocktail special made with H&H Distillery Highway 9 gin and local lemonade.

ASHEVILLE BREWING COLLABEERATION WEEK Asheville, Brewing Co., 77 Coxe Ave. and 675 Merrimon Ave., prices vary Celebrating 20 years of friends and film, Asheville Brewing Co. will release five small-batch beers during AVL Beer Week. All beers will be available only on draft starting at 5 p.m. There will also be limited availability at the Tacos & Taps drive-thru next to the Merrimon Avenue location and Asheville Pizza Co. South, 1850 Hendersonville Road, Suite A. • Friday, May 25: Bantha Milk Blueberry Milk Stout re-release • Saturday, May 26: Zillicoah Beer collaboration — Brett IPA

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• Wednesday, May 30: Mad Co. Brewing collaboration — Beet and Hibiscus Mixed Culture Saison • Friday, June 1: Oyster House Brewing Co. collaboration — Oyster Seaweed Gose • Saturday, June 2: French Broad River Brewery collaboration — Pilsner

BOILERMAKER SPECIALS AT SOVEREIGN REMEDIES Sovereign Remedies, 29 N. Market St., prices vary During AVL Beer Week, Sovereign Remedies will feature daily boilermaker specials with a different beer and shot each day.

• Friday, May 25: House Belgians (Allagash Brewing Co. White, Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian-style Quad, Mother Earth Brewing Weeping Willow Wit) and a shot of Old Forester bourbon • Saturday, May 26: Mikkeller Beer with a shot of Elijah Craig bourbon • Sunday, May 27: Burial Beer Co. beer with a shot of tequila (TBA) • Monday, May 28: Oskar Blues Brewery Pinner IPA and Dale’s Pale Ale with shot of George Dickel whiskey • Tuesday, May 29: Hi-Wire Brewing beer with Jim Beam bourbon • Wednesday, May 30: Clown Shoes Beer beer with Old Overholt rye whiskey • Thursday, May 31: Highland Brewing Co. beer with Catoctin Creek Roundstone rye whiskey • Friday, June 1: Wicked Weed Brewing beer with Four Roses bourbon • Saturday, June 2: Grimm Artisanal Ales Castling Farmhouse Saison with High West whiskey

TRICKY MONK BEER COCKTAIL SPECIAL AT TOP OF THE MONK Top of the Monk, 92 Patton Ave. Cocktail maven Kala Brooks has created a special beer-infused cocktail featuring Tricky Monk Tripel that will be available throughout AVL Beer Week at Top of the Monk in downtown Asheville.

= FOOD EVENT

BEER EVENTS

AVL BEER WEEK

EVENTS THURSDAY, MAY 24 AVL BEER WEEK THIRSTY THURSDAY 5:30-10:30 p.m., McCormick Field, 30 Buchanan Place, $25-40 Kick off your AVL Beer Week experience with an Asheville Tourists’ Thirsty Thursday baseball game and $2 craft beers. Game starts at 7:05 p.m.

Leap Frog Tours will offer its Thirsty Thursday shuttle, with locations and pickup times as follows: 5:30 p.m. — Waynesville — Leap Frog Tours office, 419 N. Haywood St. —$40/person 5:45 p.m. — Canton — Ingles parking lot, 630 Champion Drive —$40/person 6:15 p.m. — Asheville — Twin Leaf Brewery, 144 Coxe Ave. —$25/person 6:30 p.m. — Asheville — Aloft Hotel, 51 Biltmore Ave. — $25/person *Shuttle price includes a reserved-seat game ticket. Arrive 15 minutes before the shuttle pick-up time.

For tickets, visit avl.mx/4yc.

FRIDAY, MAY 25 AVL BEER WEEK KICKOFF PARTY AT THE SOCIAL 7:30 p.m., The Social, 1078 Tunnel Road Get AVL Beer Week off to a fun start with live music and local beers.

MOUNTAIN SPORTS FESTIVAL Starting at 5 p.m., Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Road The weekendlong event features competitions in paddling, adventure racing, cycling, running, disc golf, ultimate frisbee, climbing, skateboarding and more. There will also be live music, vendors, food and beer.

SIERRA NEVADA SUMMER ALE RELEASE Starting at noon, 101 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River This is Sierra Nevada’s AVL Beer Week Summer Ale, a easy-drinking, juicy-hopped IPA with Chinook, Citra and Simcoe. It will be on tap at the Mills River brewery taproom throughout AVL Beer week.

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. BRUT HOP CHAMPAGNE RELEASE Starting at noon, 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite 200 Highland Brewing Co. releases its most recent small batch — Brut Hop Champagne — in celebration of AVL Beer Week. This is a crisp tropical beer with hints of mango, pineapple and stone fruit, dry-hopped with Azacca, Ekuanot and Hallertau Blanc.

BREWING FOR WHISKEY PRODUCTION 2 p.m., Oak & Grist Distilling Co., 1556 Grovestone Road, Black Mountain Did you know that the process of creating craft whiskey first means brewing a beer? Oak & Grist’s craft whiskey is made from a wort containing 100 percent malted barley from Riverbend Malt House. This informative tour will show attendees how brewing a singlemalt beer is a necessary precursor to the production of whisky, and highlight parallels between the brewing and distilling industries, including equipment names, ingredients and processes.

FREE FOOD FRIDAY AT MILLS RIVER BREWERY G 4-8 p.m., 330 Rockwood Road, Unit 103, Arden Free Asian tacos and more than 20 signature brews.

HIGHLAND SAMPLING AT OMNI GROVE PARK INN 4-6:30 p.m., 290 Macon Ave. The Omni Grove Park Inn is the backdrop for a tasting of seasonal and year-round offerings from Highland Brewing Co.

MEET THE BLENDER WITH NEW BELGIUM BREWING 5-7 p.m., Tasty Beverage Co., 162 Coxe Ave., Suite 101 Instrumental in the progression of NBB’s 20-year-old sour program, Lauren Limbach, head blender and sensory analyst at New Belgium, will share her knowledge and experiences.

SALUTE TO SOURS: New Belgium Brewing Co. celebrates its 20-year-old sour program with multiple AVL Beer Week events. Photo courtesy of New Belgium

SATURDAY, MAY 26 RELEASE PARTY FOR NEW ENGLAND IPA AT MILLS RIVER BREWERY G Starting at noon, 330 Rockwood Road, No. 103, Arden Mills River Brewery will release its first New England IPA for AVL Beer Week. This hazy Citra and Mosaichopped juice bomb is a must for the IPA lover. Fresh seafood and oysters will be available with live music provided by local singer-songwriter Jonathon Cox. Food begins at 1 p.m., music at 6 p.m.

EXISTENTIAL RHYTHM RELEASE AND GATHERING OF THE GOSES FESTIVAL G 11 a.m., Bhramari Brewing, 101 S. Lexington Ave. Join Bhramari Brewhouse and Twin Leaf Brewery as they celebrate the release of their collaboration Existential Rhythm, a margarita-inspired, goseMOUNTAINX.COM/BEERWEEK

style ale brewed with lemongrass, Makrut lime leaves and lime basil.

Noon, Twin Leaf Brewery, 144 Coxe Ave. Be a part of the very first Gathering of the Goses Festival. Twin Leaf will showcase five small-batch goses on tap and release its first bottle collaboration with Bhramari Brewing. There will also be a beer and doughnut pairing flight all five goses paired with five specialty mini doughnuts from DoughP Doughnuts.

CLOUD COVER HAZY IPA SERIES RELEASE NO. 2 G Noon-11 p.m., 32 Banks Ave., Asheville and 63 Brook St. Join Catawba Brewing Co. to celebrate its second limited release from the Cloud Cover Hazy IPA Series.

Rebellion Roads Hazy IPA is cloudy, intensely hopped, hugely flavorful and less bitter than traditional West Coast IPAs. Three Eggs Cakery will host a pop-up shop 2-6 p.m. at the 32 Banks Ave. location with sweet treats specially crafted to pair with this beer.

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BEER EVENTS SOURS ON THE SOUTH SLOPE Noon-2 p.m., Burial Beer, 40 Collier Ave. Join Burial Beer for a double bottle release of two special sour beers. Brewers will be on the scene to provide tastes of other beers in the sour program.

BRUISIN’ ALES 2018 CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY Noon-9 p.m., Bruisin’ Ales, 66 Broadway Free tasting All Day – Noon-9 p.m.

Sample Bruisin’ Ales Golden Glove Beers: Pisgah Je Ne Sais Quad and Green Man Olde Hearty Ale, plus staff favorites. Receive a 10 percent discount on Golden Gloves Beers, all staff favorites and all Bruisin’ Ales merchandise all day.

Vintage local beers tasting – 1 p.m.

Sample Pisgah Hellbender Barleywine (2008), Highland Imperial Black Mocha Stout (2008), French Broad Wee Heavy-est. Giveaways will include vintage local bottles, a Bruisin’ Ales hoodie and Bruisin’ Ales merchandise package. There will be a 10 percent discount on local large-format bottles 1-4 p.m.

Vintage Trappist Ales – 4 p.m.

Sample Westvleteren 8 and 12, Rochefort 8 (2012, magnum), Achel Extra (2009). Giveaways will include a Westy 8/12 two-pack, Rochefort 8 magnum (2012), Achel Extra 750-milliliter bottle (2009), Bruisin’ Ales Golden Gloves gift pack, Bruisin’ Ales T-shirt.

Take a 10 percent discount off all Trappist beers 4-7 p.m.

New IPAs – 7 p.m.

Sample four of the freshest and newest IPAs in the shop. Giveaways inlcude a $50 gift card, Bruisin’ Ales hoodie and Bruisin’ Ales merchandise package. Take 10 percent off all IPAs 7-9 p.m.

ASHEVILLE’S OFFICIAL BEER MILE 1-1:30 p.m., Carrier Park Velodrome, 220 Amboy Road, $20 Each competitor drinks three cans of beer and runs three laps. For tickets and details, visit avl.mx/4z8

JUST BREW IT 2-5 p.m. (VIP entry at 1 p.m.) Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St., $30-60 Just Brew It, a homebrew festival to benefit Just Economics’ living wage initiative, moves to a new location

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this year. The festival features more than 100 beers and more than 40 of the finest homebrewers in the region.

Admission is limited to Just Economics members, so join the organization now.

Basic membership is $30 and includes entrance to Just Brew It with unlimited beer samples. Standard membership is $40 and includes admission, unlimited samples, a souvenir tasting glass and a raffle ticket. VIP membership is $60 and includes all of the previous perks along with early entry at 1 p.m. for a chance to beat the crowds, plus a food truck voucher. For tickets and details, visit avl.mx/4xw.

MENAGE A FREAK TRIPLE IPA RELEASE PARTY 5 p.m.-close, Wicked Weed, 91 Biltmore Ave. Expect stilt walkers, tarot readers, jugglers, magicians, acrobats and more. Highlights include music from the Gypsy Swingers 5-7 p.m., aerial trapeze 7-7:30 p.m. and 9:30-10 p.m., music by Mayhayley’s Grave 7:30-9:30 p.m. and music from Drayton and the Dreamboats 1 p.m.-midnight.

SOUR SYMPOSIUM WITH LAUREN WOODS LIMBACH G 5-8 p.m., New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven Street, $65 In this Sour Symposium created for Asheville Beer Week, New Belgium’s wood cellar director and blender, Lauren Woods Limbach, will lead a slideshow and open discussion on the genesis of wild ales such as La Folie, Le Terroir and Biere de Mai, with a focus on the blender’s art and techniques.

This will be followed by a hands-on blending workshop where guests will be led through the process of experimenting and creating their own blended beer using samples of single-barrel unblended beer from New Belgium’s Foeder Forest. Light bites will be provided by chef Brian Canipelli of Cucina 24. Seating is limited. RSVP at avl.mx/3v1

FLIGHTS AND BITES AT HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS G 7-9 p.m., 174 Broadway, $27 Chef Dan Silo will create a special menu of four small plates to pair with four Habitat brews. This is a seated beer dinner event, so tickets are limited. A percentage of ticket sales will

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MOUNTAIN XPRESS

benefit Hood Huggers International, a social enterprise that provides opportunities for young people while helping to spark more grassroots economic development. For tickets, visit avl.mx/4xt.

MILLS RIVER BREWERY AND ECUSTA BREWING AVL BEER WEEK IPA RELEASE Noon-7 p.m., 330 Rockwood Road, Arden, and 49 Pisgah Highway, No. 3, Pisgah Forest Mills River Brewery and Ecusta Brewing Co. have joined forces to create a delicious New England Session IPA, brewed specifically for AVL Beer Week. An easy-drinking beer brewed with Citra and Belma hops, this IPA will be released at both breweries.

SUNDAY, MAY 27 BEER CITY 20K RELAY 10 a.m-noon, Carrier Park Velodrome, 220 Amboy Road, $25-60 Choose to run a 20K race solo or in teams of two (10K each) or four (5K each). For tickets and details, visit avl.mx/4z9

BREWERY VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT Noon-5 p.m. Creekside Taphouse, 8 Beverly Road Some of Asheville’s finest breweries will bring their game out to the sand court for some fierce competition. Smack-talking rights and a lifetime of glory are all at stake, so naturally there will be beer specials and plenty of fun to be had. Come out and cheer for your favorite beer purveyor as Hi-Wire, Highland, New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues, and Pisgah face off to see who is the top gun.

TOTAL SUMMER ECLIPSE: DARK BEER DAY AT THE WHALE 2-10 p.m., The Whale, 507 Haywood Road Total Summer Eclipse is a day to celebrate all beer that is dark. Staff favorite dark beers from around the world will be served all day. Discounts will be available.

20 YEARS OF SOUR CELEBRATION 2-6 p.m., New Belgium Brewing, 21 Craven St. Celebrate 20 Years of New Belgium’s wood-aged sour program and the return of La Folie Sour Brown Ale into its beloved cork-and-cage package.

EXPERIMENTAL HOP IPAS WITH STAN HIERONYMUS 5-7 p.m., Zebulon Artisan Ales, 8 Merchants Alley, Weaverville, $30 Stan Hieronymus, author of Brew Like A Monk, For The Love of Hops and Brewing Local, joins Zebulon Artisan Ales for a tasting and lecture about IPAs brewed with rare, experimental hops varieties.

These hops are not yet available to brewers, so you can be one of the first to sample them. Space is limited. RSVP to gabe@zebulonbrewing.com

LIVE AT ALOFT WITH OSKAR BLUES 5-8 p.m., Aloft Hotel, 51 Biltmore Ave., $5 suggested donation at door An evening of raffles, beer from Oskar Blues Brewery and a rooftop concert with all proceeds going to Give to the Music.

MONDAY, MAY 28 SOVEREIGN REMEDIES AND OSKAR BLUES BOILERMAKER BARBECUE G 4 p.m.-2 a.m., Sovereign Remedies, 29 N. Market St. Sovereign Remedies and Oskar Blues will team up for an all-day boilermaker barbecue. Select Oskar Blues beers will be paired with the infamous George Dickel No. 8 for boilermakers and there will be barbecue on the patio.

DETOX TO RETOX YOGA WITH THE ASHEVILLE BREWER’S ALLIANCE 11 a.m.-noon, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., $17 Please arrive 15 minutes early to get settled in. Bring a mat and a water bottle. Be prepared to work it in Vinyasastyle flow and jam out to some great tunes. For tickets, visit avl.mx/4xu.

AMERICAN BEER IN THE 1800S WITH STAN HIERONYMUS 1-3 p.m., Zebulon Artisan Ales, 8 Merchants Alley, Weaverville, $30 Author Stan Hieronymus will talk about the history of American brewing from Colonial times to the turn of the 20th century. Swankey, Brilliant Ale and Kentucky Common are just a few of the early-American beers you will be able to sample during this lecture and tasting. Space is limited. RSVP to gabe@zebulonbrewing.com

17 Lee St. South, Asheville Awesome NY & Old World style Pizza!

800° Italian Brick Oven!

Smoked Wings

12 Tap

'Pour Your Own Beer' system.

Local craft.

Try one or try them all.

GOOD FOUNDATION: Wedge Brewing Co.’s Foundation location will host both the annual Just Brew It homebrew festival and a Riverkeeper Beer Series river float and cleanup event during AVL Beer Week. Photo by Cindy Kunst

MEMORIAL DAY KEG HUNT BENEFITING BLUE RIDGE ROLLER GIRLS

AVL Beer Week. The Asheville Brewers Alliance will receive 15 percent of sales from this IPA throughout the day.

1-10 p.m., starts at Hi-Wire Brewing, 197 Hilliard Ave., $120 per team ($20 per person) Hi-Wire Brewing collaborates with Conundrum Escape Adventures to present the Memorial Day Keg Hunt benefiting the Blue Ridge Roller Girls.

Ten teams of six people will be sent into downtown Asheville with the mission of following a series of clues leading them to a final secret destination, where there will be free Hi-Wire beer, food and live music. The first team to complete the challenge will receive a free keg from Hi-Wire Brewing to be used at a future date. Additional raffle prizes will be given out at the after-party to all participating teams. All proceeds from registration and door donations will benefit the Blue Ridge Roller Girls. The scavenger hunt is 1-6 p.m., the party is 6-10 p.m.

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AVL BEER WEEK IPA RELEASE AT CATAWBA BREWING 2 p.m. 32 Banks Ave. Based out of Argentina, Güira brewing Co. and Beata Brewing have teamed up with Catawba to create a double dry-hopped, fruity IPA recipe based off of Güira’s popular Bomber IPA for

5-10 p.m., 1042 Haywood Road Beer and food pairings will highlight new menu options at Upcountry Brewing, with the weekly Bluegrass Jam starting at 7 p.m.

Pairing options include: • UpCo Mountain Lager with elote pizza, a play on the Mexican street food with charred corn, crumbled cotija cheese and chili-lime powder.

• Isoprene Hazy IPA with sticky beef ribs and sweet potato fries • Mangose with tangerine-chili shrimp salad and lime cilantro vinaigrette • TBA Porter with bacon jam breakfast burger For details, visit avl.mx/4yg.

LAGERS FOR LIFE 5-10 p.m. Burial Beer, 40 Collier Ave. Join the Burial Crew to celebrate Memorial Day with music, munchies and a double lager release. Cans of Innertube will be fresh off the can line and released alongside the fourth Ambient Terrain Lager, brewed in collaboration with Oxbow Brewing Co.

ROLL’N FOR BEERS: A BENEFIT FOR BLUE RIDGE ROLLERGIRLS FEATURING UNIHORN

MENTION MOUNTAIN XPRESS AD AND KEEP YOUR LOCAL BRANDED PINT GLASS.

6-10 p.m., Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave. By donation Hi-Wire’s flagship brews will be the spotlight as the Asheville Music Hall hosts an early evening of fun and fundraising for the Blue Ridge Rollergirls.

Asheville’s funk Frankenstein group, UniHorn, will jam as members from Dub Kartel, Empire Strikes Brass, Laura Reed and Deep Pocket and more set the stage for a fun night. Local and national beers will also be highlighted. Proceeds go to the Blue Ridge Rollergirls. This is an all-ages show.

BEER WEEK TRIVIA AT THE CASUAL PINT 6:30-9 p.m., The Casual Pint, 1863 Hendersonville Road Celebrating the camaraderie of the Asheville beer community, the Casual Pint and Hi-Wire Brewing will tag team for a “Friends”-themed AVL Beer Week trivia challenge. Prizes will include swag from Hi-Wire and The Casual Pint. There will also be a raffle for two general admission tickets to the Beer City Festival.

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BEER EVENTS

TUESDAY, MAY 29 SIERRA NEVADA PILOT BREWERY TOUR 2-3 p.m., Sierra Nevada Brewing, 101 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River, $20 In honor of Celebrate American Craft Beer Week (May 14-20) and AVL Beer Week, Sierra Nevada will offer a detailed tour of its pilot operation, where its 20-barrel Kaspar Schulz pilot brewing system creates “heartbreaker” and “audition” brews that are only available at the source.

Tour includes beer samples and a free empty growler. Open to ages 12 and older. RSVP required. Visit avl.mx/4yh.

BURIAL BEER CO. AND ONE WORLD BREWING AVL BEER WEEK BRETT IPA RELEASE 2-10 p.m., Burial Beer Co., 40 Collier Ave. To fully celebrate the spirit of Asheville, Burial will release a funky Brett IPA in collaboration with One World Brewing. This rustic, full-bodied IPA is brewed with a blend of pale barley, local wheat and lactose.

EXPLORING ARCHETYPES: Archetype Brewing co-owners Steve Anan, left, and Brad Casanova participate in this year’s AVL Beer Week IPA theme with the release the brewery’s The Explorer IPA on Friday, June 1. Photo by Cindy Kunst

SIERRA NEVADA TAILGATE MARKET AVL BEER WEEK FEATURE

BARLEYWINE RELEASE AT EURISKO BEER CO.

4-8 p.m., Sierra Nevada Brewing, 101 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River Brewers will demonstrate the process for creating Sierra Nevada’s signature Pale Ale in the parking lot during the Sierra Nevada Tailgate Market. The market takes place 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays on the brewery’s Mills River campus.

THIRSTY MONK AVL BEER WEEK FARMHOUSE IPA RELEASE AND PINT NIGHT 4-10 p.m., Thirsty Monk South, 2 Town Square Blvd.

Thirsty Monk Biltmore Park will release its Farmhouse IPA in celebration of AVL Beer Week. Tickets will also be available for the Not So Big BIG Beer Fest for the following evening. Every full pour of Farmhouse IPA comes with its own limited edition AVL Beer Week Thirsty Monk tulip glass.

‘FERMENTED’ BEER DINNER AT WHITE LABS 6-8:30 p.m., White Labs, 172 S. Charlotte St., $60

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For Vol. 3 of the Fermented Pairings Series, White Labs will host a fourcourse dinner featuring fermented foods, unique beers and a screening of the documentary film Fermented. For tickets, visit avl.mx/4xv. G

MALT TALK WITH RIVERBEND AT BHRAMARI BREWING 7-8 p.m., Bhramari Brewing Co., 101 S. Lexington Ave. Learn about artisanal malts with Riverbend Malt House. Sample a hot steep (malt tea) to experience all the flavor, color and aroma of different malt styles.

AVL BEER WEEK MEGA TRIVIA 8-10 p.m., Twin Leaf Brewery, 144 Coxe Ave. In addition to its weekly trivia, Twin Leaf Brewery hosts a MEGA monthly trivia event with double the prizes.

This month’s MEGA Trivia Night will celebrate AVL Beer Week with trivia for beer nerds and enthusiasts as well as pop culture history and more.

Competition is free and starts at 8 p.m. with Tuesday pitcher specials and food from Smash Box Kitchen.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30

4-10 p.m., Eurisko Beer Co., 255 Short Coxe Ave. Eurisko Beer debuts its first barleywine, Mops and Brooms. Expect notes of toffee, caramel, turbinado sugar and a hint of booze.

PINT NIGHT AT WESTVILLE PUB WITH OSKAR BLUES 5-8 p.m., Westville Pub, 777 Haywood Road Oskar Blues drafts are the focus of this Pint Night with surprise giveaways and brewery swag.

THIRSTY MONK’S NOT SO BIG BIG BEER FEST 5:30-9:30 p.m., Thirsty Monk Warehouse, 92 Thompson St., $12-20 The fifth annual small-scale beer festival features Haw River Farmhouse Ales, Founders Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Brewery Ommegang, Birds Fly South Ale Project, Allagash Brewing and more plus several unique beers curated by Thirsty Monk. Regular admission of $12 includes a souvenir Thirsty Monk Festival tasting glass and one Thirsty Monk 750-milliliter growler to go.

General admission tickets are avail-

able at the door without this special to-go growler. The $20 deluxe admission includes the previous perks plus three tokens redeemable for either beer pours or food. Tokens are available for $4 each, or three for $10 and can be redeemed for festival pours or food options. Tickets and details are available at avl.mx/4yi.

CRAWFISH BOIL WITH SIERRA NEVADA AT THE GREY EAGLE G 6-9 p.m., The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., $20 The Grey Eagle collaborates with its brewery of the month, Sierra Nevada, to celebrate AVL Beer Week with a crawfish boil on the patio plus live music. Proceeds benefit MountainTrue.

Open to all ages.

GAINING GROUND FARM DINNER G 6-9:30 p.m., Yesterday Spaces, 305 Sluder Branch Road, Leicester, $79 The annual Beer Week Farm Dinner will feature chef John Fleer of Rhubarb and chef Gene Ettison of the Green Opportunities Kitchen Ready program collaborating on a five-course beer and food pairing. Proceeds benefit Green Opportunities.

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BEER EVENTS SOUTH SLOPE BEER AND MUSIC PAIRING, ACT II

WHAT THE BRETT?!

BLIND BEER TASTING

6-8 p.m., Tasty Beverage Co., 162 Coxe Ave., Suite 101 Tasty Beverage, Burial Beer Co. and Hi-Wire Brewing will team up to pair tunes with beers from the participating breweries. First, Bryan Smith of Tasty Beverage, Tim Gormley of Burial and Chris McLain of Hi-Wire will choose songs to pair with three specialty beers from each brewery.

Following the curated portion of the event, guests will be able to put in requests for pairings.

6:00-8:30 p.m., Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Road, $15 Expect Brett, mixed-culture, barrelaged and everything in between during this blind taste test. Archetype brewers Steven Anan and Erin Jordan will describe each beer with house tasting notes then answer questions.

MEET THE BREWER AND BEER TRIVIA AT MILLS RIVER BREWERY 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mills River Brewery, 330 Rockwood Road, Arden Join Mills River Brewery for its first Meet the Brewer event. Master brewer and co-founder Joey Soukup and assistant brewers will host a special beer trivia for AVL Beer Week starting at 7 p.m.

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GUIDED FLIGHT TASTING AT BHRAMARI BREWHOUSE 7-8 p.m., 101 S. Lexington Ave. A guided flight tasting with certified cicerone Dan Allen. Learn how to experience and articulate all the flavors, aromas and mouthfeels of different styles of beer.

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT TWIN LEAF BREWERY 8-10 p.m., Twin Leaf Brewery, 144 Coxe Ave. Hosted by Thomas Yon, expect good beer, music, poetry and comedy at this open mic night.

BITES AND BREW: With AVL Beer Week food events, sometimes beer is paired with food, and sometimes it’s in the food. Photo courtesy of Asheville Brewers Alliance

= FOOD EVENT DANCE PARTY WITH UPCOUNTRY BREWING 9 p.m.-midnight, The Odditorium, 1042 Haywood Road The Odditorium will host an AVL Beer Week Dance Party where costume dress-up is encouraged. Theme to be announced. For details, visit avl.mx/4yj.

THURSDAY, MAY 31 SOUR BEER AND PICKLES PAIRING G All Day, Bhramari Brewhouse, 101 S. Lexington Ave. Discover new flavors with this pairing of a sour beer flight and a flight of the chef’s pickled vegetables. All day at the brewery.

3:30-7:30 p.m., Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Drive, Asheville Float participants will meet at the Cascade Lounge, 219 Amboy Road, at 3:30 p.m. sharp, then put in at Carrier Park to float down to the Salvage Station. Bring your own floating device or use one of Highland’s. At the end of the trip, expect Highland favorite brews plus some tasty one-off and specialty offerings.

11 a.m.-10 p.m., Hillman Beer, 25

4-8 p.m., Burial Beer, 40 Collier Ave. Six variations of Burial Beer’s Skillet Donut Stout will be paired in flights with six mini-doughnuts from Vortex Doughnuts. Cans of Skillet will be released for purchase in the taproom only.

Village for the special release of its sessionable British Gold.

MOUNTAIN XPRESS

HIGHLAND FLOATILLA

SKILLET SIX WAYS VORTEX DOUGHNUTS PAIRING G

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2018 AVL BEER WEEK OFFICIAL GUIDE

Noon-10 p.m., Catawba Brewing Co., 32 Banks Ave. and 63 Brook St. Catawba releases a new beer every Thursday through its Passport Loyalty Program. This week the brewery releases a thirst-quenching Hefeweizen at all four tasting rooms, including its South Slope and Biltmore Village locations in Asheville.

HILLMAN BEER BRITISH GOLD RELEASE Sweeten Creek Road

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SMALL BATCH HEFEWEIZEN RELEASE AT CATAWBA BREWING

BEER AND CUPCAKE FLIGHT PAIRING G

SMOKIES PINT NIGHT AT UPCOUNTRY BREWING

4-9 p.m., Craft Centric Taproom & Bottle Shop, 100 Julian Shoals Dr., Arden Cupcakes from 3 Eggs Bakery will be individually paired with four Asheville beers. For tickets, visit avl.mx/4z5

5-11 p.m., UpCountry Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road, Asheville Friends of the Smokies is the designated nonprofit for this special AVL Beer Week Pint Night. Ten percent of the sales of each Miracle Pint will be donated to this local charity. Live music from Dave Desmelik begins at 7 p.m. with no cover.

PLOW TO PLATE

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5:30-8:30 p.m., Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Drive, $60 Join Asheville Ale Trail, The American Pig and Asheville Date Night Guide for a flavorful evening featuring five tables, each hosting a North Carolina farm, chef and brewery.

Each table’s team will collaborate to serve a small plate highlighting locally grown ingredients paired with a craft brew. The event is designed to showcase the creativity and partnerships that make Western North Carolina’s culinary community one of the nation’s most celebrated. Profits from Plow to Plate will benefit Bounty & Soul, a local nonprofit dedicated to creating a health and wellness movement in underserved communities in Buncombe and McDowell counties. For tickets, visit avl.mx/4y0.

PIG ON A WIRE BARBECUE SAUCE COMPETITION G 5-7 p.m., Hi-Wire Brewing Big Top, 2 Huntsman Place Judging of the fourth annual Pig on a Wire Barbecue Sauce Competition presented by Luella’s Bar-B-Que and Hi-Wire Brewing is free and open to the public with live bluegrass and a specialty menu available from Luella’s. Winners will be announced at 7:30 p.m. Entries in the categories of tomato, mustard and anything “gose” (pun intended) will be evaluated by a panel of guest and celebrity judges. There is a limit of one entry per category. All entries must have Hi-Wire beer in the sauce.

Entries must be submitted by 6 p.m.

Tuesday, May 29. More details and registration information is available at avl.mx/4y1. Send questions to events@hiwirebrewing.com.

BEER DINNER AT HICKORY TAVERN G 5:30-7:30 p.m., Hickory Tavern, 30 Town Square Park Blvd., $40 Hickory Tavern will host a threecourse beer dinner with Oskar Blues Brewery. Further details not available at press time.

ARCHETYPE BREWING AND AUX BAR BEER DINNER G 6-9 p.m., AUX Bar, 68 N. Lexington Ave., $45 Four courses prepared by chefs Steve Goff and Mike Moore will be paired with some of Archetype’s signature brews. For more information, contact Jen Gordon at jen@ auxbar.com. Tickets are available at avl.mx/4y2.

MOUNTAINX.COM/BEERWEEK

THROWBACK THURSDAY WITH HIGHLAND BREWING AT FAIRVIEW TAVERN 7-11 p.m., Fairview Tavern, 831 Old Fairview Road Celebrate the ’90s with live band karaoke and a Highland Brewing Co. tap takeover featuring limited-release beers. Dressing up encouraged!

CRAFT KARAOKE AT TWIN LEAF BREWERY 9:30-11 p.m., Twin Leaf Brewery, 144 Coxe Ave. Elijah Wayne will host a night of karaoke and craft beer on the South Slope.

PISGAH BREWING AND THE FARM PRESENT: A PAIRING OF THE FINEST G 6-10 p.m., The Farm, 215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler, $55 The Farm’s on-site kitchen staff will offer a tapas menu expertly paired with beers from Pisgah Brewing Co. For details, visit avl.mx/4yk.

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BEER EVENTS

FRIDAY, JUNE 1

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

CATAWBA BREWING PEACH OF MIND PEACH GRISETTE RELEASE

UPCOUNTRY BREWING’S GRAND REOPENING PARTY

Noon-11 p.m., Catawba Brewing Co., 32 Banks Ave. Catawba will wrap up AVL Beer Week with the release of Peach of Mind Peach Grisette, inspired by the 19thcentury southern Belgium ales. Brewed with a generous portion of flaked wheat, then amplified by the addition of fresh South Carolina peaches during secondary fermentation, this refreshing session beer showcases the fruity esters of its farmhouse ale yeast strain.

Peach of Mind will be released within its five-state distribution on draft and in six-pack cans by the first week of June.

ARCHETYPE THE EXPLORER IPA RELEASE 1-11 p.m., Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Road This bold, brazen pale ale is hopped with a combination of fruity Mosaic, Azacca and El Dorado. With piney spice from Chinook hops and rye malt, it’s complex and bold with a 6.3 percent ABV.

HABITAT BREWING AND HOMEPLACE BEER CO. ABW COLLABORATION RELEASE 5 p.m.-midnight, Habitat Tavern & Commons, 174 Broadway Habitat Tavern & Commons and Homeplace Beer Co. have collaborated to create a Southeastern IPA for AVL Beer Week.

ONE WORLD TAP ATTACK AT TASTY BEVERAGE 5:30-7:30 p.m., Tasty Beverage Co., 162 Coxe Ave. Limited-release specialty beers on tap from downtown’s One World Brewing.

COLD WAR KIDS AT ORANGE PEEL WITH OSKAR BLUES 8-11:30 p.m., The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., $25-28 Cold War Kids will perform at The Orange Peel sponsored by Oskar Blues Brewery. Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m.

Tickets are available at avl.mx/4ym.

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All Day, UpCountry Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road Wrap up AVL Beer Week and celebrate the grand opening of UpCountry Brewing’s new tasting room and outdoor space with a full food menu, corn hole, outside bar and with live music all day from Asheville’s Virginia Dare Devils and Kaizen. No cover charge.

Friends, family and pets all welcome.

SEASONED SKILLET AND DIPA RELEASE 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Burial Beer, 40 Collier Ave. The release of Burial Beer’s annual batch of Seasoned Skillet, its bourbon barrel-aged Skillet Donut Stout, along with a surprise DIPA.

BEER CITY FESTIVAL Noon-5 p.m., Roger McGuire Green, 121 College St., $25-45 Asheville’s premier downtown craft beer festival brings the best local and regional breweries together for a great day of beer and music. This year’s event features over 30 breweries, all of which are members of the Asheville Brewers Alliance. Live music will also be part of the celebration. Tickets are available at avl.mx/4yn.

WEDGE BREWING FRENCH BROAD FLOAT AND CLEANUP 1-6 p.m., Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St.

Join Asheville GreenWorks, MountainTrue, 98.1 The River, and French Broad Outfitters at the Wedge at Foundation for the next great installment of the Riverkeeper Beer Series. Come ready to float, clean up our river and taste the release of the Riverkeeper Beer at the after-party. Participants will meet at the Wedge at Foundation to be shuttled to the Swannanoa River, where they will float back to the Wedge with boats full of trash. Boats and paddling gear are provided, but folks are welcome to bring their own. This section of river is flatwater and suitable for all paddlers. The first 10 folks to register will receive the 2018 Recover Brands Riverkeeper Beer Series shirt. Everyone will have a chance to win prizes from the Asheville Gear Builders for finding the weirdest trash, most tires, creepiest trash and best overall trash haul.

More details are at avl.mx/4yo.

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VENUES

AVL BEER WEEK

EVENT VENUES SOVEREIGN REMEDIES 29 N. Market St., 919-9518

SMOKY PARK SUPPER CLUB 350 Riverside Drive, 350-0315

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING 1127 Sweeten Creek Road, 575-2785

TASTY BEVERAGE CO. 162 Coxe Ave., 232-7120

THE CASUAL PINT 1863 Hendersonville Road, Suite 145, 385-4677

THE FARM 215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler, 667-0666

THE GREY EAGLE 185 Clingman Ave., 232-580

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO: From farms to bars to restaurants, AVL Beer Week events move beyond breweries to diverse locations, such as this 2015 Catawba Brewing Co. beer dinner at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. Photo courtesy of Asheville Brewers Alliance

THE ORANGE PEEL

12 BONES SOUTH

THE SOCIAL

CATAWBA BREWING CO., ASHEVILLE TASTING ROOMS

LEXINGTON AVENUE BREWERY 39 N. Lexington Ave., 252-0212

1078 Tunnel Road, 298-8780

63 Brook St., 424-7290, 32 Banks Ave., 552-3934

MILLS RIVER BREWERY

THIRSTY MONK

CRAFT CENTRIC TAPROOM & BOTTLESHOP

MCCORMICK FIELD

265 Haywood Road, 505-4177

100 Julian Shoals Dr., Unit 40, Arden, 676-0075

NEW BELGIUM BREWING

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE

3578 Sweeten Creek Road, 687-1395

ALOFT ASHEVILLE DOWNTOWN 51 Biltmore Ave., 232-2838

ARCHETYPE BREWING

31 Patton Ave., 255-7777

AUX BAR 68 N. Lexington Ave., 575-2723

APPALACHIAN VINTNER 745 Biltmore Ave., 505-7500

ASHEVILLE PIZZA AND BREWING CO. 77 Coxe Ave., 255-4077 675 Merrimon Ave., 254-1281

BHRAMARI BREWHOUSE 101 S. Lexington Ave., 214-7981

8 Beverly Road, 575-2880

EURISKO BEER CO.

330 Rockwood Road #103, Arden, 585-2396 30 Buchanan Place, 259-5800 21 Craven St., 333-6900

OAK & GRIST DISTILLING CO. 1556 Grovestone Road, Black Mountain, 357-5750

255 Short Coxe Ave., 774-5055

OMNI GROVE PARK INN

FAIRVIEW TAVERN

290 Macon Ave., 800-438-5800

831 Old Fairview Road, 505-7236

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY

HABITAT BREWING CO.

342 Mountain Industrial Drive, Brevard, 8832337

174 Broadway St., 484-6491

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. 12 Old Charlotte Highway, 299-3370

HICKORY TAVERN 30 Town Square Blvd., 684-0975

Biltmore Park, 2 Town Square Blvd., 687-3873, Downtown, 92 Patton Ave., 254-5470 Warehouse, 92 Thompson St.

THE WHALE CRAFT BEER COLLECTIVE 507 Haywood Road, 575-9888

TOP OF THE MONK 92 Patton Ave., 254 5470

TWIN LEAF BREWERY 144 Coxe Ave., 774-5000

UPCOUNTRY BREWING CO. 1042 Haywood Road, 575-2400

WEDGE BREWING CO.

150 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain, 669-0190

5 Foundry St., 253-7152 37 Paynes Way, 505-2792

POST 70

WICKED WEED

PISGAH BREWING CO.

1155 Tunnel Road, 298-9777

91 Biltmore Ave., 575-9599

POUR TAPROOM

WHITE LABS KITCHEN & TAP

2 Hendersonville Road, 676-2588

172 S. Charlotte St., 828-974-3868

25 Sweeten Creek Road, 505-1312

ROGER MCGUIRE GREEN

WESTVILLE PUB

HI-WIRE BREWING

Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville

777 Haywood Road, 225-9782

220 Amboy Road

2 Huntsman Place, 738-2448 197 Hillard Ave., 738-2448

SALVAGE STATION

YESTERDAY SPACES

466 Riverside Drive, 407-0521

305 Sluder Branch Road, Leicester, 777-6948

CASCADE LOUNGE

INNOVATION BREWING

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

ZEBULON ARTISAN ALES

219 Amboy Road, 232-7095

414 W. Main St., Sylva, 586-9678

100 Sierra Nevada Way, Fletcher, 681-5300

8 Merchants Alley, Weaverville

BURIAL BEER CO. 40 Collier Ave., 475-2739

CARRIER PARK

30

101 Biltmore Ave., 398-1837

2018 AVL BEER WEEK OFFICIAL GUIDE

HILLMAN BEER

MOUNTAIN XPRESS

PUZZLE XPRESS

edited by Sarah Boddy Norris

participatorydemocrossy@gmail.com

P I O U S A N D PA R C H E D

TAVERN

ACROSS

1. Feathers at Scandals 5. Quick goodbye on the Double D’s bus?

9. Notorious Ugandan leader 13. Hop-drying kiln 14. Three beers to two?

16. “Forbidden” Polynesian lager 17. Praise-lending addition to girl or boy 18. Arizona college town 19. 32-across, downstairs at 20+61 across 20. Parched part of a legendary pub (serving local 32-across upstairs) 22. Como te ____?

24. Expected score at Richmond Hills 25. “Who knows?!”

26. Element of One World Brewing logo 31. Wine popularized by Nina Simone?

32. 19-across, upstairs at 20+61 across 33. Request a treat?

36. Telephonic spelling aid 37. Readies a field 39. “Around” (prefix) 40. Revolutionary Turner 41. Frog friend 42. Moviehouse serving 32-across 43. Where to find Burial beer?

46. Oils a 61-across?

50. UNCA, in Bristol 51. Small part of the Arboretum?

52. Biggest fans of Twin Leaf Brewing?

57. Hot stage of a 25-down process 58. Delightful member of the Asheville Mushroom Club 61. Pious part of a legendary pub (serving Beligian 19-across downstairs) 62. Unrepeated 63. Releases 64. 55-down opposite 65. MTN Merch wares 66. Headlamp lights

Downtown on the Park Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio • 15 TV’s Sports Room • 110” Projector • Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

35 Beers on tap

l mostly local & regiona

Check out our NEW beer flight specials:

67. Old guy at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary?

DOWN 1. Wedge passerby?

2. Vow 3. Italian source of bubbly beverages 4. Lookout Observatory sight 5. “Rat” follower, on a door 6. Their homophone 7. Masc. counterpart 8. Post-32-across “move” 9. Tourist opportunity?

10. Disfigures 11. BB&T building reno element 12. Slowly consume a 32-across 15. Thinks better of?

21. Hopeful sort of building?

23. Mr. Cowardly Lion 25. Make 32-across 26. Construct a brewery itinerary 27. One White of White Labs 28. Landed 29. Artist Goldin 30. Abbey, for a 61-across

33. ___catcher Mountain 34. Home of Guiness, poetically 35. Overdo, lily-wise 37. Frances, for example 38. Dudes drinking Wee Heavy-er?

39. Expert at Biltmore Forest Country Club 41. Melt at Loretta’s 42. Dour 44. Handsome in the mountains 45. Sweet Blue Ridge metamorphic rock 46. 61-across boss 47. “___ here gets out alive” 48. Like a backyard wedding keg 49. 34-down and her neighbors 53. Apple introduced in 1998 54. Serving 19-across to a 20-year-old 55. 54-down opposite 56. Asheville Vaudeville offering 59. mountainx.com, e.g.

60. French in an obituary

WNC IPA FLIGHT

PACK’S PRIDE FLIGHT

Asheville Brewing Co. Shiva IPA Catawba Brewing Hop-ness Monster Green Man Trickster IPA Lost Province Citra IPA

Hi-wire Lager Pisgah Pale Ale Highland Gaelic Ale Asheville Brewing Co. Ninja Porter

Live music Thu-sun - never a cover!

20 s. sPruce sT. • 225.6944

PacksTavern.com

ANSWERS ON PAGE 55 OF MOUNTAIN XPRESS, 05.23.18

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