It’s Friday and also International Beer Day – a.k.a. the perfect excuse to start making your after work brewery plans. Asheville has over 30 breweries (see the full list here ) which means the options are practically endless.
While we all have our go-to brewery (and usually our go-to beer), it’s nice to venture out and make a change every once in a while. That is why we used the ever-so-helpful geosocial networking app Untappd , which allows you to check into breweries, list and rate beers, earn badges, keep up with what your friends are drinking + more.
So, we logged on and checked out the highest rated beer for 15 favorite local breweries. And, because some of the no. 1 picks are seasonal, we also recommend another year-round staple.
You can consider this your #MustTry beer list. Because we all know the options can be overwhelming. And, if you’re already a beer connoisseur or an Untappd medalist, share this with a pal or two who would love to try some of these beers out for themselves.
Micro Brewery |📍1288 Charlotte Hwy., Fairview | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Strawberry Sour Blonde | Sour-Ale | 6 % ABV | ⭐ 4.25
Kettle sour fermented on 20lbs of fresh strawberries per barrel with Madagascar vanilla bean, and dry hopped with Huell Melon + Belma hops.
*Try the Chai White IPA beer.
Nano Brewery |📍8 Merchants Alley, Weaverville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Framboze | Sour-Ale | 6.8 % ABV | ⭐ 4.48
Cultured in Chardonnay + Pinot noir oak barrels for 8 months.
*Try the House Saizon for a year-round beer.
Macro Brewery |📍147 Coxe Ave., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Red Angel | Sour-Ale | 7 % ABV | ⭐ 4.40
Aged in red wine barrels + blended with 1.5 pounds per gallon of raspberries (a total of 11 months and 1 ton of fruit).
*Try the Napoleon Complex for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery |📍870 Riverside Dr., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Imperial Stout | Stout | 10 % ABV | ⭐ 4.17
With smokey and chocolate notes.
*Zillicoah just recently opened and is along the French Broad.
Micro Brewery |📍40 Collier Ave., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Out of Body Experience DIPA | IPA | 8.5 % ABV | ⭐ 4.30
Made with mango, coconut, + lactose and double dry-hopped with Citra + Azacca.
*Try the Ceremonial or Shadowclock for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery |📍255 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Mop Shackled | Strong Ale | 11.6 % ABV | ⭐ 4.18
2/3 Tap-Shackled Imperial Stout, 1/3 Mops + Brooms Barleywine.
*Try the Coffee Porter or Abbey for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery |📍829 Riverside Dr. #100, Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Fall Harvest | Ginger Beer | 4.7% ABV | ⭐ 4.04
Features cinnamon basil, anise hyssop, dried pumpkin from Rayburn Farms + organic cinnamon.
*Try the Lime Agave or Original for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery |📍147 First Ave., Hendersonville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Hop Pig | IPA | 7.2 % ABV |⭐ 3.88
West Coast style IPA with a big citrus nose, followed with orange, citrus rind + grapefruit flavors.
*Try the for Bobby Brown for another a year-round beer.
National Brewery |📍 21 Craven St., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Super India Pale Ale | IPA | 9 % ABV | ⭐ 4.05
Tropical + citrus tones of the American hops dominate the flavor of the copper-colored beer.
*Try the Fat Tire or Citradelic for a year-round beer.
National Brewery |📍100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout | Stout | 12.9 % ABV | ⭐ 4.26
Deliciously dark Imperial Stout aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels.
*Try the Pale Ale or Otra Vez for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery |📍24 huntsman Place, Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Blackberry Sour | Sour-Ale | 8.2 % ABV | ⭐ 4.13
This beer was aged in rye whiskey, red wine + N.C. rum barrels (a total of 18 months).
*Try the Hi-Wire Lager or Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery |📍77 Coxe Ave., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Carolina Mountain Monster | Stout- Imperial | 12.8 % ABV | ⭐ 4.20
Full of chocolate, coffee, vanilla bean + dark fruit notes.
*Try the Lemon Space Dog or Ninja Porter for a year-round beer.
Regional Brewery |📍32 Banks Ave., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: White Zombie Ale | Witbier | 5.1 % ABV |⭐ 3.58
Coriander and orange peel notes give a fruity + spicy character, while the hops are subtle and lightly detected.
*Try the White Zombie or Black Dome for a year-round beer.
Regional Brewery |📍12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Black Watch | Stout-Imperial Milk | 8 % ABV | ⭐ 4.20
Combines more than 100 pounds of cacao nibs with five malts, roasted barley, and flaked oats for a rich dark chocolate finish.
*Try the Gaelic Ale or AVL IPA for a year-round beer.
Micro Brewery | 📍23 Buxton Ave., Asheville | Hours
Popular Rated Beer: Bootsy | Sour-Ale | 9 % ABV | ⭐ 4.42
Strong, sour, black ale that was aged in magic funk barrels for over a year.
*Try the Green Man Porter or ESB for a year-round beer.
There are plenty of beer amazing beers in Asheville. Just searching for each brewery’s beer ratings on Untappd I was impressed to see how many were given over 3.5 stars. My personal favorite is Hi-Wire’s seasonal 10W-40 Imperial Stout – talk about vanilla, chocolate + coffee goodness.
Have another beer + brewery combo you think should be on the list? Comment below or tag us in a pic of your favorite brew on Instagram or Facebook . And hey, get ready Highland fans, Cold Mountain will be out for the season before you know it.
We’re all about the fun of living in Beer City USA.🍻
Cheers to Friday!