Breweries & Taprooms

Pisgah Brewing Company brews its beer on US Highway 70 in Black Mountain, east of Asheville, and its website says the brewery was founded in 2005. Pisgah Pale Ale is the flagship, and the site says organic grain is still used as the base of all its beers. The brewery doubles as a music venue. Its taproom has a stage that runs year round, with jams and trivia nights on the calendar, and in summer and fall it hosts ticketed concerts on an outdoor stage set in an 8-acre meadow. Food trucks rotate in for the outdoor shows. According to its website, Pisgah beer is distributed in North and South Carolina. The site says well-behaved, supervised kids and dogs are welcome in the field during regular bar hours, but dogs are not allowed at ticketed events.

Botanist & Barrel Asheville is the downtown tasting bar for Botanist & Barrel Cidery & Winery, which also makes DeFi Wines. It sits on Broadway Street in Asheville, and its website describes the tasting bar as a playful indoor space where everyone is welcome. The cidery and winery make ciders and wines from local fruit, such as heirloom apples, muscadines and blueberries, grown on its own farm or sourced from neighboring farms. According to the site, the drinks are wild-fermented, unfiltered, gluten-free and unpasteurized. The company also runs a winery and farm in Cedar Grove, with its own events and an Airbnb farm stay. The site says reservations are not needed for parties of seven or fewer. Bottles can be bought and shipped online, and the company offers cider and wine clubs, gift cards and an events calendar for Asheville.

The Whale: A Craft Beer Collective is a craft beer bar on Haywood Road in West Asheville, tucked behind Haywood Common. According to its website, it focuses on hand-picked craft beers from around the world, plus "Whale Exclusive" brews made with local and regional breweries. The bar has indoor and patio seating, and it is dog-friendly. Food is available through the neighboring Haywood Common Kitchen. Its website lists recurring events such as Tiny Art Tuesday, trivia nights, featured tap takeovers and live music. It also says the bar partners with local nonprofits each month.

Green Man Brewery has been brewing in Asheville since 1997, according to its website, and describes itself as one of North Carolina's original breweries. It focuses on traditional English-style ales alongside newer experimental beers. The brewery has two taprooms on Buxton Avenue. Dirty Jack's is described as the first brewery taproom on the South Slope, with TVs, dart boards and a covered outdoor patio, and a regulars-and-dogs kind of vibe. The Green Mansion is a three-story building with a packaging hall, a "brewtique" and a top-floor indoor and outdoor taproom that overlooks production and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The site also lists draft and cocktail menus, a food page, a shop and private event booking.

Leveller Brewing Co. is a small brewery and taproom on North Main Street in Weaverville. Its website says the name comes from the Levellers, a 17th century English group of agrarian radicals, and that the owners see beer as a farm product at heart. The taps rotate weekly and have recently included a Helles lager, a pale ale, saisons, a Czech-style dark lager and a red ale. The taproom also pours natural wines, local cider and non-alcoholic drinks, and it sells snacks such as olives, pimento cheese and tinned fish. Outside food is allowed. The indoor seating area is small and the covered patio has vines overhead. Leashed dogs and children are welcome, and the brewery says it sells wool goods from its own sheep.

Cellarest Beer Project is a brewery and taproom on Haywood Road in West Asheville. Its website gives a founding date of February 2020 and says the project grew out of a 2018 camping trip in the Blue Ridge mountains among three friends from the North Carolina beer world. The brewery focuses on farmhouse-inspired ales and lagers, and it ferments beer in wooden barrels. The taproom pours house-made beer along with wine, cider and seltzers. For people avoiding gluten, the FAQ says it also offers cider, wine and kombucha, and uses a brewing aid that it says helps remove most of the gluten from its beer. It is a relaxed spot. The site says it welcomes supervised kids and leashed dogs, allows outside food, keeps small bar snacks on hand, and can be reserved for private events. Artists and musicians are invited to get in touch about using the space.

Archetype Brewing is a brewery and taproom on Haywood Road in West Asheville. Its website describes the space as a neighborhood meeting place, with a sunny, plant-filled taproom, covered patios and a rooftop deck, plus board games, a jukebox and couches. The drink list goes beyond beer. According to the site, it includes house-made beers and hard seltzers, cocktails, wine, ciders, kombucha and non-alcoholic and gluten-free options. The brewing approach leans toward lagers, farmhouse ales and mixed-culture beers, with local ingredients used where possible. Food comes from the restaurants in the shared Beacham's Curve courtyard, and the site explains how to order it to your table. Archetype also lists weekly taproom events and private event hosting.

White Labs Asheville is a brewpub and taproom at 172 S Charlotte Street. It pairs house beer with a wood-fired pizza menu. According to its website, the taproom pours flights and pints and sells beer to go in cans and growlers. The kitchen makes Neapolitan-style pizza with a slow-risen dough, and the site lists a Sunday brunch. The space is family-friendly, with non-alcoholic drinks available, and private areas can be booked for tastings, rehearsal dinners and group gatherings.

Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden and Distribution Center is one of Hi-Wire Brewing's Asheville locations, on Lyman Street in the River Arts District. It combines a taproom and a large outdoor beer garden with the company's distribution center. Hi-Wire says it has brewed in Asheville since 2013, and its taprooms pour 20 or more beers. The RAD location is described as an open-air space with local food trucks on site daily. Games and activities listed there include pickleball courts, golf simulators and pool tables from Ace & Eagle Urban Sports Club, and e-bike tours with The Flying Bike start from the space. Hi-Wire also has a South Slope taproom and a Biltmore Village production facility with a taproom, so check that you are heading to the right location.

Hillman Beer is a craft brewery on Sweeten Creek Road in south Asheville, near Biltmore Village. According to its website, it is a small, family-owned business that opened its Asheville location in April 2017. The site describes a pub-style brewery experience, with a kitchen serving food. The site says the brewery hosts events and sells gift cards. Dogs are welcome in the brewery as long as they are leashed, quiet and well behaved. The Hillmans also run a second location in Old Fort, which opened in July 2020. Check the website for the current beer list, menu and events.

Highland Brewing Company is a craft brewery on Old Charlotte Highway in Asheville. According to its website, it was founded in 1994 and is Asheville's first brewery. Its 40-acre Highland Station campus combines a working production brewery with a taproom and outdoor space. The taproom pours year-round beers, seasonal releases and small-batch beers made for the property. The site says food trucks are on site daily and lists live music four nights a week. It says families are welcome and describes a supervised natural playground. The website has a 21-and-older age check. The campus also has a disc golf course and sand volleyball courts. Tours and reservations are listed, and private event spaces include an Event Center, Rooftop, Barrel Room and reservable Silo Cabanas.