In MY neighborhood? It’s more likely than you think! A couple evenings ago, I was taking some folks out on a pub crawl, and we made our way into Thirsty Monk, the local Belgian craft brew bar. My customers were thrilled with the atmosphere and exotic selection, and as usual, I allowed them time to look at the menu and discuss their options before I scanned for my own choice. I gave two of them recommendations for Delirium Nocturnum and Tremens, while their friend chose a Stella. I took the menu in hand and scanned to the bottom where the rare beers were (some of them are only on draft in this particular bar for one week per year). One beer caught my eye immediately, and caused me to do a double take…

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Back in June, Charlie Papazian, a well known and respected beer expert in the US of A, conducted an online poll to decide which city will be titled ‘Beer City, USA’

After more than 16,000 votes, there was more or less a tie for first, between Portland, Oregon and Asheville, North Carolina. Charlie opted to make both cities winners, and more or less decided on one being Beer City West Coast, and the other being Beer City East Coast. Now, I don’t know a whole lot of Portland beers, but I do know Rogue, and I find it to be rather delicious. On the other hand, being born and raised and currently still living in Asheville, I have the breweries here practically on speed-dial. The results of the poll were not really a surprise to me, as I have long considered Asheville to have the best beer in the world. I say with conviction to many of my Pub Crawl customers, that our primary micro-breweries here can go toe-to-toe with the best breweries in the world. These staples of Asheville beer-culture are as follows:

Highland Brewing Company – The original Asheville micro-brewery.

Pisgah Brewing Company – Maker of my favorite beer that I have ever tried, the Valdese Coffee Stout.

French Broad Brewing Company – Maker of one of the finest Porters I’ve tasted.

Asheville Brewing Company – Maker of my favorite Scottish ale.

Wedge Brewing Company – Maker of the only Pale Ale I drink, and my favorite Belgian Wit.

And those are just the ones within fifteen miles of downtown Asheville! We also have opening up here in the near future, Craggy Brewing Company and Lexington Avenue Brewery. I have tasted some Craggy concoctions, and have found them to be quite appealing in the true Asheville fashion.

But considering that this is the last day of July, the Charlie Papazian poll is old news. It is simply brought up because recently there was another poll, this one from Imbibe Magazine, to decide which city has the best craft beer in the country. Once again, Asheville and Portland came out on top, but this time, Asheville had more than triple the votes of Portland. Granted, there was not an incredibly high turn out for the vote, only 740 total.

Regardless, it shows that Asheville is gaining more and more notoriety as one of the premiere beer cities in the country, if not the world.

Featuring prominently in Charlie’s poll is great, but winning in Imbibe, one of the leading print magazines in the country for the alcohol culture, is phenomenal. The next time I go out, I will be grabbing a local draft, and the toast will be to you, Asheville. Congratulations on being Beer City, USA. May you hold the title for many years to come.

Beer Ya'll

Recently I was treated to a viewing of the new film Beer Ya’ll by Curt and Will Arledge. The film’s motto is “Beer. Rock & Roll. North Carolina” (trust me, this describes it very effectively) and details the July 2008 trip seven friends made across North Carolina to tour 27 microbreweries and brewpubs, ranging from the mountains to the coast in a seat-less cargo van. “Beer Y’all follows their nine days of hanging out with brewers, partying at rock shows, and drinking many, many beers as they celebrate friendship, music, and a Southern microbrewing explosion,” their website states. But fortunately for those interested in craft-brewing, there is quite a bit more “meat on the bone” with regard to the way this film portrays the cultural aspects of the fine art of brewing beer, and in addition to learning a lot, those who view this film stand to gain a bit of worldly perspective that has been growing in the mountains and foothills of NC for the last few decades.

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Perhaps the distorting effects of the beer goggles helped the parking area appear to be ten feet closer to the liquor store wall...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Normally, this kind of story doesn’t really have to rely on commentary from those of us at Culture of Spirits, and instead would have been filtered over to the RECENT HEADLINES section. However, the extraordinary serendipity exhibited here warranted an actual post, since this is close to being one of those “dumb criminal” stories; I say so, specifically, due to the vivid illustration we’re given of the obvious dangers of drinking while under the influence. Like the chemist drowning in a huge vat of his own toxic concoction, or Batman suffocating under a mountain of guano, in this story, synchronicity strikes, perhaps a bit harder than usual.

As reported by Tacoma, Washington’s News Tribune, “a suspected drunken man trying to get more alcohol crashed his car into an Edgewood liquor store Tuesday, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. The 52-year-old man pulled into the state-run liquor store about 11 a.m. and, unable to stop, crashed the car through the front of the store, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.”

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Australia, as seen from a little higher up than your potential flight may take you.

Arguably, one of the most appealing things about being a frequent flier is the ability for one to enjoy cocktails while traveling without having to be concerned about getting DUIs and other nice law enforced punishments for imbibing prior to operating a vehicle. Of course, most airlines charge something akin to five bucks per pony bottle of spirits, in addition to whatever soft drink you may want to mix it with. However, this may not be the case for passengers en route to the land-down-under.

Up until recently, Qantas Airlines has been the only carrier to offer unlimited free alcoholic drinks on their flights from Los Angeles to Sydney route, since all other major US airlines have removed such services in years past. However, Delta airlines has now decided that following suite with the provision of free alcohol may help them garner attention from long-distance travelers, by offering free beer and wine on their flights.

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Look out, ya’ll: it appears that Kid Rock is hoping to stimulate the poor economy with a Michigan-based beer brand of his own design. Conrad Doucette of Maxim Magazine tells us “The beer will be ‘an American lager’ and will be suitable for parties, Pistons games, and BBQs all summer long. Snobby sots need not apply!” What this translates to is “Kid Rock plans to bottle a Budweiser-clone in the center of the failing auto industry capital of the world.”

There are both good and bad elements here. The good has to do with the help this may provide in the way of jobs in the Michigan area. The down side: it’s questionable whether any amount of rejoicing that dozens of Michiganders will be getting these jobs will outweigh the tears many of us will cry in our craft brews at the notion of a “Kid Rock brand beer.”

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