Being a recent beer and Asheville enthusiast, a couple of co-workers, the gf and I headed up to Asheville this past (rainy) weekend to check out the Brews Cruise. $40 = a tour of 3 local Asheville breweries, generous samples and a van ride from brewery to brewery.
First stop was Oyster House Brewing Company http://www.oysterhousebeers.com/, a small half keg brewery set up right behind the bar of the Lobster Trap http://thelobstertrap.biz/. We sampled a 12 oz glass of their I.P.A. as well as a 4 oz glass of their Pale Ale. Both were what I would consider above average. They provided us with several plates of oysters on the half shell, which I must admit, really sold me on the place. Next time I am in Asheville I will definitely check the place out, especially since they did not provide samples of the Moonstone Stout, their signature beer which is filtered through 5 lbs of Moonstone oysters, depositing flavors from the salt and minerals of the oysters into the light bodied stout (a tradition supposedly borrowed from enterprising Irish and British breweries seeking to distinguish themselves from other beer producers). Seasonally, they also have a much sought after chili beer!! I have been on a quest for the stuff since I tried it at a friend's house ages ago. The stuff I had tried was a home brew but, according to our guide, the Oyster House's is awesome.
Next we headed to the French Broad Brewing Company http://www.frenchbroadbrewery.com/, maker of one of my favorite beers of all time, Wee-heavier Scotch Ale. It is both delicious and a heavy-weight champion, weighing in at 7% ABV. We received about a million samples at this place, which is why there are no pictures. The assistant brew-master provided a lot of information about brewing specifics (which I couldn't make much sense of) and the ethos of the French Broad Brewing Company (which I could appreciate).
We ended the tour at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company http://ashevillebrewing.com/archived%20old%20site/index.html where our stomachs were soothed with some good eats washed down with some good brews. The Shiva I.P.A. is pretty awesome, as well as the Houdini extra special pale ale.
At this point even the food could not save us from the downward spiral of beer consumption, so we headed to the Craggie Brewing Company http://craggiebrewingco.com/ to sample their wares. Nothing too remarkable there, but then again, nothing repugnant either.
