Asheville Brewing Company

slowbie

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Easiest to find brewery in Asheville.

Went in on a Thursday afternoon for lunch. Looks like they had some sort of buffet going on but we just ordered a pizza to be able to take some leftovers for the road. The pizza was very good.

The place was nearly empty at late lunch, but there was a group huddled at the bar to watch the ACC tournament which was going on at the time. Lots of records on the wall and enough TVs to see but I don't think any of them had the volume on. If they did, it wasn't obnoxiously loud.

Service was more than adequate but not outstanding. Our waitress checked on us enough and was able to give the style and a brief description for every beer.

The beer was good but not great. There was a good variety of taps and I enjoyed the beer I had (their DIPA).

Overall, this place is very solid but not great in every respect. A good stop to make for a meal in Asheville since most of the better stops we made didn't serve food. It also wasn't the cheapest stop in Asheville, although saying that just means it was slightly below average priced compared to every other brewery I've been to in other cities.

03-21-2011 18:36:16 | More by slowbie

BonneyfiddlePapa

Ohio

2.48/5  rDev -33.9%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$

Atmosphere: A counterculture/pseudo hipster pizza joint. The outside sitting area is actually rather nice, but that's about all Asheville Brewing Company has to offer.

Quality: While the service and beer were poor, the food was decent and reasonably priced. If you're interested primarily in food rather than drinks, there's definitely quality to be found.

Service: Weak. There were several long spells without contact, even though I was there at 3:00 in the afternoon, and one of a very few guests.

Selection: Seven beers on tap, including Shiva and Ashevillian. I had a flight, and all were average at best, with several being so tasteless and boring I didn't bother to finish them. Amongst the worse was their Ninja Porter that was so bland and watery I forced myself to try another sip as I couldn't believe my initial tasting.

Food: The food was good, but the beer very disappointing.

I visited Asheville having heard about the craft beer scene and could not have been more disappointed after making Asheville Brewing my first stop. It's not a brewery, but rather a restaurant that happens to brew a few beers as an aside. Thankfully two other breweries in town helped mitigate this first impression, but I certainly would not go back. Poor service and worse beer.

03-29-2013 16:53:02 | More by BonneyfiddlePapa

MarcatGSB

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

Asheville Brewing Company was our savior after a absolutely horrible experience at Green Man Brewing.
We were so happy to have the bartender greet us, respond to our requests for a beer, and actually converse with us a bit.
The beer was pretty good, nothing special. The Shiva was pretty solid. The atmosphere was what you would expect from a pizza joint. Unfortunately it wasn't really warm enough for us to sit outside, which looked like a really nice space. A good spot to chill and people watch.
A bit out of the "downtown" area, but well worth the 3 block walk. Probably one of my favorite stops in Asheville.

12-26-2012 19:00:55 | More by MarcatGSB

jfindley

New York

3.6/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $

We went here for snack before going out.

A - Fairly typical pizza place in the layout. We sat at the bar and then went outside to hang out with another pint. The outside space is huge and covered and definitely the biggest attraction.

Q - The food we got was good but the beer was just okay. The better options are the handful of rotating guest taps they have.

S - Service was good and attentive if not overly social.

S - ABC has their regular beers and a few seasonals. We got their Shiva IPA and a special dry hopped version of the Shiva Ratri. As it so happened I ended up having a Rocket Girl later at another venue. My impression is that their regular beers are just okay, but the better ones are one-offs or seasonal releases.

F - We had a couple appetizers that were good. The pizza looked good, and that is their thing, but we just happened to not try it.

Overall this is a decent place to hang out. The food is certainly an attraction but I get the impression that the beer is hit and miss. There are better options for beer, but if food is in your plans then this is worth a stop.

10-01-2012 00:14:49 | More by jfindley

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Two visits on Friday, one early afternoon and the other for dinner.

Atmosphere: Centrally located on Coxe, Asheville Brewing has a counterculter vibe that matches most of the city. Outdoor seating, and plenty of it, goes along with a few tables (maybe 20) inside along with a long L shaped bar area. We sat at the bar in the afternoon and in the inside dining area that night. The bathroom has at least one topless picture too, an added bonus.

Quality: Pizza is a specialty. Beers are plentiful although service is rather laid back. That takes some getting used to, especially for a hurried northerner.

Service: A little slow at times. During the afternoon visit, we had long spells without contact. Service improved at night, maybe a bit of a role reversal from what I expected.

Selection: Seven beers on tap, including Shiva and Shiva Ratri. All were good to average with the only stand out being Fire Escape Pale, a pale ale with jalapenos added. A fiery heat that builds up in your mouth - very nice. We also tried the super-hopped Shiva later that night (a special for AVL Beer Week) but it lacked focus.

Food: Pizza was quite good. Not quite Mellow Mushroom good but close.

05-29-2012 17:35:22 | More by akorsak

raszputini

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This is a great place to hang out. I'm just not the biggest fan of their brew. It's not that they don't brew good beer, it's just that there are better options in town. Regardless, they usually have all of their brews in circulation on tap and have a handful of guest taps. Their brews have a tendency to be a little less robust within the style than other options. More of a low-gravity, session type mentality. One cool thing is they are constantly tweaking their brews through mixing and infusions with things like Chili peppers. The atmosphere is super cool. The food options are rock solid, they have a lunch pizza buffet that rocks. There's a large outdoor area at the Coxe Avenue location to chill on a sunny day. They recently started marketing some of their brews in cans - including the Shiva IPA, which is one of their better offerings.

04-15-2012 18:06:43 | More by raszputini

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in here on my one night in Asheville on the way back home from Atlanta. Real laid back atmosphere, with more outdoor seating than indoor seating. There are a lot of...games here, like board games...and they've got cornholing too, so if you're into that, it's there. I came for the beer and a bite to eat. Six of their taps, and a guest (Victory Prima Pils, which I can get straight from the source at home). First off, Shiva IPA. It was OK, nothing outstanding. Next, Stuntman brown ale. Poured a lot lighter than I expected, and didn't have much going on. Finally, Ninja Porter. Wasn't very roasty, a little watery. So for the beer, I wasn't too impressed. The other three taps were an extra special pale, the same beer dry hopped with brewed with jalapenos, and a light lager. As for the food, it was solid. They're known for their pizza, but I went with a calzone with chorizo and bacon. It was very tasty, and the dough was phenomenal. New York-esque, if you will. Service was excellent, as the bartender (who's name slips my mind) was very polite and made sure my pint was never empty, and had a couple of nice conversations with. The tab was cheap, as I got out of there for 30 bucks for three beers, the calzone, and two pint glasses. I'd recommend if, but the beer isn't stellar.

08-20-2011 03:59:21 | More by bigfnjoe

chinchill

South Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited during the city's large street festival, Bele Cher, so the pub was no doubt busier than usual even at a mid-afternoon time. BTW, this located just around the corner from Craggie Brewing, so with some self-control one can easily visit both establishments.

It was exceptionally hot out, so we sat inside which has AC. The gentleman next to us recommended that we eat here, and praised his quesidilla. I had a delicious vegetarian lasagna while my wife ordered Nacho Libre Burger that was fantastic ... One of the best burgers I've ever tasted (thanks in part to the delicious queso).

Seating is available at the curved bar, in two separate rooms, at a counter separating the two room, and in a large covered outside seating area. These provided not only a good number of seats, but lots of different seating options. There are enough flat screen TV panels to make watching easy from most seats, but not so many that they were hard to ignore. Somewhat loud inside when full, as it was during our visit.

Perhaps associated with the current keg shortage, a sign announced that kegs were not available at the moment, implying that they are at other times.

Service was friendly, but a bit slow, being stretched by the crowd.

They had 7 beers available, including 1 guest tap (a Foothills?). Pints were reasonably priced but I went for the sampler at a very acceptable $6.50 for 5 samples I'd estimate were 4.5 - 5 oz. size. The waitress goofed and brought me the ESB on the tray rather than the IPA but this was fortuitous since the ESB was extraordinary and I have had the IPA before. Like many places in Asheville, a friendly atmosphere and great for people watching.

Highly recommended.

07-31-2011 18:43:40 | More by chinchill

Fillpott

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +14.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

My wife and 18mo daughter visited ABC after we didn't find food at Craggie. I figured that this would be a trendy place that served mediocre food and beer, but I was wrong. The wait staff were very helpful and knowledgeable, and the food was very good and affordable. I am not a fan of low-alcohol lagers, but their Rocket Girl was a very tasty session beer that would have received a second look if it wasn't for the Fire Escape Bitter (jalapeno-infused) bitter. Our waitress thought about the best way to serve hot pizza with a hyper-active kid in the way, and she even gave us helpful tips eating the pizza without flipping it on ourselves. Seems like a benign fact, but most staff would have avoided the chaos of our table at similar establishments. After three beers and a satisfying, jumbo pizza for under $40, we put this as one of our top places in Asheville.

05-28-2011 05:17:53 | More by Fillpott

ClarkPinnock

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

The atmosphere was certainly unique-painted bookshelves adorned the walls with classics painted on them. Large murals covered the other walls.

The prices were very reasonable and the pizza was pretty ok. My main beef with them is that they did not have other half the beers on their tap list. All the ones I had wanted to try were off. Very disappointing.

They redeemed themselves in a small way by offering a jalapeno infused beer which was, as one would expect, spicy. Their stuntman ale was good as well.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. Certainly outside of the mainstream pizza and beer offerings.

05-23-2011 15:23:43 | More by ClarkPinnock