Bruisin' Ales

Cyberkedi

Georgia

5/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I visited this during a beer mini-tour of North Carolina. You walk in the place, and immediately you know that you are in a truly world-class beer store. There is ONLY beer, and only GOOD beer - nary a drop of industrial cat p***. It is rather small, but this lends a cozy, boutique atmosphere to it. Sure, it can get a bit tight when crowded, but the personnel are very helpful and latch on to you. They are friendly but not overly so, and the man who helped me was more than happy to steer me towards the best North Carolina beers. They have a ginormous selection of Belgians and a couple shelves dedicated entirely to local brews, nearly all of which I have not seen anywhere else.

One more item crossed off my beer bucket list!

12-28-2011 20:43:10 | More by Cyberkedi

mrw1zard

Alabama

4.91/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Stopped in while in Asheville to pick up some things I can't get at home. I actually emailed them in advance to make sure some of what I wanted would be in stock. A quick reply later and I was all set. Ending up going twice while in town to grab some more for home. Great service all the way around. Definitely will be back!

05-13-2013 17:00:29 | More by mrw1zard

NastyNate11

North Carolina

4.79/5  rDev +2.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | $$$

Definitely the nicest place in town. Totally focused on beer, no wine or snacks. Thursday night tastings. Service is great, they get just about all special releases and the shop is always well stocked. Prices are a little higher compared to other shops in town. Must stop shop for out of towners.

05-10-2013 15:59:20 | More by NastyNate11

MarcatGSB

Michigan

4.14/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Lots of buzz about this place. I've read all the reviews, but I wanted to check it out for myself.
As mentioned in previous reviews, it's small, but I would not say its "cramped". I felt like I had plenty of room to stand back and take in their well stocked shelves.
Their selection covers just about everything under the sun, with a good representation of South Atlantic goodies, and most all NC brews you can get.
They have a little tap station that sells a couple beers at a time, and the prices for sample size glasses were very affordable.
Staff was very friendly (not the owner), initiated conversation with us, asked if we needed help, and didn't bother us too much. He was very energetic, a bit in your face.
They were my final bottle stop in Asheville, and I did notice that the prices were a dollar or two higher than the other places I had visited. Prices are prices, it's not easy to stock a store like they have.
Definitely a very solid bottle shop. Nothing mind blowing. I'd stop again if every in town.

12-26-2012 15:05:55 | More by MarcatGSB

goatsby

Florida

3.79/5  rDev -18.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

Based on previous review I had high expectations for Bruisin' Ales, which was my downfall. As others have said the place is small, but there is a lot of ground covered. Unfortunately most of what they had I can find in south Florida so there were not any revaluations for me, and their Founders stock was low (actually better at Asheville Wine Market down the street). The thing that kept me from stocking up was the very high prices, definately the highest in Asheville. Guess it was a good thing that this was my last stop as I got to visit most of the other places before this and get what I wanted elsewhere at a savings. But this place had beers I did not see anywhere else in Asheville; Ballast Point, Stone, and a few others. Do your homework before buying here, but bring the bank for the stuff they have.

11-14-2012 02:09:46 | More by goatsby

JosephThompson

New Jersey

3.66/5  rDev -21.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

Came to this place off a lot of hype both on here and through their adverts in nearly any beer magazine. I found a very good store but not one I would consider upper echelon.

It's a smaller space but still packs a good sized selection. Majority of selection I'm fortunate to see up in Jersey so my focus was mostly on the Carolina products. Was my first stop in Asheville so only picked up Foothills People's Porter and Highland Mocha Stout as I knew I'd try most anything else at the breweries/taverns later.

My disappointment came in finding out that Bruisin charges more than most any other place in Asheville so to see that downgrades my visit a bit. Did pick up a Weyerbacher 15 which has been long gone in Jersey but as good as that is it's likely emblematic of my visit being a bit underwhelming.

Also, one last note, the man behind the counter was very nice in telling me where he normally drinks but his information was wildly inaccurate. I was there on a Tuesday and he told me to expect most everything to be quieted down by 10 P.M. which I chuckled about as I ordered my last pint just after 1 A.M. Wednesday morning.

09-28-2012 16:44:58 | More by JosephThompson

adam42381

Florida

4.8/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

The wife and I were in Asheville recently after going to Bonnaroo and I decided that we had to stop by Bruisin' Ales based on the reviews I had read on BeerAdvocate. The place didn't disappoint. They had an excellent selection of beers that we don't get in Fort Myers, FL. I ended up buying a few Founders brews along with Hopsickle from Moylan's and something from Fantome. I would definitely recommend stopping by Bruisin' Ales if you're in the Asheville area. It's easily one of the best beer stores we've ever visited.

06-26-2012 21:31:51 | More by adam42381

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -14.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Post-dinner on Saturday at Mellow Mushroom and Bruisin' is right down the street.

Atmosphere: Another eclectic space, wide open front window, narrow entrance and then beer beer and more beer. Coolers immediately on entrance and singles galore after that. Asheville has its share of cute-looking shops and this is no exception.

Quality: A little busy on a Saturday night. Nice staff and price stickers on everything - always a nice touch.

Service: I was given a tour of the local NC beers, including several rather unusual specimens that made it into my cart.

Selection: A good to better than good selection. Highlights included a barrel aged beer from OBBS. Sure its the other side of the state but impressive nonetheless. I also found a hidden Stillwater that I had been looking for. A good selection but the store isn't big enough to have a great selection. I will shop there again though.

Food: N/A

05-29-2012 13:27:24 | More by akorsak

raszputini

North Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

This place has a great atmosphere, including a little tasting bar used to host events sometimes. The folks are very knowledgeable and cool to chat with. The selection is incredible - a lot of limited editions, rarer stuff and representations of every style. The only drawback is that in a town like Asheville there are a lot of places with solid beer/ale selection, and Bruisin Ales is slightly more expensive than many of the other options for items carried elsewhere. You're paying for the selection, and I'm OK with that, but if I can buy something else, I often do.

04-15-2012 17:43:07 | More by raszputini

JCaweinstein

Ohio

4.23/5  rDev -9.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Very cool atmosphere in downtown Asheville. The building was older which added to the feel of the place. It was fairly small but the space is utilized nicely. I was here for local beers only and there was a fantastic selection of NC brews. Was only there for 15 minutes and got very good service. The only thing is I thought I paid too much for my mixed 6 pack, bomber, and snifter. Like the terminator however, I will be back. They did not have food available but I did notice a growler fill station.

03-31-2012 17:54:19 | More by JCaweinstein