On Jan. 1, Christopher Arbor and his friends pledged to visit one Asheville brewery each week for all of 2025 in the order that they opened, then share the experience with Mountain Xpress readers. To read about their recent trip to Sierra Nevada, visit avl.mx/eqr. (This week’s column was co-written by Alan West.)
I recently spent a few days down in the Florida Keys. You know what Key West has that Asheville breweries don’t? A lot of drunk people.
Your mileage may vary, but in my decades of going to local breweries, I’ve never once seen someone fall over, vomit, pick a fight with me or drunkenly hit on me. But in Key West? All four things happened simultaneously, and that was before I even left the airport.
A couple of weeks ago, someone asked in an Asheville Facebook group which local breweries are most kid-friendly. The responses were divisive (hey, it’s the internet). Some people offered helpful suggestions, such as Whistle Hop Brewing Co., Turgua Brewing and Mills River Brewing Co.
Other people took two very different but similarly aggressive stances against bringing kids to breweries: 1) Alcohol is evil, and we need to protect our children from it; or 2) children are evil, and we need to protect our alcohol from them.
Apparently, those criticizing the questioner have had very different life experiences than I have. Sure, there are seedy bars, and some festivals have questionable characters. But breweries are a different, tamer beast.
The closest thing I ever saw to a fight was when I heard an out-of-owner refer to a beer as “crushable,” and his friends all lambasted him. “Bruh, it’s craft beer. You don’t crush it. You sip it.”
Take Mills River Brewing Co., for example, where our group met up in mid-April. There are a lot of adjectives that I’d used to describe it, but “seedy” isn’t one of them. It’s as wholesome as a family cookout.
Tucked into the rolling greenery of Mills River, the brewery footprint is impressive — a sprawling space that feels like a nature retreat or family summer camp. Indoors, there’s room aplenty for large gatherings or solo sipping. But the real magic happens outside, where our crew set up for the evening.
There’s a covered bar, fire pits, patio seating and picnic tables stretching as far as the eye can see — some tucked under trees on the hill, others near the heart of the action. The beer is delicious and leans toward the lighter side while remaining fully flavored. A robust, hazy IPA at only 4.5% ABV? Yes, please.
No one there was “hammered,” “plastered,” “poop-faced,” “tanked,” “loaded” or “lit.”
In fact, “toasted” and “sauced” are adjectives I’d use only to describe the ridiculously good chicken sandwich I devoured from the brewery’s food truck — covered in guac, salsa and sriracha, all on a brioche bun. Toasted and Sauced is actually the name of the truck.
Mills River Brewing Co. is a place for community, not debauchery, more fitting for a family reunion than a wet T-shirt contest. There was even an egg hunt there on Easter, for goodness’ sake.
So, respect to those who disagree, but I’d gladly have my kids run around with your kids at a place like this while you and I offer cheers to community.
Come join us on another adventure. We gather at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. You can email me at yearinbeerasheville@gmail.com or just show up.
May 3 (a Saturday!): Zebulon Artisan Ales
May 7: White Labs Brewing Co.
