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 dive into homebrewing and bottle shops, visit avl.mx/epm.
The first thing I noticed when our group meandered into Twin Leaf Brewery in early April was the crowd. Compared to some of the places we’ve visited this year, Twin Leaf was bumping: a van full of people on a brewery tour, a Rotary Club, a hodgepodge of customers playing games plus the 20 or so of us.
The second thing I noticed was the mic setup in the corner. If I’d done my research, I would’ve known that Wednesday is Twin Leaf’s open mic night, but, to be honest, I’d been a little slapdash in my planning. Normally, I’m more “make things happen” than “see what happens,” but that week, I was leaning into serendipity.
Ever taken a wrong turn and ended up at the right place? Maybe it wasn’t even the place you intended but was somehow better? Or maybe your go-to brewery got washed away in a hurricane, so you started a yearlong brewery crawl? Or maybe you said “sin of omission,” but your friend thought you said “Cinnabon mission,” and 20 minutes later, both of your bellies are full and your faces are covered in icing?
Open mics are a test of serendipity because when they’re good, they’re really good, and when they’re not … whoo, boy. I’m happy to say Twin Leaf’s open mic was the former, hosted by a fellow who calls himself Old Sap — despite being young and, as far as I could tell, not at all sappy. Everyone who played, including Old Sap himself, was top-notch, so if you love music, it’s worth checking out.
The brewery space was also home to a bunch of quirky games, including familiar ones like giant Jenga and new-to-me ones like boccerball. Imagine foosball, but instead of players skewered on metal rods, you move the ball down the field by hitting it with marbles rolled down ramps. A series of random collisions eventually leads to success.
All right, universe. I get it. Be a little more open to things. I tried Twin Leaf’s Uproot ESB, so-named because (according to the menu) it “gave [the brewery’s founders] the gumption to uproot their lives and pursue this brewing dream.” It was delicious. So I dared to ask the owner, Tim Weber, for a taste of The Fire Within, an IPA “smoked with ancho peppers, poblanos, and arbol chiles.”
If you’d asked me beforehand, I’d have said that spicy heat belongs in the food you eat with beer, not in the beer itself. But I’d have been wrong. Somehow Tim manages to get a full, nuanced flavor out of the peppers that really works. I’m glad I tried it.
Cheers to new experiences.
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.
April 16: Mills River Brewing Co.
April 23: Sweeten Creek Brewing
