Gettin’ Groggy in Asheville, NC

AAhhh Sweet Asheville! One of the greatest cities in the south, Asheville is located along the route of the famous Blue Ridge Parkway and home to the Historic Biltmore Estate, and most note worthy, Asheville is a brewery wonderland! North Carolina ranks the 10th largest in the U.S. with 392 breweries according to the Brewers Association. In Asheville and surrounding you can spend days touring so many unique breweries… and tour you should… as there are some of the best here!

When in downtown Asheville, I make a bee-line to Buxton Street to visit Green Man Brewery. One of the first breweries (and IPA creators) in Asheville, they have been producing excellent English style brews for over 25 years. GMB is one of my favorites for many reasons; first and foremost, the BEER! Consistently offering a well rounded assortment of quality brews giving GMB a very high G.E.T. score (Good Every Time) which include their award winning Porter and innovative ESB, as well as my favorite, the “Demon Dweller” barrel-aged imperial stout.

Secondly, there is beer history. The Green Man lore has many variations in many cultures; it is a deity with vines growing from his mouth and head, representing growth or “rebirth” and is also a name for English public houses (or taverns), so there are many interpretations of the green man image. I like to think of green man as a symbol of beer renaissance; the ever evolving (and improving) creation of beer… that is something we all get to experience with each brewery we visit.

Next, the artwork and logo design are hella cool. Mister Green Man morphs into a fierce and unique character on each beer can and beer style that is produced (see photos below). The beer glasses are frosted with the Green Man logo in heavy leaded glass that feels great in the hand (a couple half pint glasses somehow make their way into my suitcase each time I visit, I like them so much). The artwork on the interior decor of the brew house keeps you chill – kind of a wooded forest feel with farmhouse lighting and a giant sized zen garden. Take a closer look at the light fixtures… is that a little Green Man inside?!!

Last but not least, the venue. GMB is a three story warehouse with great indoor and outdoor seating, visit the first floor taproom “brewtique” to sample some great beer and food from their kitchen, or better yet, grab a table on the top floor where you can either sit outside and enjoy views of the Blue Ridge Parkway or sit inside where you can see the canning and packaging operations of the Green Man beer. We really enjoy watching the journey from the steel barrels to the “sorter” each can then dropping – one at a time – down the conveyor belt and through the “labeler” finally to be hand boxed and shipped to 13 states nationwide. Online Beer Store | Get Green Man The “Green Mansion” as they call this massive 30 barrel facility and distribution warehouse was built in 2015 after the original Dirty Jack location start up in 1997. Green Man is an iconic Asheville brewery that is always worth a visit!