Nashville Brew Bus to Sierra Nevada NC

BrewBusAt the end of January we hopped on an extended Nashville Brew Bus trip to Asheville, NC. Normally, the Brew Bus does a 5 hour tour of 4 Nashville Breweries on Saturdays. It’s always a fun afternoon of exploring Nashville beer. Check them out if you’re visiting Music City!

We had a three-day trip to Asheville, NC, AKA Beer City USA. It is a gorgeous small town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. However, it can stand toe-to-toe with beer cities many times its size. Recently, Western breweries like Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blue and New Belgium took notice of the area’s beer culture, natural beauty, recreational activities, pristine mountain water and easy access to East Coast markets. It’s expensive to ship Pale Ale from Chico, CA to New York City, and it’s not good for the planet either.

Sierra Nevada has opened a massive state-of-the art brewery in Mills River, NC, about 15 minutes south of Asheville. They are primarily brewing their Pale Ale and Torpedo IPA in NC, but could brew any beer in the catalog. They built the brewery with room to grow. In the fermenting room, there are blank round spots in the ceiling awaiting new fermenter as demand grows. The onsite restaurant will open later this Spring, but the gift shop is open now. Book your tours in advance, they’re usually sold out. We hope you enjoy our pictures from the visit.