THE BEER ROAD TRIP

Isn’t it time to get away … and drink good beer?

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Most of the time, if I’m heading out of town, or planning a vacation, I do a search to see about the local available brews, the good beer bars, if there are any breweries in the town or area, and if the place is good-beer friendly in general. I usually have to apologize to my friends in advance for my obsessive-compulsive planning and out-of-the-way jaunts, but they almost always pan out in the end.

So maybe it’s about time you packed your bags and hit the road in search of good beer. No shot at the Holy City and its wonderful and growing beer culture. We are lucky. However, a change of pace, surroundings, and suds never hurt anyone, and always does the body the heart and mind good.

Personally, I’ve gotten to the point where driving five hours or more has become intolerable. I cannot stand being in the car that long, much less driving. So, your beer road trip should be to a destination less than five hours away. Any further necessitates a plane ticket, and that kinda kills the whole road trip concept anyway.

Seeing that Atlanta is about five hours away puts it off the list, and their scene is not any better than the Lowcountry anyway. Washington D.C. is way too far up the road to be worthwhile. And, really folks, unless you’re surfing, there’s no good reason to visit Florida (apologies to the readers with kids who are gearing up for Disney, that’s cool, too. But not for the beer).

Another important part of a solid road trip is change of scenery. Being that Charleston is so unique, that should not be a problem. While Savannah is a lovely town, it’s not much different than Charleston. Myrtle Beach? I won’t even dignify it with a response. Charlotte? It’s a fake town full of big buildings and little culture. Columbia? Do you enjoy sweating?

Speaking of temperature, it would be nice to take a break from the swelter, possibly delve into some darker beers, and relax. As much as I love the beach, the mountains could offer even more than a different view. So, there’s no need to look too far outside of our own state borders. Pack your bags, hop on I-26, head west (well, Northwest), and in less than four hours you will be in possibly the best beer town in the Southeast — Asheville, NC.

Recently, an independent online poll hosted by Charlie Papazian, founder of the American Homebrewers Association, consisting of more than 16,000 voters from nearly 50 countries found Asheville and Portland, Oregon to be nearly tied for title of Beer City USA. And, while nobody really knows how strict the voting and tabulating was, Asheville certainly boasts more breweries, brewpubs, beer bars, and great individual beers per capita than anywhere in the southeast, maybe the country. And is a heck of a lot closer to Charleston than Portland. Plus, Asheville has only around 75,000 people in a town that is only about 40 square miles.

In any case, the town of Asheville will take care of any and all of your beer needs. Asheville boasts at least five quality breweries, one of which is Highland, one of the first and best breweries to set up shop in the Carolinas. It has nearly as many brewpubs to hit on your travels and several beer specific stores, including the highly recommended Bruisin’ Ales, where you can get non-S.C. breweries like Green Flash and Great Lakes. But most importantly, the beer bars, numbering more than 10 — possibly up to 20 — where great beer is the standard.

Stop off at Barleys for a slice of pizza and around a dozen taps downstairs, upwards of 20 upstairs. Hide out at Jack of the Wood, a true pub, serving beers from Green Man Ales and Brewery. The Thirsty Monk boasts a downstairs Belgian bar as well as an American bar upstairs. And, if you need bar games and such, there’s always a good time to be had at ABC (Asheville Brewing Company). Take a trip and enjoy the brews … Cheers.

 

Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don't have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene's is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at the_beer_snob@hotmail.com.