Being a former resident of Asheville, I knew that a day doing Asheville brewery tours wouldn’t be complete unless we visited one of the original breweries in town, French Broad Brewing Company. We wanted to get the scoop on these local brews, so we met up with one of my good friends who just happens to be the Head Brewer at French Broad, Aaron Wilson.
French Broad Brewing Company, a Funky Vibe!
The vibe of French Broad Brewery is casual and funky. They have a disco ball in the center, which is actually over the brew tanks. It is barely noon on this day, and they have colored lights pointing at the disco ball with some music in the background. Even the tanks themselves have some sort of reflective pattern on them, which gives the whole place a fun, colorful hue.
Order a Flight so You Can Taste Them All!
We order a flight of beer so that we can taste all the different varieties, while Aaron gives us the lowdown on the brews. First up was the Barley Wine, with 10% alcohol. Aaron said this stuff had been aging for 10 months! It’s full bodied with a heavy taste, but surprisingly smooth. It has a very fruity aftertaste, but definitely kicks you with the high alcohol content.
The next brew we taste is the Wee Heavy-eer Scotch Ale, this is one of the original beers at French Broad. Liz and I both immediately fall in love with this beer because of its rich, toasted grain flavor. It reminds us of Guinness, only a much lighter version. It is incredibly smooth and refreshing, even with it’s strong taste. Highly recommend it!
Aaron’s most recent creation is the River Gold, their seasonal ale for the summer; he describes it as a Happy Blonde Ale. His goal was to brew a summer beer that was light but flavorful. In his words “I wanted to create something that you could drink outside with your friends all day long.” And that, he definitely accomplished. This brew goes down smoothly, and is light and crisp with a hint of sweetness. A very refreshing beverage.
Thank You Aaron, and French Broad Brewing Company Asheville
Thank you to French Broad Brewing Company and my dear friend Aaron for showing us around the office! We appreciate you giving us the low down on Asheville and the brewery boom. Anytime you come across The French Broad Brew, or a local brewery for that matter, do yourself a favor and take a minute to go inside and enjoy the goodness.
