Highland Brewing Company
ASHEVILLE
The Best Breweries in Asheville for 2025
By Eric Barton | March 12, 2025
At some point, Asheville stopped being just a mountain town and started being a brewery town. Maybe that moment was when the first beer lovers started calling it “Beer City USA.” Or maybe it was when every empty warehouse on the South Slope of downtown filled up with tanks and picnic tables out back. But now, on any given sunny day, you’ll find half the city in a brewery’s backyard, kids chasing dogs, dogs chasing snacks, and people who don’t even drink beer posting photos of a flight they’ve just ordered.
That’s because Asheville’s breweries aren’t just about the beer. They’re the town square, the front porch, the place where everybody goes to do nothing in particular. And lucky for all of us, most of Asheville’s breweries survived last year’s floods, now hoping for a hearty return this summer. Here then are the best breweries in Asheville for 2025.
1. Highland Brewing Company
12 Old Charlotte Hwy | Website | Instagram
It all started with Highland. Opened in 1994, this was Asheville’s first craft brewery, back when craft beer meant something you made in your basement. Now it’s a full-blown beer campus, with a meadow for festivals, volleyball courts, frisbee golf, hiking trails, a rooftop bar for sunset pints, and a taproom where you’ll find classics like Gaelic Ale still holding their own. The place is practically an institution, but not in the way that feels old. More in the way that feels like it’s earned its spot at the top.
2. New Belgium
21 Craven St | Website | Instagram
New Belgium Brewing Company landed in Asheville with the force of a company that knew exactly what it was doing. It set up shop along the French Broad River, planted a massive patio out back, and turned its taproom into a hangout spot for locals who only casually drink Fat Tire. Tours remain on pause from Helene damage, but the Liquid Center tasting room still keeps things fresh with small-batch brews, and the sprawling lawn makes this one of the best spots in town for corn-holing your way through an afternoon.
3. Burial Beer Co.
40 Collier Ave | Website | Instagram
Burial feels like a metal album cover came to life and started brewing beer. The South Slope spot is dark and broody in all the right ways, but don’t let that fool you—this is one of the best breweries in town. The beers lean inventive (think Skillet Donut Stout), the food is far better than it needs to be, and the crowd is a mix of hardcore beer nerds and people just looking for a place to perch.
4. Sierra Nevada
100 Sierra Nevada Way | Website | Instagram
Sierra Nevada’s Asheville location isn’t a brewery—it’s a compound. They took a chunk of land in Mills River and built a place so impressive it feels like a national park with a side of beer. The taproom could double as a ski lodge, the beer garden has a fire pit you’ll never want to leave, and the restaurant is the rare brewery eatery where the food actually stands up to the beer. If you only go to one brewery while you’re here, you might as well make it this one.
5. Hi-Wire Brewing
197 Hilliard Ave | Website | Instagram
Hi-Wire doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is exactly why people love it. The circus-themed branding sets the tone, and the beer follows suit—approachable, unpretentious, and easy to drink. While Hi-Wire lost its River Arts District location to flooding, the downtown and flagship Biltmore locations are back to being among Asheville’s best breweries.
6. The Wedge Brewing Company
37 Paynes Way | Website | Instagram
The Wedge’s original River Arts District location recovered from 12 feet of water flooding the brewery, continuing its status as a favorite among locals. Housed in a historic building, the brewery's outdoor seating area is adorned with metal sculptures and murals. Their Iron Rail IPA is a crowd-pleaser, and the rotating food trucks ensure there's always something new to pair with your pint. While the Foundation location has yet to reopen, the patio at the downtown taproom in the Grove Arcade still offers some of the sunniest people-watching in downtown.
7. Wicked Weed Brewing
91 Biltmore Ave | Website | Instagram
Wicked Weed is the brewery that put Asheville on the national beer map. The downtown location is packed at all hours, and for good reason—their hop-forward beers are some of the best in town. While the Funkatorium closed, at least temporarily after Helene, you can still get a pour of its sours from the original taproom; if you’ve never liked sours before, this is where you figure out you were wrong.
8. Dssolvr
63 N Lexington Ave | Website | Instagram
When Dssolvr added a second location in the Triangle back in 2022, they sent out a press release that explained: “If you’re in Durham and you want to get weird, this is the spot for you.” Weird is a good thing here, where beers include Cold Caprese Pizza Italian Pilsner and the Five Years of Fury Barrel Aged Imperial Honey Stout. Sip one of those “surreal” brews while watching the parade of people on the northern end of Lexington Avenue in the heart of downtown.
9. Mills River Brewing Co.
336 Banner Farm Rd | Website | Instagram
In a bucolic stretches of Henderson County just south of Asheville, Mills River Brewing Co. has been serving up one-of-a-kind beers and delicious food since 2015. Their 8,600-square-foot facility offers a spacious taproom and a vast outdoor area, complete with hiking trails that beckon to the adventurous. With a family- and dog-friendly atmosphere, it's a place where kids can roam, dogs can laze, and adults can savor brews like the Big Creek amber ale or the Middle Fork Mosaic IPA, each paying homage to local trails and landmarks.
10. Green Man Brewery
27 Buxton Ave | Website | Instagram
Green Man has been brewing beer since before it was cool, and they’ve got the street cred to prove it. Their ESB is a staple, their Green Mansion taproom has some of the best rooftop views in town, and Dirty Jack’s—the original location—still feels like the kind of dive bar where you could settle in for the night and accidentally become a regular.
11. Catawba Brewing Company
32 Banks Ave | Website | Instagram
Catawba is one of those breweries that’s been around long enough to feel like part of the furniture. Their South Slope taproom is big and welcoming, the beer list has something for everyone, and the flagship White Zombie White Ale is one of those easy-drinkers that never gets old.
12. One World Brewing
10 Patton Ave | Website | Instagram
Hidden beneath the bustling streets of downtown Asheville, the city’s only underground brewery is a cool, dark respite to a hot summer day. Their diverse beer selection includes the popular Kolsch and IPAs and often delves into the funky world of meads. Like an antidote to the downtown basement, a second west Asheville location is a sun-filled space that regularly hosts live music.
13. Asheville Brewing Company
77 Coxe Ave | Website | Instagram
A staple in the local scene, Asheville Brewing Company combines the love of craft beer with cinema. The Merrimon Avenue location features a dine-in movie theater, while the Coxe Avenue spot boasts a large covered patio. Beers like the Ninja Porter are fan favorites, and the pizza menu pairs well with the brews.
14. White Labs
172 S Charlotte St | Website | Instagram
On the edge of downtown, White Labs is a brewery, a fermentation lab, and a brewpub. They experiment with different yeast strains, producing variations of the same base beer for a comparative tasting experience. The restaurant is far from an afterthought to everything else, serving one of the best pizzas in town.
15. Archetype Brewing
265 Haywood Rd | Website | Instagram
In West Asheville, Archetype Brewing has a minimalist taproom downstairs and a rooftop patio with some of the best sunset views in town. Regular events, including trivia nights and live music, make it a community gathering spot. And while they don’t serve food, Gan Shan next door will deliver to your table at the brewery.
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