We had the pleasure of visiting the Pisgah Brewery a few times while we were on a men’s retreat with my church. We hit them last year and thought it was cool that they were open once a week for people to come in and try what they had. Some time since then they opened a tap room and what you see above is a smattering of what was available.

The interesting thing about their taproom is it’s basically a bar in a warehouse. Some garage doors lead out into an area with a firepit and some picnic tables. A quonset hut holds a pool table. Another area serves as a spot for local food vendors to come set up shop since the brewery doesn’t have a kitchen.
There is also a spot for bands to come play. We heard an awesome jazz quartet and another band called the Velvet Truckstop. Live music is a big part of what they do there, though it was nice to see them using an iPod for when they had to use canned tunes.

While I didn’t try everything they had (and they even had one brew from Foothills right here in Winston Salem) because we had a lot of guys there and we shared I at least got to taste nearly everything.
The Pisgah Pub Ale is “brewed with local Haw Creek Wildflower honey, this blonde english style drought beer is pushed through a Nitro creamer fawcett creating the classic “whipped cream” foamy head and waterfall pour. A lighter 4% abv and lower carbonations produces the ultimate session beer.” I liked it quite a bit. The head was really interesting since I’m used to that level of creaminess form a stout.
The most interesting was the Dancing Hobo “This beer was first brewed incorporating orange peel and thyme. Next, we added some charred oak and champagne yeast. And finally a healthy dose of raspberries.” It weighed in at a whopping 13% ABV, but let me tell you like all of their beers it was as smooth as glass. There was a little heat, but the finish was clean and the raspberries were there but not overpowering.

The standout for me was the Abbey Ale though. There were no details on their site and I couldn’t quite put my finger on all of the flavors, but it was complex and refreshing. There’s one beer they list that must be it though it says they’re not making it any more. They call it their attempt at a belgian blond.
I brought a bottle of their Vortex II home, a Russian Imperial Stout. I’ll provide details on that when I taste it.
If you’re ever in Buncombe County (the only place you can get it) stop by and give them a try. You won’t be disappointed.