A BrewFlower Afternoon in Waynesville

It’s important to make time for one another. When you live far apart and your lives get busy and there is a global pandemic this can be very hard to do! Fellow Brew Flower, Dr. Hazy Daisy, in her infinite wisdom reached out and made a plan! I need prodding sometimes to get out of my comfort bubble, so this was really helpful!

Boojum

Since we live about a day trip away from one another, Hazy Daisy suggested we meet somewhere we had both never been, but wasn’t too far for each of us. She thought the Boojum Brewery Taproom located on Main Street in Waynesville, NC would be perfect. She was right! We met up on a Sunday afternoon, so the downstairs Gem Bar (for 21 and up only) was not open, but the upstairs restaurant (open to all) was.

Driving down Waynesville’s Main Street, it is easy to spot the blue awning donning the Boojum gem nestled between two southern Appalachian peaks. From Main Street proper it’s hard to see a small Boojum art mural tucked back and to the side. I parked on the back side of the brewery on Wall Street. The back entrance is covered in Boojum artwork including the Hop Fiend bunny and a giant hand (does it belong to the King of the Mountain?) selecting the perfect hop!

As the downstairs bar was closed I headed up to the porch and back door restaurant entrance. As it was still chilly we grabbed a table inside, but I would like to go back and enjoy the porch on a warmer day. The Boojum restaurant has great bar food and casual dining selection including salty appetizers (pairing great with IPAs), burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, along with larger portions of dinner-worthy meals.

Hazy Daisy and I shared the Brew Day Pretzels and the Green Bean Fries (not listed in the online menu). The pretzels were good-size sticks, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (as they should be). The pretzels were served with Balsam Brown Ale mustard and Helles Beer Cheese. The mustard was a coarse brown mustard, which was delicious, but hard to dip. I should have grabbed a knife and spread it. The Green Bean Fries were great and came with a spicy sweet mayo for dipping. I might be biased, because I LOVE green beans!

Most of our time at Boojum was non-stop chatting as we caught up from time apart. Hazy Daisy is one of those friends with whom the conversation can always pick up where we last left off. And of course Dr. Daisy is incredibly thoughtful and detail oriented. I was shocked to see that she was wearing a dress in one of my patterns!!! It looked great on her and I always love seeing my designs off the computer screen and in person. She also came with a bouquet of daffodils that she arranged alongside rosemary from her garden in a beer glass. I later found out that the fragrant bouquet was themed around the board game we later played while sipping brews (more on that later). We both wore our hop necklaces she had found from the Asheville artist, Jo Potter of MTN FOLK LORE. Her Etsy shop has a great selection, but according to Hazy Daisy, if you want to see something really special you really need to check out her work at a pop up or craft show. I hope to catch her one day. If I do, I’ll be sure to tell you all about it!

The Boojum restaurant had a better selection of brews on tap than was listed on the website. Hazy Daisy had the Brambleberry Gose (4.5% ABV), which was sweet, tart, and PINK!

From right to left: Gem & Juice IPA, Tangerine Wheat, Brambleberry Gose, Graveyard Fields Blueberry Coffee Porter

I had a flight, because I really wanted to try everything!

First in the line up was the Gem & Juice IPA (35 IBU and 6.2% ABV). I really couldn’t resist the name play for this one. Gem & Juice is a hazy New England-style IPA. I liked this one, because it was more sweet and cirtusy than bitter. Plus it was a beautiful hazy yellow color!

Next up was the Tangerine Wheat (5.5% ABV). I love citrus and wheat, so this was right up my alley! It did not disappoint and was excellent when paired with the salty pretzels! I also think this one would be perfect on a hot summer’s day.

I also tried the Brambleberry Gose (4.5% ABV). I had tried it from a can before and loved it. The color is fun and there is a perfect light balance between the sweet and the sour.

Lastly I had the Graveyard Fields Blueberry Coffee Porter (23 IBU and 5% ABV). First of all, I love porters, especially when it is cold out. This porter had nutty roasted notes with a hint of sweet, maybe offered up by the blueberry. I wish I had ordered a dessert to pair with this one.

Boojum Restaurant Bathroom

I got a lot of great feedback from my New Belgium bathroom review, so I might need to make it a constant in the rest of my establishment reviews! The Boojum Restaurant bathroom was dark, but very clean. A few stalls with heavy rough wooden doors offered a great effect. The two pedestal sinks were stocked with a lovely soap that smelled great and were easy on my dry winter hands. I also noticed that the bathroom was a warm temperature, which I appreciate when it’s cold out. There is a changing table in the ladies’ room and I confirmed with the hostess that there was also a diaper changing station in their men’s room as well.

Blue Ridge Beer Hub

I knew that there was a great bottle shop within walking distance from Boojum, so when we were ready to mix things up we took a walk. On the corner of Wall Street and East Street, tucked under a Main Street merchant you can find another Waynesville gem, the Blue Ridge Beer Hub. They have a new covered patio, which like everything else this time of year, I hope to try out when the weather warms up!

The Blue Ridge Beer Hub has an excellent, well-organized selection. While they have four and six packs organized by style, they also have a lot of singles organized the same way! If you find something in a four or six pack you want to try, but don’t want to fully commit, chances are you can buy just one can or bottle. They also have seasonal favorites in a section and all North Carolina and local brews clearly labeled! Besides beers they carry ciders, hard seltzers, and wines. They even have a section of non-alcoholic craft brews!

My favorite thing about the Blue Ridge Beer Hub is the fact that they have a great draft selection, so you can sip while you shop! Hazy Daisy and I both had the Pink Robot sour (yes, I love the Flaming Lips and sours, win win for me) from Bird Song Brewing Co.

Beer Hub Bathroom

I love that a bottle shop has a bathroom. It is a small uni-sex bathroom situated between the tap bar and the register, so you might feel a bit awkward if there a bunch of patrons at the bar. Regardless, I really appreciated the facility! It was very clean (like the rest of the shop), well stocked, and had a potent cinnamon stick diffuser. It also had a vent fan running. I couldn’t even hear the other customers outside the door, so I feel like for the small space they provided as much privacy as they could!

Herbaceous Sprouts

After shopping some we grabbed a table in the back of the bottle shop and laid out the board game Dr. Daisy brought. The back wall near our table was decorated with flower photographs. It was almost like they staged it for a Brew Flowers hangout. Herbaceous Sprouts is a beautiful dice game, where the object is to plant herbs and flowers. Of course we had the flower and herb bouquet Hazy Daisy had arranged complementing our board game spread. Hazy Daisy sipped a crisp wheat beer while she taught me the adorable rules involving wheelbarrows, gardening gloves, herb sprouts, and flowers. I love the casual feel of the Blue Ridge Beer Hub. What an excellent experience to sip brews, shop, and hangout all in one place!