New Belgium First Visit
When life hands you lemons, grab your family, go to a brewery, and sip some sours!
As it turns out our car is very finicky and we needed to take it to the dealership for help. We decided to make the best of our trip and planned on meeting up with family while we were in Asheville. I asked my brother to pick the location. My only request was that it be somewhere kid/family friendly that we could grab a beer. He suggested the New Belgium taproom. It checked all the boxes and then some. My brother is very wise!
Outside
My first impression was the fact that there was a huge grassy outdoor space. I didn’t get any pictures this trip as it was pretty brown. You’ll notice that I titled this piece “New Belgium First Visit” as I would like to return in the spring or summer, or BOTH! As the day went on, the grassy area filled with groups of all ages and breeds. Yes, breeds! I got to see some gorgeous dogs there! Not only family friendly, but leashed pet friendly as well. They also had patio tables and heaters set up if the “grassy knoll” isn’t the vibe you are going for. They even have bike racks set up. I tagged one of the poles with a BrewFlowers sticker. If you visit, I hope it’s still there for you to see.
Can you see the tulip glass in the chainring?!
Inside
We did arrive about 30 minutes before they opened. If you also visit on a Saturday and would like prime seating, you might want to do the same. I frankly couldn’t believe how quickly the crowd grew! Being February in Asheville we were lucky to grab a big table inside. This is actually a big step for me. I’ve struggled some with assimilating back into crowded places. Everyone in our family that can be, is vaccinated and boosted, and we all recently survived our own bout with COVID. To be honest, it was really nice to have a big family (three generations) outing like that in the winter.
They checked IDs at the door and stamped the hands of of-age customers. While they offer a great selection of brews (ales, lager, sours, etc. and even seltzers) they do not do flights. They also did not allow us to order more than two alcoholic drinks at a time. Given the size of our group and the length of the line, this was a bit of a problem. Luckily the beers were worth it.
Bathrooms
The bathrooms were clean and well-maintained. Also, both the ladies’ and the mens’ rooms had diaper changing stations (I had Mac confirm). Another thing I liked about the bathrooms is that each stall is equipped with a beer shelf. You might think, “ew, who would take their beer to the bathroom with them?” As a formally single lady, I ALWAYS took my drink to the bathroom with me, because it can be dangerous to leave your drink unattended. Someone might spit in it, put drugs in it, or throw it out, because they don’t know whose it is. So, I thought the drink shelves in each stall were BRILLIANT! The only thing I didn’t like about the bathroom was the fact that, even when it wasn’t that crowded, there was a line in the ladies’ room AND there wasn’t much space to wait, so if you were nearest to the door, you were going to get hit by it. I hit someone with the door, but karma turned right back around, because I got hit by it too.
Food
The outside space is set up to accommodate one to two food trucks. They keep a rotation and you can actually see what truck will be there when you plan to visit. Bringing your own food is another option. My brother and I had checked the day before to see if we needed to plan on grabbing food from elsewhere. We were thrilled to discover that Melt Your Heart Gourmet Grilled Cheese (https://www.instagram.com/meltyourheartavl/) would be there for our trip! Beer and grilled cheese sounded perfect for a chilly day! Our group had a range of classic grilled cheeses with American, cheddar, and double cream brie (that’s what I had), as well as the specialty melts that had added toppings like turkey, honey, apples, bacon, and jalapeños.
The Drinks
For starters I liked that they had an interesting and local selection of non-alcoholic drinks. The children in our party had the Pink Robots sparkling strawberry lemonade made by Devil’s Foot Beverage Company. First off, our family loves the Flaming Lips, so a drink called “Pink Robots” was a must try! Only rave reviews from our group on this one. Delicious, made with local ingredients, and much less sugar than your typical soda.
My mother had Fat Tire, the classic Belgian-Style amber ale (22 IBU and 5.2% ABV). She felt like it paired well with her apple, walnut, honey, and brie grilled cheese from the food truck.
My brother and his dad had the Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA (42 IBU and 7.5% ABV). The color and haze on this one was perfect and you could definitely smell the hops!
Mac went with the Belgian Tripel. One of our favorite styles (43 IBU and 8.5% ABV). This beer is way too easy to drink for something with that high of ABV! Mac did note this one drastically changed flavor dynamics when he paired it with a spicy grilled cheese.
I was wanting sours, which surprised me on such a cold day. Normally on a day like today, I would grab a porter or a stout.
Right to left, Blackberry Black Tea and La Folie Grand Reserve: Velvet Apricot
I first tried the La Folie Grand Reserve: Velvet Apricot (6.6% ABV). A sour brown ale, aged in oak barrels along with black velvet apricots “and finished with Tellicherry black peppercorn.” Sometimes barrel aged beers can be overpowered by the barrel alcohol flavor. The barrel aged notes in this sour were perfectly delicate and just on the end. It was sweet and not super tart. It paired perfectly with my double cream brie sandwich.
My second sour was the Blackberry Black Tea (7% ABV). I definitely could taste both the blackberry and the black tea. Not to sound like Goldilocks, but this one was not too sweet, not too sour, but just right. This was also the second (the first was Black Bird by Birdsong Brewing) tea infused sour I have tried and it might be my new favorite sour blending!
We also brought home a nice haul to keep the good feelings and memories going (from right to left and top to bottom): Dark Forest Barleywine, La Folie sour, a six-pack of the Dominga mimosa sour, and a six-pack of the Honey Orange Tripel.
All in all, our trip for car troubles turned into a wonderful day!
We drank some great brews and made some really special memories with family.
As I already mentioned, our family is planning another trip when the weather warms up and we can enjoy the enticing greenspace New Belgium of Asheville has to offer, along with their many brews of course!
Hope to see you there!
