Tasting

At a taproom in Asheville, beer usually arrives at the bar in a pint. A US pint holds 473 milliliters, and the glass is typically a simple shaker pint, wider at the top than the bottom, or a nonic with a slight bulge near the rim. It's an everyday glass, not a showpiece: the beer is meant to be drunk, not admired.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a good starting point, with aromas of grapefruit and pine and a dry finish. The brewery was founded in 1980 in Chico, California, and has also been brewing in Mills River since 2014. Highland's Gaelic Ale is a Scottish-style ale, malty and soft, with little hop character. Wicked Weed, owned by AB InBev since 2017, represents the bolder hoppy style with its Pernicious IPA. Specific numbers are listed on the label.

When pouring, tilt the glass at an angle under the tap, open it all the way, and straighten the glass once it's half full. This produces a firm head of foam that holds the aroma in the glass.

Ales taste best at 7 to 10 degrees Celsius. Too cold, and the hops close up; too warm, and the bitterness feels heavy. Drink the first pint cooler and let the second one warm up a bit.

Many taprooms serve flights—several small glasses of beer on a board. This makes it easy to compare pale ale, IPA, and sour beer at one table. The Asheville Ale Trail is a handy guide to the breweries. After Helene, many venues reopened; Sierra Nevada's taproom in Mills River was already back open just two weeks after the storm.