Autumn Beer with a Side of Laundry

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of The Bar of Soap on Merrimon Road in North Asheville. This Laundromat that is also a bar that is also a used book store that now also serves food is a great spot to spend an evening. You can get your clothes clean, chat with the bartenders and locals, and enjoy some amazing craft beer.

Bar of Soap specializes in canned beer and they have almost 70 choices. Almost every week we go in they have something new to show us.

And their autumn beer selection so far is pretty awesome.

Cameo by Kenny, the Bar of Soap bartender.

The first autumn beer I tried was the Anderson Valley Fall Hornin'. This California brewery has some pretty delicious beer so I was hopeful that I would enjoy their pumpkin ale, which is an incredibly divisive beer style. The only downside to a can beer bar is that you can't have a taste before you buy the whole pint.

However, I was not at all disappointed. I have learned that there are two general types of pumpkin ale. You could say "good" and "bad" but that would be awfully subjective since not everyone enjoys the same flavors. I have found that they fall into the categories of "actually tastes like pumpkin," and "tastes like pumpkin pie." I personally enjoy the beers that have more of a pumpkin spice flavor than those that taste fruity. Among my favorites are Dogfish Head Punkin and Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin. Fall Hornin' definitely fell into the pumpkin spice category and I really enjoyed it. Since we are at Bar of Soap once a week I expect that I will be enjoying it all season, unless they bring in something else new.

Also on "tap" at Bar of Soap is the Heavy Seas AARG-toberfest. My favorite thing about Heavy Seas brewery is their commitment to their theme. All of their beers have a fabulous pirate style and would be an excellent edition to your pirate themed party...or wedding!  Don't forget International Talk Like a Pirate Day coming up on September 19th!  Oktoberfests are one of the three beer styles I equate with autumn - next to pumpkins and browns. I use to think I wasn't a big lager fan with the exception of Oktoberfests but this summer I was enjoying kolsches and pilsners so what do you know, my tastes have changed yet again. But Oktoberfests have a very rich and delicious flavor that most lagers don't have and I can't wait until the weather starts cooling down to drink them. AARG-toberfest is an excellent example of an American Oktoberfest lager.

So, if you need to get some laundry done and feel like having an fall seasonal beer while you're at it, head over to Bar of Soap and give these two a try! 

Asheville Beer Week 2013: Sunday through Tuesday

This weekend kicked off the second annual Asheville Beer Week. I have been waiting 365 days for this week long, city wide event.

Matt on the Bus

A rival from Grand Rapids MI

The week started off with a bang. On Sunday afternoon we went on the LaZoom Comedy Tour which featured a special Beer Week performance by local sketch comedy group The Ferrel Chihuahuas. I will say I had no idea what to expect but it was a crazy good time. Beer was supplied on the bus by Bruisin' Ales and Asheville beer celebrity Julie Atallah was on hand for the tour. The comedy was top notch and we stopped at not one but two breweries along the way. (Wedge and Dirty Jack's, if you're keeping score.) As a side note, at the Green Man tasting room (AKA Dirty Jack's) we were able to check out their Rush Tribute Beer to celebrate the Canadian band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a lifelong Rush fan this was kind of exciting and the Red Barchetta did not disappoint. The trip was so crazy that a friend sitting on the patio of a local bar heard us drive by while we were singing the fantastic song, "A Moocher is a person in your Beer-borhood." You know the tune - from Sesame Street. Other versus included the Hipster and the Beer Snob. Fantastic. I've had the song stuck in my head for days now.

I find it hard to believe that much will top the LaZoom and Ferrel Chihuahua Comedy Beer Tour.

On Monday we took things easy and went to dinner at Jack of Hearts where we are Monday regulars.

Laundry beer

Then yesterday (Tuesday if you're keeping track) we made it to three total places. First, we had to make a stop at Bar of Soap mostly because we had to do laundry. I love their canned beer selection and a current favorite is Uinta Brewing's Sum'r ale which is easy to drink and only 4% alcohol.

In spite of the photographic evidence I do not recommend the consumption of laundry soap with your beer. Also, in case your wondering, the sock change purse is where we keep our laundry quarters. It made sense. You know, because it is a sock.

Milk Stout Float

After our Laundry was done we went right up the street to Luella's BBQ which was hosting a "Duck. Rabbit. Pig." event with Duck Rabbit Brewing out of Farmville, NC. We were able to meet the beer rep from Duck Rabbit, but unfortunately I don't not remember his name - though we did talk with him for quite a white. Luella's had prepared several small plates so we ordered one of each and they were amazing. The best being apple, bacon, and cheddar fritters with a molasses butter sauce. I would eat those every day. We also had a Duck Rabbit Milk Stout float made with the stout, of course, and Ultimate Ice Cream's salted caramel flavor ice cream. It was absolutely delicious and decadent.

After Luella's we walked up to the Asheville Brewing Company's Brew and View on Merrimon. We wanted to try their special Beer Week release of the Perfect Day IPA. It was very hoppy and quite refreshing. At this point I had forgotten I was trying to take photos so you're just going to have to imagine it.

There are more events for the rest of the week - including the Beer City Festival on Saturday. Stick around and I'll share more about our fun times.