Sunday 29th of January 2017 08:40:35 PM

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Sometimes well none breweries don't live up to the hype. But I can say Wicked Weed doesn't fall into that category. The only issue is getting in there and getting a beer! The lines are long and getting to the bar is a bit of a challenge. I'm not sure if the rules are different if you go in on a tour, but the day I was there they refused to serve samplers. So had to power through some super high octane beers with a full day of drinking on the horizon. I tried 3 IPAs and can't complain about any of them. My favorite was definitely their namesame - Pernicious IPA (from the Henry VIII quote for which Wicked Weed was derived). This was their everyday IPA but to me this was a strong version of a west coast IPA, strong hopped and floral in the all the right ways. Second favorite was their 4th Anniversary IPA - 13% ABV - this thing was strong, a little malt to offset but very good. My third IPA was Freak of Nature which was a double IPA. Not sure why but to me this one didn't seem quite as hoppy as the Pernicious - still good however. Also tried the El Parisio Coffee Stout, very good but also very strong 9.5% ABV. Because I only had a day, I didn't have an opportunity to venture to the basement to try the sours. They have a decent size bottle room however, you can take home a decent selection of their sours there. Defintely worth the trip but get there early for service!

Thursday 1st of December 2016 07:21:22 PM

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"Hops are a wicked and pernicious weed" - so said King Henry VIII.

Henry believed hops would ruin beer...remember in the king's days, beer would have better described as mead.

So he was wrong.

On a year-long journey across the country in 2016, wife Persimmon and I found ourselves leaving friends in Franklin, North Carolina intending to drive over the Great Smokey Mountains to Knoxville. Unfortunately, the road was closed due to fires on the northern side near Gatlinburg. This required an end-around...heading East then North then West to our destination.

Around Waynesville, we saw the sign for Ashville, one of the country's best beer cities, was a scant 22 miles away.

Well, we did what any beer geek would do...we made a detour to Wicked Weed brewing, listed as one of the Top 10 Breweries in the state.

Their beer "garden" faces the heavily trafficked Biltmore Street...their beers tend to be a bit on the adventurous side with loads of hops (they like the West Coast / Stone / Ballast Point styles) and Belgians...but found a nice chocolate stout (El Paraiso) and porter (Infidel)

The food looked good but it was too early to partake...however several were chowing down in what was once an old Gulf Gas station.

The bottle shop is attached and you can find a nice selection of beers not necessarily available on tap; Milk & Cookies Stout, Dark Age, La Bonte Pear (and Plum), Napoleon Complex, Old Fashioned, and more.

Hops are to beer what chills are to tacos. You really can't have one without the other.

Of course, you can also overdue.

Some prefer that style...we don't.

But Wicked Weed has enough beers to satisfy almost every taste.

It deserves to be in the North Carolina Top Ten

Friday 5th of September 2014 12:00:40 PM

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A couple of dozen beers, including several Belgian-like creations. The beers trend toward the odd, at least in my opinion – a blueberry pale ale; beers with blood orange and cucumbers! The food menu a cut or two above pub grub. The night we were there, there was a 45 minute wait for a table, but open high-tops off to the side were available on a first come basis. Outside is definitely kid & pet friendly.