Beers at The Bywater
Yesterday as I traveled through Western North Carolina I pulled into The Bywater to check out one of Asheville's newest watering holes. The Bywater is the place to go if you like drinking beer and doing it outside. The bar appears to be a vintage gas station sandwiched between Riverside Drive and the French Broad River.
While the inside would be a great place to hang out when it's colder outside (vintage Advent speakers!), the yard is set up to be the real living room of the bar. Of course, they have the fire ring and horse shoes, but they basically left a small field open to do just about anything you want to do.
One of my favorite features was the gigantic stump they brought in. That little black thing sitting there is my pint glass.
Speaking of the beer sitting on the gigantic stump, that happens to be Pisgah Brewing Company's Valdez. It's a seasonal coffee stout that is not for the faint of heart. While it's abv. is a moderately chunky 6.8, it is thick like a stout should be - very good mouthfeel and filling as it goes down. It comes to you with a great dark tan head that's about an inch when poured and then gradually dissipates over the next few minutes. The coffee flavor is of fine dark roasted beans (fair trade they say, from Dynamite Coffee Roasters) and out front but not over whelming. I have had several of Pisgah's beers and this would definitely be my favorite. This is a winter seasonal that I got turned onto just a tad too late.
For the second course my drinking companion recommended we try the Bell's Winter White Ale. Let me first say Bell's is one of the most consistent breweries I know of. However, this Winter White was not as delicious as it looked.
It came out with that beautiful yellow glow that good wheats normally have but all I could taste was lemon. BIG lemon. Before you write me off as an uneducated hack, I know wheats are known for their citrus flavors, but this was akin to a big glass of lemonade. No wheat taste, spices, sugar or anything. Still a big fan of the Bell's but next time I'm going back with the Amber.
L8R.
