Twin Leaf Brewery in Asheville, NC by Edwin Arnaudin
When a brewery’s mastermind is an engineer by trade, its beers tend to have a fine-tuned quality to them. Such is the case with Twin Leaf Brewery’s Tim Weber, whose 144 IPA takes its name from the number of times it took for him to perfect the recipe — persistence, energy and thought that’s evident in the final product.
Ideally situated in the heart of Asheville’s South Slope brewery district, across Coxe Ave. from Wicked Weed Brewing’s Funkatorium and on the other side of the street and half a block away from Catawba Brewing Co., Twin Leaf regularly offers a range of styles on tap.
Anchored by Luminosity Tripel, arguably the best Belgian-style beer in town, the brewery features a pleasing mix of safe and adventurous brews — and the adventurously safe Wee Nipper, a 3.3 percent ABV English Mild that packs more flavor than many concoctions twice its strength — and is one of the few local establishments willing to take the time to produce lagers.
Lately, Twin Leaf’s brewers have been experimenting more with barrel aging and sour beers as well as incorporating unusual ingredients, from a snickerdoodle milk stout to a Wild Earl tea infused ESB, made in collaboration with Asheville Tea Company.
As for home enjoyment, growlers and crowlers are available at the taproom, while it and area bottle shops carry the handful of special beers the brewery has released in bombers (including Luminosity) and tallboy cans of Simple Machine Hoppy Lager.
Beyond the allure of its liquids, Twin Leaf’s spacious interior provides an inviting atmosphere and has become the Asheville brewing scene’s home for bar games. Giant Jenga, ping-pong, shuffleboard, foosball and various tabletop entertainment is available daily with live music, trivia, food trucks and even a yoga class scattered on a recurring basis.
Twin Leaf Brewery
144 Coxe Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 774-5000
www.twinleafbrewery.com
Looking for a beer festival – Top 10 Beer Festivals in America