On The Comeback: Asheville's Brewery Scene Continues To Heal After Helene

Forbes

21-03-2025

Ryan Guthy of Wicked Weed Brewing.
Asheville, North Carolina is an eclectic mountain town that millions flock to each year to see its natural beauty, endless hiking trails, music and arts scene, and award-winning
restaurants. Perhaps most of all, Asheville is known for its beer. With more than 60
breweries and taprooms in and around the city, Asheville has one of the highest
brewery per capita ratios in the U.S.
I visited the dynamic city last May-a few months before Hurricane Helene devastated the city- and can attest too the numer of breweies firsthand. They're everywhere here, and even if you're not a beer drinker going to one is fun way to connect with locals and get a flavor of the city's culture,
Local business leader Ryan Guthy is a co-founder of Wicked Weed Brewing, one of the
biggest success stories to come out of Asheville's craft beer boom. Known for its
flagship Pernicious IPA, Wicked Weed operates their original brew pub in the heart of
downtown and has two production facilities and its headquarters on the outskirts of
town.
Guthy gave Forbes an update on how tourism, the hospitality business, and
breweries are faring six months after Hurricane Helene wrought an estimated $59 billion in damage on Western North Carolina.
Wicked Weed Brewing
Nearly six months after Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville andWestern North Carolina, how are recovery efforts progressing for thehospitality industry?
There's definitely still a lot of work to do in certain parts of our area and some areas
do have a longer road ahead—including parts of our River Arts District, the shops of
Biltmore Village and Swannanoa—but make no mistake... Asheville is open for
business! The culture in Asheville is one of incredible mutual support in good times
and bad, so it's no surprise that our hospitality community rallied together and did a
tremendous job of reopening as quickly as we could. Downtown Asheville is fully
back to business, as many of the restaurants, breweries, hotels and music venues in
the heart of the downtown area were not seriously damaged.
The historic Biltmore Estate welcomed visitors back in November. And while highways were damaged by the flooding, I-40 has reopened near the North Carolina/Tennessee border which will return more visitors by car to Asheville. It's critical to let visitors know that the tourism dollars they spend in Asheville are more important than ever to our economy so we can help finish the job of rebuilding the businesses that still need help, too.
How is the beer industry, one of the most popular draws to Asheville, doingas visitors return in growing numbers?
One of the reasons Asheville is known as 'Beer City USA' is because we have more
breweries per capita than any other city in the United States. What prompts so many brewers to open in Asheville isn't just the pristine mountain water, it's also
authenticity—our culture of artisans, creators and craft is part of Asheville's DNA.
Since October, several of the breweries have been directly supporting recovery
efforts in whatever ways they can, whether it's pop-up events, collecting and
distributing supplies, or brewing special beers to give back.
Personally, at Wicked Weed, we're very excited to be reopening our Funkatorium
pub, which closed after the flooding, in May. The recently renovated Funkatorium
continues to highlight our award-winning sour program while showcasing wood-fired menu creations and a German-style bier garden and patio, that's a perfect spot for relaxing in the warmer months.
Are there any special events or opportunities coming up that could prompta visit to Asheville?
Really any time is a good time to come, but April through October is an especially
great window to visit this area when the colors of the Blue Ridge are fully on
display. Asheville Beer Week is also coming up May 15-29 and is an incredible
way experience our craft brewing world while you're here.
We also have an amazing music scene that's picking up steam again. Billy
Strings just did a 6-night run in February that brought life back into downtown.
We have Bonnie Raitt coming this April, Wilco in May and a three-night
Widespread Panic run this July. We're all looking forward to seeing the streets of
downtown packed out again.
Other than making a trip to visit Asheville, how else can people continue tosupport the businesses and people of the area?
So many groups stepped up during the storm and we've continued to see many
continue to keep digging, filling the gaps of the work still left to do.
Off the top of my head, local longtime nonprofit Manna Food Bank was hit hard
and still managed to swiftly move operations to a new location to continue
serving the people of our community. The WNC Long Haul – Recovery and
Resilience is a donor advised fund through The Community Foundation of WNC
focused on long term recovery efforts throughout the region. And Mountain True
continues to host clean up events monthly, offering volunteer opportunities to
those interested in lending a hand.
What does a perfect weekend in Asheville look like to you?
For me, a perfect weekend involves a combination of outdoor time and beer exploration.
Whether I am out golfing, fishing, hiking or floating down a river, the outdoors of
Western North Carolina provides the perfect energy level. By mid-afternoon I recommend a stroll through downtown Asheville complemented by brewery visits, retail exploration and a unique culinary bite.