If you’re into craft beer, mountain air, and slightly over-the-top beer halls with a side of hipster plaid—add Sierra Nevada in Asheville to your weekend list. Technically located in Mills River, just outside Asheville, this brewery is affectionately known as Malt Disney World, and for good reason. It’s part beer mecca, part architectural marvel, part backyard concert venue.
Here’s how to do it right.
5 reasons to take a road trip to Sierra Nevada in Asheville:
👉 It’s an Easy Drive from the Grand Strand
- Travel time: ~4.5 to 5 hours from Myrtle Beach
- Pit stop: The Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg for a chili cheeseburger and sweet tea
- What to book: Restaurant reservations + brewery tour
- Where we stayed: Fairfield Inn & Suites Asheville Airport/Fletcher — it’s less than 10 minutes from the brewery and an easy Marriott Bonvoy pick
- Dress code: Plaid. And some sort of hipster hat like a beanie or trucker hat. Whether it’s freezing winter, warm summer, or crisp fall… this look will remain relevant at the Sierra Nevada Brewery.
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Go for the Live Music
The open ampitheater and patio with the pretty trees as a backdrop is the best spot to enjoy a beer and live music. The brewery has plenty of seating, an outdoor bar, and bathroom facility to make this a fantastic music venue. Plus, it’s dog-friendly!
Dine at the Sierra Nevada Asheville restaurant
The Mills River Taproom is reason enough to visit the brewery. The dining room is buzzing with conversation (and probably buzzed patrons….) the beer-friendly menu pairs perfectly with the beer list, the open kitchen adds energy to the atmosphere, and the service is impeccable. We loved our dinner experience.
What to order first: Y’all, if you don’t order anything else, you have to try the Joyce Farms ginger soy chicken wings. The combo of a ginger soy glaze, sriracha aioli, pickled carrots, scallions, sesame seeds is perfection.
We also ordered the duck salad (delish) and the lamb shank. The lamb shank was massive and I laughed out loud when I saw our server bringing it from the kitchen. Our table neighbors also gawked at it and we had a conversation before I tried it… and let me tell you: incredible. It’s like a pot roast but with lamb on a bone. Go for it!
We did not order the brownie desert and I have major FOMO. Will be back to try!
Check out the Sierra Nevada Asheville restaurant menu
Even if you’re not a beer nerd, take the tour.
- 900 bottles a minute. That’s not a typo.
- You’ll feel hops, peek into labs, see bottling in action, and learn why the water has to match their Chico, CA location chemically.
- Ends with a beer tasting. Obviously.
99 bottles of beer on the wall has nothing on Sierra Nevada in Asheville… 900 bottles of beer are bottled per minute in this facility. Crazy.
Some may be tempted to skip the brewery tour – but don’t. It’s a quick tour, and you’ll learn about the history of Sierra Nevada, which was founded decades before craft beers and breweries were popular. The guide will take you through the brewing areas, the bottling areas, and the labs.
The facility produces a crazy amount of beer and the scientific detail to make it consistent is fascinating, which includes making sure the main ingredient – water – is chemically the same exact makeup as their water at their other brewery in Chico, California.
You’ll be able to feel the hops, see the brewery science staff in the lab, and view the huge bottling facility.
The tour takes less than an hour and concludes with a tasting in the bar area – you will have a much greater appreciation of the behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the brewery after the tour!
🍻 Taste the Beer, Obviously
Obviously, you’ll have the chance to try a variety of incredible Sierra Nevada beers while listening to live music outdoors or strolling around inside the brewery. Some of the beers are only available at the brewery – and they have a cool gift shop so you can take your favorites home.
Sierra Nevada in Asheville in Photos
Sierra Nevada in Asheville
Mills River, North Carolina
Thanks for reading our Travel Diary to Sierra Nevada in Asheville! Highly recommend adding this to your travel bucket list!
Road Trip Rule:
Try someplace new & local
The next day, we decided to try Biscuit Head, which is a breakfast joint that had a lot of cat-themed decor and fabulous biscuits!
Want to visit a brewery but not go on a road trip? Here are the best local breweries in the Grand Strand….
More Foodie Weekend Getaway Ideas: Hilton Head, Charleston,
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