#AVLEats: Beer Brunch @ The Edison
One of my favorite places on the planet is The Grove Park Inn. Growing up in Asheville, I've spent a lot of time at the historic inn for special occasions like my wedding anniversary and Christmas Eve. With a place that beautiful in our backyard, I look for just about any reason to go there and I think I just found a winner: the Beer Brunch series at The Edison.
I adore everything about The Edison: the cafe lights, the couches by the outdoor fireplace, the unbelievable views! We've said since it opened that we wanted to go there for Sunday brunch and NFL football. The Beer Brunch gave us the perfect reason to make it a date.
Looking over the dates, I circled the first one because I was unfamiliar with Olde Hickory Brewery and I was eager to try out a new local(ish) beer. Mike and I love to frequent new breweries on Sundays (it's our thing) and since Hickory is just a dash too far for us when there's so many within a stone's throw of us, we thought this could be our way of having OHB come to us.
The beer list wasn't extensive but covered the necessary bases: an easy drinking lager, a couple of IPAs, a stout, and some high gravity barley wines. I started with the Ruby Lager because I wanted something simple without much kick to sip on while we watched the Falcons game. Craft beers will sneakily crank up the ABV and with Harlow in tow I wanted something light. To be honest, I thought it was just okay; not much of a flavor profile in my opinion. I have gotten used to drinking beers with 50+ IBU so maybe my taste buds just weren't prepared for something so mild. (And let's be honest, I chose a lager. The ceiling is only so high).
Mike went with the Black Raven IPA to wash down his grilled cheese and tomato soup. Both were incredibly good. I had major order envy. You can see why.
Olde Hickory's local rep was there to chit chat with the patrons about the beer, even giving out a few samples to try. She sent over a couple swigs worth of the Irish Walker Barley Wine which I really liked but whew! Talk about a shock to the palette after that super light lager. In a past life I would've ordered a full size but since naps are so hard to come by and hangovers so easy, I thanked her for the sample and looked for something else.
We wound down brunch with a final round out on The Edison's amazing outdoor patio. Luckily the weather was warm enough to enjoy our last beer in view of the beautiful Blue Ridge. In true "save the best for last" fashion, I ended our Beer Brunch with the Hickory Stick stout. I'm alllll about porters and stouts this fall. Something about the smoky, coffee, and chocolaty flavors tastes just right when you want to get cozy on a cool fall day (or night). I really liked the Hickory Stick; it was exactly what I wanted. It doesn't have that thicker, milkshake-like body that some stouts do, which for me is A-OK. I'd definitely buy this at the supermarket or a local bar if they had it.
We really enjoyed getting to try Olde Hickory's beers at The Edison's November Beer Brunch, and look forward to hopefully attending one or two more before the series wraps up. The next one is this Sunday, December 17th, featuring Wicked Weed. Looking a little farther forward, I'm a HUGE fan of Asheville Brewing Co.'s Ninja Porter, and they're releasing something called 'Love Ninja' during their Beer Brunch date on February 12th. I don't know anything about it but I'm already a fan!
| WHAT TO WEAR THERE |
Brunch attire boils down to two things: casual chic. Cute yet comfortable. You're put together but you don't look like you tried too hard. For fall, you can't beat a blazer, a sweater, a cute pair of shoes and a killer bag. I layered this leather-trimmed blazer over a chunky knit sweater and paired it with a skater skirt, opaque black tights, and platform oxfords. A bold red lip pops against monochromatic black and white...just don't forget to reapply after you eat!
| SHOP THE POST |
xxBrooke