Some serious butt hurt over Asheville. LOL. Keep the melts coming, really enjoying them. Cheers (with a 22oz Escape Artist)
AshevilleNative - 11 years ago
B.B.Rodriguez, if your going to bad mouth a city at least get your facts straight. George Vanderbilt did not come to Asheville until the early 1880's, The house & estate did not even begin construction until 1890 & if you do a little research you will find out that the civil war ended in 1865. At which time ALL of the Vanderbilts lived in NYC or Staten Island NY. The people of WNC were not Union sympathizers, most did not even own slaves due to this being a very small area and the people here did not have the money to own slaves. They were in support of succeeding, NOT because of slavery, but because they did not like the US government trying to control every aspect of their lives, must like they are doing today. Downtown did not begin to grow until the 1870's, at which time the Indians were long gone, driven out by the US government (NOT the city or county). So perhaps it is you who should be doing a bit of research next time you plan to talk smack about a town. I may not be proud of what Asheville has become today, but I am very proud of what it use to be
Rmorris - 11 years ago
Who ever takes the title will celebrate by drinking a beer those who don't I guess will have a beer anyways they won't be happy about it but they will be drinking.
beeeez - 11 years ago
haterz gon hate. go Asheville!
B.B.Rodriguez - 11 years ago
Hey Frogbender. I bet you are another local with an "art" degree who never got beyond subjective coursework in your life. Read the history of nasty things Buncombe County is known for and you'll see why it gets "de-bunked" . You downtown is built on Cherokee sacred holy land, robbed at gunpoint and the natives forced down the "Trail of Tears". Oh, during the cival war, the overall WNC area were union simpathisers in the south against slavery, except the city of Asheville, whom at financial manipulation by Vanderbilt, was a BIGOT stronghold.
AshevilleNativeSuckIt - 11 years ago
Take your negative attitude elsewhere. It's making you look like a whiny baby.
AshevilleNative - 11 years ago
Top 10 most terribly overrated destinations. Asheville NC #9
Asheville all the way!!! The whole WNC area is coming alive with some fantastic microbreweries!! There is a wonderful selection of microbrews available across the area!! And stop hating on Asheville. It only makes you look petty and small-minded, and gives the world a nice sample of your intellectual level.
DreadT - 11 years ago
wow BB Rodriguez...... that's quite a biased opinion. I find it offensive and untrue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSZUztuaLHo
Aubrey - 11 years ago
Asheville all the way!
B.B.Rodriguez - 11 years ago
The underlying nature of Asheville is that it is bunk. which is short for buncombe county. It is a staple of hidden murder, crime and corruption, hid by a guise of art and culture. The whole infrastructure and area surrounding downtown are full of clansmen, billy graham bigots, and other culturally inept mongoloids praying for "amerca". The city residents are art flunkies who parade themselves around like a 6 year old girl in makeup and a boa, hoping to be called pretty and dreams of stardom. The music and art is mediocre and inept. The place is a ripoff. Give the vote to somewhere that is not a brooding hatecrime in progress...
Rach - 11 years ago
Wow, it's like they open things up for comments and people become monsters...we are all going to have our own opinions biased by where we live, why don't we let the votes speak for themselves and lose the negativity!
Shannon - 11 years ago
Its amazing how ignorant some of you are. On the list of best places to live in the country Asheville is #8 and Grand Rapids is #157. hmmmm. So where are you people pulling the bs from......your asses
Jake - 11 years ago
The most important finding of this annual poll is that there is a ton of passion and pride about local brews across this great nation. Charlie P. got the GABF going to showcase the beers and brewers, and this project focuses on the civic pride dimension. It's all good, and it should all be fun.
So to all you rabid partisans out there, please, quit the hating. Relax, don't worry, have a local brew. And keep in mind how much more fun and interesting it has become to travel across the USA, with bona fide beer towns all over the place.
BTW, here's another non-scientific survey on beer towns in the USA:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/06/travel/usa-beer-towns/index.html?hpt=hp_t5
Cheers!
Shane - 11 years ago
Beer is beer is beer. What difference who makes it or what city its made in, the whole point in beer is to get drunk. Since these comment are completely anonymous and nobody can trace it back to you, then be honest here and admit it. Do any of you actually drink beer for the taste like you do with coffee, tea or soda? If I am going to drink beer then its to get drunk or at the very least get a buzz going on, I could not care less where or who made it as long as it does what its suppose to do
Scott Morton - 11 years ago
If you're going to pub crawl and TRY hitting all of Grand Rapids' brew pubs, prepare to spend the entire day doing so! And that doesn't even include Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and other nearby West Michigan cities.
Personally I love John Svaboda's (The Bob) concoctions. I've actually done a pretty good job of diplicating his Peanut Butter Stout. It doesn't hurt that as Mug Club member I pay $1/pint on Thursday when I frequent the Monkey Bar and (this is insane as far as even breaking even) The Bob sells pints for 50 cents a pint on Wednesdays!?!??
A M Todd - 11 years ago
Kalamazoo
JP - 11 years ago
Asheville!!! ESB , Green Man Brewery, Best Beer in the nation!!!
I laughed hard at that "mayor" comment. So I looked it up. Couldn't find all the info they spoke up but wow, there really is a lot of crime in asheville. not that it changes the quality of their craft brew scene but wow. So I looked up GR, and they are pretty bad too. Good thing this vote is based on fanboys and not crime statistics, or nobody might win. But I'm voting for Asheville, because that mayor convinced me. Reverse psychology has failed, mayor. cheers
James - 11 years ago
Thank you, JohnnyT. We're here for beer. Not to demean places we've never been.
I want to go to Bend one day. Deschutes is quite possibly my favorite brewery.
Oh, and Kalamazoo. And Grand Rapids. And lots of others.
This country is full of great beer!
Johnny T - 11 years ago
What the fuck? Are you people insane? Calling each other derogatory terms and arguing like a bunch of kids! This is wrong! I'm not even going to say who I voted for because I will be attacked by everyone from every other city. There are very few of you that know anything about the other cities, so I would suggest you keep all of your comments to just why you think your city is great. Don't tell me why it's better than this or that. This ignorance is coming from everyone! Stop attacking the people that are attacking your city by saying that everyone from there is like that. These are anonymous comments people! Don't take them so damn seriously! I hope that next year they don't have a comment section because you sorry people are like animals. Lastly, to the person who doesn't know why people care about beer so much, I would recommend you find out why instead of attacking people for it.
James - 11 years ago
AshevilleNative...in my browsing I noticed no negative comments toward other cities. Perhaps it was the overwhelming volume of comments toward Asheville that cluttered them up.
I have nothing negative to say about other cities. Especially if I have never been there in person to provide any first hand opinion.
I just find it funny that every year the minions come out of the woodwork for this poll. And said minions think they contest is meaningless but come back to give their two cents on how terrible your homeland is.
Just more amusing than anything.
P.S. I would LOVE to go to a lot of these cities and try their beers. After all, that's why we're here, yes?
Murder. Rape. Robbery. Burglary. Theft. Auto theft. Arson. Just some of the fine things the city of Asheville has to offer, well above the national average. Oh, and Meth. More meth cooks than anywhere else. It's scientific data people, based on filed police reports and crime statistics. Look it up, I couldn't make this stuff up. So vote for Asheville why don't you, and give them one more thing to be proud of, bringing the total to one. Don't vote for Grand Rapids, the home of Art Prize, Meijer Gardens, 4 world class museums including a presidential, the country's largest civic theatre, the 5/3 river bank run, beaches, golf, skiing, fishing, and snowboarding, to name a few. Don't vote for the Red Wings' top farm affiliate, the Griffins, or the Tiger's single A club, the Whitecaps. Vote for crime, drugs, and hillbillies stuck in the backwoods, happy they've got a Walmart and a terrible municipal golf course in a state that happens to have world class golf. Vote for trailers on the side of the mountain on wheels and cars in the yard without them. Is it stereotypical? Sure. But is it true? You bet. So give Asheville something to cheer for why don't you? They could use it. Sincerely, Mayor Terry M. Bellamy, Asheville, NC
Michigan and in particular Grand Rapids has become a hub of craft beer. This is not only good for G-Rap nation but the industry at large. I would like to put forth my iconic attire in support of the G-Rap bid for Beer City. Can others please tell what they think of the MI on tap part of the art.
http://www.zazzle.com/grand_rapids_is_1_beer_city-235104749548227901
AshevilleNative - 11 years ago
What does this term "butthurt" mean? Seems like every time someone says anything against Asheville, (whether it be the beer or the city) someone on here will call that person butthurt, but I don't see anyone get called that if they talk smack about any of the other cities.
Sounds like BigCub is butt hurt. And sits on the computer looking for meaningless facts to use against Asheville for this 'meaningless' contest that he for some reason types a huge rant for. Makes sense!
Beer drinker - 11 years ago
I'm happy to see everyone HATING on everyone other than themselves. How about you Just vote for your favorite fu#%ing beer city? GR.
OddManRush - 11 years ago
Been to both Asheville and Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids is livelier and has better beer. Ashville is marginally prettier. Sorry.
jason - 11 years ago
Yay! More trash talkers! Sounds like bigcub would have a great time at ohenrys on bear night!
In Ameristralia, thats quite a compliment. Grand Rapids not only has the brew, but they have the atmosphere and good people to drink with and really the whole package is what maks a city a beer city, not just a city where beer comes from. Yesterdogs FTW, CUNTS! (I mean that in the nicest endearing terms) :D
Katy - 11 years ago
I disagree. I was born and raised in Asheville, NC and I'd say it's a hell of a town to live in. It is a cultural cornucopia. We have several breweries, lots of talented musicians, beautiful and historical buildings and landmarks, and the people who live here are so friendly and genuine. The only time Asheville sucks is when we have an influx of Floridiots who don't know how to drive. However, we thrive because of tourism. Anyways, VOTE ASHEVILLE for Beer City USA!
Morgan Freeman - 11 years ago
I don't always drink beer, but when I do, its not in Asheville.
BigCub - 11 years ago
Jason, that's right, the only thing Asheville has going for it is beer, pretentious food, tacky art, hippie farmers, hipster music. Not a day goes by that there isn't a protest or rally in downtown, tourists clogging up the roads and parking lots, more up scale, over priced hotels per capita than any other city its size. 2nd Highest cost of living in the state and #1 lowest payscale in all of the south east. Recently, #4 for the worst place in the country to find & keep a job. And the most recent list Asheville has made was #8 most terribly overrated city in the world. So as you can see, the beer is pretty much all Asheville has going for it and that is why they tend to win it every year. Nothing better to do with your day than sit at your computer and vote for it on this meaningless contest, while drinking one of its many (over hopped) beers.
DSnedz - 11 years ago
Dear Grand Rapids fans,
You've no idea what you're talking about and are trying too hard. Come and visit Asheville sometime; we'll show you around.
Asheville
Kelven - 11 years ago
Asheville is mediocre at best. It is a little island of so called progressiveness in the middle of the bible belt. Of course they think it is the best. I have been there for work on the now and again. It carries itself like a 13 year old girl taking sexy smart phone pics of herself in the mirror to entice facebook status readers. Go to a real city with culture and you will see through asheville's attention starved highschool ploy. The beer is not good, and by volume, Sierra Nevada puts the whole city of asheville's beer making to shame with just one product that does not give you a hangover. Asheville is notorious for dirty taps that make you sick. Don't forget the residence hate out of towers. The 1% of service industry that are defending it on this page does not represent the actual demeanor of the City. Vote for a norther city.
Vickie Gerrie - 11 years ago
Go Asheville
Vickie Gerrie - 11 years ago
Go Asheville
Tony - 11 years ago
Oskar Blues, Sierra Nevada and New Belgian are investing nearly $200M in the Asheville area because the water, the outdoors, the people and the overall craft brew scene are all damn fine. No question Asheville is Beer City USA and will be for a long time to come.
Shannon - 11 years ago
Asheville is the clear choice. Hands down the very best !!!
Amy - 11 years ago
So many beers - - so little time! Asheville is phenominal and should get everyone's vote . . . but hey . . . I'd love to go up north again and drain a few!
jason - 11 years ago
And by the way jared asheville is known for more than beer. We have great art, food, music, agriculture, farm to table restaurants, we are enviromentally consious, and i could go on and on. We also produce wine , mead, cider and liquor.
WNCBadWolf - 11 years ago
Duane Ellen, this year is the last Bele Chere in Asheville. It has become nothing more than a pretentious drunk fest, sponsored and paid for by the city & they have decided to no longer pay for it. So unless some other group, organization or individual is willing to fork out the $500,000 it costs to put on the festival, then this year will be the very last Bele Chere.
your mom - 11 years ago
GR bitches get with the program mutha fuckers
Danny Joffe - 11 years ago
I drank beer all over this planet and Asheville tops it (Wedge Iron Rail) !!!!!!!!!!!
Shaphan - 11 years ago
Grand Rapids is the place to be in the mid west if you want some great beer
Elyse - 11 years ago
I've lived in both the South and the North. Y'all got great whiskey and bourbon down South, but Northerners trump at beer every go around. Go Grand Rapids!
jason - 11 years ago
Ashevilles downtown is dead? Then how come parking is impossible? And half the tags are from out of state? I am from michigan and am sad to see so many jerks from my home state!
Jen - 11 years ago
Grand Rapids. Hands down
jason - 11 years ago
Impurity hangovers? I live in asheville, drink beer in asheville, and home brew in asheville. No impurity hangovers here!
TessaNeedsAPinga - 11 years ago
Tessa: You sound like a real C-U-N-T. Maybe you should try getting laid more than once every other year. That should lighten you up :]
Jared Al - 11 years ago
the people who are saying asheville have never been to grand rapids, Asheville's downtown district is dead compared to Grand Rapids, not to mention some of the best microbrews come out of grand rapids. Whoever said GR is a bible town needs to get a better grip on reality. Grand Rapids is a city thriving with creativity where all cultures meet, it is a great environment for anyone who is trying to have fun without the anxiety of being judged.
Chris E. - 11 years ago
I'll be the guy that goes as far as saying that the reason Asheville has won so many times is because they care more about getting noticed than actually making great beer. There is some great beer there, don't get me wrong, but cities in Oregon, Michigan and Colorado have more to offer than Asheville and NC on the city and state levels. For the sake of variety, Chicago gets my vote this year - awesome city, lots of awesome beer, and that's augmented by stuff that comes from surrounding states as well. And for whatever it's worth, Charleston, SC gets a write in vote from me.
Will - 11 years ago
AVL
rigos - 11 years ago
Asheville!
jason - 11 years ago
I love how everyone goes and with in this distance of the city there is this many more breweries. By end of summer there will be around 30 within an hour of asheville and more by next year. And if that mattered porland or san diego should win since they both have like 50 within an hour of them. And yay asheville!
Tessa - 11 years ago
All of asheville's "micro brews" leave one with impurity hangovers after one beer. Asheville is a mediocre, try to hard to impress, failure. Quantity of small breweries does not equal to quality. The best bars in asheville are the ones that don't even bother to sell local beer...
monica - 11 years ago
Grand Rapids
tabrooks - 11 years ago
Kalamazoo, because there is so much support for home-brewers!
Duane Ellen - 11 years ago
My bad... Ashville has 11 and that's not counting Pisgah Brewing in Black Mtn.... Not even to mention Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids are at least TEN TIMES THE SIZE and POPULATION of little ol' Ashville NC...
ASHVILLE IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION: NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE!!
(btw... PISGAH PORTER IS THE NECTAR OF THE GODS!! Can't wait for Bel Chere!!)
Darryl - 11 years ago
Founders beats anything coming out of Asheville!
Yolanda tjemmes - 11 years ago
GR of course!!!
Duane Ellen - 11 years ago
Asheville has 9 microbreweries; Ann Arbor 4... Why is this even a contest?
Matt - 11 years ago
AshevilleNative: Glad to see you're a dick on more than one forum!
Go back to CityData where you belong...
Matt - 11 years ago
AshevilleNative: Glad to see you're a dick on more than one forum!
Go back to CityData where you belong...
jennifer tester - 11 years ago
Asheville!!!
Jordan Wicker - 11 years ago
My vote is G.R. Mi. Anybody that says there is only a handful of brewery's in G.R. has never been here. Look it up. 15-30 mile radius of downtown. Dozens! More coming all the time. Great city with lots to offer for everyone.
AshevilleNative - 11 years ago
My vote goes to any city except Asheville
Matt - 11 years ago
Asheville will win this. They do every year! Lol people are do butthurt, let's go AVL!
We are all missionaries in the same church! Give me a great craft beer and I'm all set. Although I am a member at http://hideoutbrewing.com/
Kate - 11 years ago
Grand Rapids, Michigan rocks with its 8 breweries and 10 others nearby. Many are within walking distance of one another yet do not wholly compete as they offer differing styles of beer. Here's to Grand Rapids where the water is pure Michigan's. After all, Michigan is to water what the Mideast is to oil - its richest resource and basis for great beer. Enough said.
[Founders Brewing Company, The Mitten Brewing Co., HopCat, Brewery Vivant, Hideout Brewing Company, Harmony Brewing Company, B.O.B.'s House Of Brews, Schmohz Brewing Company]
Breweries within 45 minutes of Grand Rapids, listed from the closest, and leaving out all the incredible beer bars:
Founder's, Grand Rapids Brewing Company, HopCat (coincindentally, also the #3 beer bar in America), The BOB, Harmony, The Mitten, Brewery Vivant, Schmohz, Hideout, Perrin, Jaden James, Rockford, White Flame, Pike 51, Olde Boys, Odd Side, New Holland, Waldorf, Saugatuck, 57 BrewPub...
That's 20. 46 miles to KZoo from Downtown GR, which is why the whole argument between those two cities is just SILLY, because dude, I have conquered both towns in one day. I can leave my house in Lansing, drive 40 minutes to Marshall, go to Dark Horse, drive 15 minutes to Battle Creek, go to Arcadia, drive another 25 minutes to KZoo and enjoy all its majesty, and then its 45 minutes to downtown GR, not to mention stops in amazing places along the way.
Michigan Beer. If you are hating on it, its because you probably haven't actually tried anything we have to offer. Which is why you won't hear me hating on any of your cities, if I haven't had your beer. I will say that if New Belgium was coming to Michigan, I wouldn't be proud of it. Our beer is better than that. ;)
Siggster - 11 years ago
Not even a contest: Ashe-Vegas all the way!
Wicked Wendy - 11 years ago
Fellow Greater Grand Rapidians, my vote is in!
asdfa - 11 years ago
seems like all the great MI noms could split the voting, which is too bad. good luck GR!
Chelsea - 11 years ago
To the person who claimed that all people in Asheville hate out-of-towners, you're right! We hate people who come from other places who assume we are all "PTSD drunks" wasting our lives away and living on lost hopes. It would appear you had a rough time with a drunkard who suffers from PTSD. Key part of that being "a". Asheville is a glorious city and if a lot of us happen to work in the service industry, it's because we are willing to put up with rude people like you to stay in this wonderful city. We really take pride in our beer and the place we call home. I shall take the high road here and invite you back to meet us again.
BigCub - 11 years ago
Its just beer, what is it about this beverage that makes people foam at the mouth if someone doesn't like the same brand they do. You never hear people getting so fired up and defensive over something like tea, coffee, orange juice, soda, milk, etc... If beer contained absolutely no alcohol what so ever, very few people would even be interested in tasting it, but because it does contain alcohol, people are obsessed over it, there are people who wont even go to certain restaurants because they don't serve beer, will spend their last dollar on a beer, take vacations that revolve around beer. Its really very sad how people will allow their whole life to be consumed by a beverage.
Matt - 11 years ago
It's not just quantity but quality, how many of Asheville's beers make the top cut vs Grand Rapids. whomp whomp
Olerson - 11 years ago
I think WNCBADWOLF is a bit butthurt. ASHEVILLE all the way !!!
Rita - 11 years ago
Grand Rapids area has many breweries that are awesome and just in walking distance from each other there are 3 so it it a great selection to choose from. There are many more than just those few and many more to come! This is going to be a grwat year for Grand Rapids, MI!
rena - 11 years ago
Asheville all the way, baby!!!
AVLBeerChick - 11 years ago
AVL is where it's at! All the people from GR are mentioning like 4 breweries. Seriously? When talking beer in Asheville, you have Highland (the original, since 1994), Asheville Brewing, Lexington Ave. Brewery, Wicked Weed, Oyster House, Altamont Brewing, Wedge Brewery, Green Man, and French Broad Brewery in Asheville proper. That is 9 just in the city with more coming including New Belgium. To claim beer supremacy for the region, you add Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, only about 15 minutes outside of downtown Asheville, and Thirsty Monk South, also only about 15 minutes away in Arden. In Brevard there is Brevard Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues which are about 45 minutes away. In Weaverville you have Blue Mountain Pizza and Brew Pub, again only about 15 minutes from downtown. Mills River is getting ready to add Sierra Nevada and they will be no more than 20 minutes from downtown AVL. I could go on but I think you get the point. When it comes to craft beer, Asheville is where it's at! Come to one of our many festivals and you'll see, we have the best beer around, hands down, and we are in a beautiful region to boot! GO AVL!
This one I'm very impartial to cause was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mi. and now currently reside in Asheville,NC. Both cities tied for Beer City USA 2012.
Tessa - 11 years ago
Please vote for Grand Rapids, bring people to Michigan to help restart Detroit and surrounding areas. In Asheville, it is a hopeless void where there is not much going for it. It is a city of PTSD drunks who work in the service industry drinking away failed dreams lost to a culture of mediocrity that looms over the former Cherokee holy land. The city attracts the usual Southern Bible Culture of half-wit fratboy douches, especially during city functions. The service industry hates out of towners who show up and would rather everybody go home. Since service industry jobs are the city's only real source of income for most of them, they are stuck with it, other than to move out of that WNC void. But are too many of them chasing the American Dream of the great artist retreat? Vote for somewhere else...
A handy dandy map to all of Asheville's breweries (plus there's ANOTHER brewery that hasn't been added yet - Hi-Wire Brewing just announced it's opening in downtown Asheville!) --> http://bit.ly/Y9TEQQ
Let's do this Asheville!!! .... and question: Why on earth are the poll results NOT live as votes are coming in? weak sauce
GRBeer Queen - 11 years ago
GR all the way! So many great brewries with more opening up, you can't go wrong. Also, when I say brewries, I mean places that brew their own beer. Not places like Shakespeare's Pub in Kzoo. What the heck?! All they do is serve it. Grand Rapids is Beer City!
Rooster - 11 years ago
Grand Rapids..Hands down on this one!!
Cindy - 11 years ago
ASHEVILLE!!
Patsy Pagan - 11 years ago
Aloft Hotel ROCK! Tallahassee and Asheville great locations!
Diggs - 11 years ago
GRAND RAPIDS by two kegs and a frothy pint!!
DanO - 11 years ago
How do you not vote in Tampa? Cigar City, Cold Storage, Tampa Bay Brewing, Dunedin Brew, 7th Sun, Rapp, Green Bench, St Pete Brew, St Somewhere and Peg's Cantina. We have a great homebrew community and, oh yeah, we have beaches!!
Eric - 11 years ago
Missoula, MT!
I love where I grew up in AVL but Missoula's beer is better.
Some serious butt hurt over Asheville. LOL. Keep the melts coming, really enjoying them. Cheers (with a 22oz Escape Artist)
B.B.Rodriguez, if your going to bad mouth a city at least get your facts straight. George Vanderbilt did not come to Asheville until the early 1880's, The house & estate did not even begin construction until 1890 & if you do a little research you will find out that the civil war ended in 1865. At which time ALL of the Vanderbilts lived in NYC or Staten Island NY. The people of WNC were not Union sympathizers, most did not even own slaves due to this being a very small area and the people here did not have the money to own slaves. They were in support of succeeding, NOT because of slavery, but because they did not like the US government trying to control every aspect of their lives, must like they are doing today. Downtown did not begin to grow until the 1870's, at which time the Indians were long gone, driven out by the US government (NOT the city or county). So perhaps it is you who should be doing a bit of research next time you plan to talk smack about a town. I may not be proud of what Asheville has become today, but I am very proud of what it use to be
Who ever takes the title will celebrate by drinking a beer those who don't I guess will have a beer anyways they won't be happy about it but they will be drinking.
haterz gon hate. go Asheville!
Hey Frogbender. I bet you are another local with an "art" degree who never got beyond subjective coursework in your life. Read the history of nasty things Buncombe County is known for and you'll see why it gets "de-bunked" . You downtown is built on Cherokee sacred holy land, robbed at gunpoint and the natives forced down the "Trail of Tears". Oh, during the cival war, the overall WNC area were union simpathisers in the south against slavery, except the city of Asheville, whom at financial manipulation by Vanderbilt, was a BIGOT stronghold.
Take your negative attitude elsewhere. It's making you look like a whiny baby.
Top 10 most terribly overrated destinations. Asheville NC #9
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/David%20Landsel/10-terribly-overrated-destinations_b_3030348.html
Top 10 worst places in the country to get a job. Asheville NC #4
http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/finance-worstcitiesforjobswinter/asheville/
Top 10 worst places in the country to be single. Asheville NC #8
http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-worst-cities-for-singles.html?page=all
20 Metro Areas With the Worst Credit Card Debt Problems. Asheville NC #6
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/01/26/worst-credit-card-debt-problems-cities/
Asheville area country's 3rd worst in food hardship (the year before that, Asheville was #7 & the year before that it was #8)
http://www.mountainx.com/article/40857/Hungry-city-Asheville-area-countrys-3rd-worst-in-food-hardship
Poverty in Asheville is one of the worst in the south east.
http://www.mountainx.com/news/2010/050510down_and_out_in_asheville
Asheville all the way!!! The whole WNC area is coming alive with some fantastic microbreweries!! There is a wonderful selection of microbrews available across the area!! And stop hating on Asheville. It only makes you look petty and small-minded, and gives the world a nice sample of your intellectual level.
wow BB Rodriguez...... that's quite a biased opinion. I find it offensive and untrue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSZUztuaLHo
Asheville all the way!
The underlying nature of Asheville is that it is bunk. which is short for buncombe county. It is a staple of hidden murder, crime and corruption, hid by a guise of art and culture. The whole infrastructure and area surrounding downtown are full of clansmen, billy graham bigots, and other culturally inept mongoloids praying for "amerca". The city residents are art flunkies who parade themselves around like a 6 year old girl in makeup and a boa, hoping to be called pretty and dreams of stardom. The music and art is mediocre and inept. The place is a ripoff. Give the vote to somewhere that is not a brooding hatecrime in progress...
Wow, it's like they open things up for comments and people become monsters...we are all going to have our own opinions biased by where we live, why don't we let the votes speak for themselves and lose the negativity!
Its amazing how ignorant some of you are. On the list of best places to live in the country Asheville is #8 and Grand Rapids is #157. hmmmm. So where are you people pulling the bs from......your asses
The most important finding of this annual poll is that there is a ton of passion and pride about local brews across this great nation. Charlie P. got the GABF going to showcase the beers and brewers, and this project focuses on the civic pride dimension. It's all good, and it should all be fun.
So to all you rabid partisans out there, please, quit the hating. Relax, don't worry, have a local brew. And keep in mind how much more fun and interesting it has become to travel across the USA, with bona fide beer towns all over the place.
BTW, here's another non-scientific survey on beer towns in the USA:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/06/travel/usa-beer-towns/index.html?hpt=hp_t5
Cheers!
Beer is beer is beer. What difference who makes it or what city its made in, the whole point in beer is to get drunk. Since these comment are completely anonymous and nobody can trace it back to you, then be honest here and admit it. Do any of you actually drink beer for the taste like you do with coffee, tea or soda? If I am going to drink beer then its to get drunk or at the very least get a buzz going on, I could not care less where or who made it as long as it does what its suppose to do
If you're going to pub crawl and TRY hitting all of Grand Rapids' brew pubs, prepare to spend the entire day doing so! And that doesn't even include Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and other nearby West Michigan cities.
Personally I love John Svaboda's (The Bob) concoctions. I've actually done a pretty good job of diplicating his Peanut Butter Stout. It doesn't hurt that as Mug Club member I pay $1/pint on Thursday when I frequent the Monkey Bar and (this is insane as far as even breaking even) The Bob sells pints for 50 cents a pint on Wednesdays!?!??
Kalamazoo
Asheville!!! ESB , Green Man Brewery, Best Beer in the nation!!!
I laughed hard at that "mayor" comment. So I looked it up. Couldn't find all the info they spoke up but wow, there really is a lot of crime in asheville. not that it changes the quality of their craft brew scene but wow. So I looked up GR, and they are pretty bad too. Good thing this vote is based on fanboys and not crime statistics, or nobody might win. But I'm voting for Asheville, because that mayor convinced me. Reverse psychology has failed, mayor. cheers
Thank you, JohnnyT. We're here for beer. Not to demean places we've never been.
I want to go to Bend one day. Deschutes is quite possibly my favorite brewery.
Oh, and Kalamazoo. And Grand Rapids. And lots of others.
This country is full of great beer!
What the fuck? Are you people insane? Calling each other derogatory terms and arguing like a bunch of kids! This is wrong! I'm not even going to say who I voted for because I will be attacked by everyone from every other city. There are very few of you that know anything about the other cities, so I would suggest you keep all of your comments to just why you think your city is great. Don't tell me why it's better than this or that. This ignorance is coming from everyone! Stop attacking the people that are attacking your city by saying that everyone from there is like that. These are anonymous comments people! Don't take them so damn seriously! I hope that next year they don't have a comment section because you sorry people are like animals. Lastly, to the person who doesn't know why people care about beer so much, I would recommend you find out why instead of attacking people for it.
AshevilleNative...in my browsing I noticed no negative comments toward other cities. Perhaps it was the overwhelming volume of comments toward Asheville that cluttered them up.
I have nothing negative to say about other cities. Especially if I have never been there in person to provide any first hand opinion.
I just find it funny that every year the minions come out of the woodwork for this poll. And said minions think they contest is meaningless but come back to give their two cents on how terrible your homeland is.
Just more amusing than anything.
P.S. I would LOVE to go to a lot of these cities and try their beers. After all, that's why we're here, yes?
Murder. Rape. Robbery. Burglary. Theft. Auto theft. Arson. Just some of the fine things the city of Asheville has to offer, well above the national average. Oh, and Meth. More meth cooks than anywhere else. It's scientific data people, based on filed police reports and crime statistics. Look it up, I couldn't make this stuff up. So vote for Asheville why don't you, and give them one more thing to be proud of, bringing the total to one. Don't vote for Grand Rapids, the home of Art Prize, Meijer Gardens, 4 world class museums including a presidential, the country's largest civic theatre, the 5/3 river bank run, beaches, golf, skiing, fishing, and snowboarding, to name a few. Don't vote for the Red Wings' top farm affiliate, the Griffins, or the Tiger's single A club, the Whitecaps. Vote for crime, drugs, and hillbillies stuck in the backwoods, happy they've got a Walmart and a terrible municipal golf course in a state that happens to have world class golf. Vote for trailers on the side of the mountain on wheels and cars in the yard without them. Is it stereotypical? Sure. But is it true? You bet. So give Asheville something to cheer for why don't you? They could use it. Sincerely, Mayor Terry M. Bellamy, Asheville, NC
Michigan and in particular Grand Rapids has become a hub of craft beer. This is not only good for G-Rap nation but the industry at large. I would like to put forth my iconic attire in support of the G-Rap bid for Beer City. Can others please tell what they think of the MI on tap part of the art.
http://www.zazzle.com/grand_rapids_is_1_beer_city-235104749548227901
What does this term "butthurt" mean? Seems like every time someone says anything against Asheville, (whether it be the beer or the city) someone on here will call that person butthurt, but I don't see anyone get called that if they talk smack about any of the other cities.
GR, Rockford!
Sounds like BigCub is butt hurt. And sits on the computer looking for meaningless facts to use against Asheville for this 'meaningless' contest that he for some reason types a huge rant for. Makes sense!
I'm happy to see everyone HATING on everyone other than themselves. How about you Just vote for your favorite fu#%ing beer city? GR.
Been to both Asheville and Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids is livelier and has better beer. Ashville is marginally prettier. Sorry.
Yay! More trash talkers! Sounds like bigcub would have a great time at ohenrys on bear night!
GR's beer is best
@Tessa
In Ameristralia, thats quite a compliment. Grand Rapids not only has the brew, but they have the atmosphere and good people to drink with and really the whole package is what maks a city a beer city, not just a city where beer comes from. Yesterdogs FTW, CUNTS! (I mean that in the nicest endearing terms) :D
I disagree. I was born and raised in Asheville, NC and I'd say it's a hell of a town to live in. It is a cultural cornucopia. We have several breweries, lots of talented musicians, beautiful and historical buildings and landmarks, and the people who live here are so friendly and genuine. The only time Asheville sucks is when we have an influx of Floridiots who don't know how to drive. However, we thrive because of tourism. Anyways, VOTE ASHEVILLE for Beer City USA!
I don't always drink beer, but when I do, its not in Asheville.
Jason, that's right, the only thing Asheville has going for it is beer, pretentious food, tacky art, hippie farmers, hipster music. Not a day goes by that there isn't a protest or rally in downtown, tourists clogging up the roads and parking lots, more up scale, over priced hotels per capita than any other city its size. 2nd Highest cost of living in the state and #1 lowest payscale in all of the south east. Recently, #4 for the worst place in the country to find & keep a job. And the most recent list Asheville has made was #8 most terribly overrated city in the world. So as you can see, the beer is pretty much all Asheville has going for it and that is why they tend to win it every year. Nothing better to do with your day than sit at your computer and vote for it on this meaningless contest, while drinking one of its many (over hopped) beers.
Dear Grand Rapids fans,
You've no idea what you're talking about and are trying too hard. Come and visit Asheville sometime; we'll show you around.
Asheville
Asheville is mediocre at best. It is a little island of so called progressiveness in the middle of the bible belt. Of course they think it is the best. I have been there for work on the now and again. It carries itself like a 13 year old girl taking sexy smart phone pics of herself in the mirror to entice facebook status readers. Go to a real city with culture and you will see through asheville's attention starved highschool ploy. The beer is not good, and by volume, Sierra Nevada puts the whole city of asheville's beer making to shame with just one product that does not give you a hangover. Asheville is notorious for dirty taps that make you sick. Don't forget the residence hate out of towers. The 1% of service industry that are defending it on this page does not represent the actual demeanor of the City. Vote for a norther city.
Go Asheville
Go Asheville
Oskar Blues, Sierra Nevada and New Belgian are investing nearly $200M in the Asheville area because the water, the outdoors, the people and the overall craft brew scene are all damn fine. No question Asheville is Beer City USA and will be for a long time to come.
Asheville is the clear choice. Hands down the very best !!!
So many beers - - so little time! Asheville is phenominal and should get everyone's vote . . . but hey . . . I'd love to go up north again and drain a few!
And by the way jared asheville is known for more than beer. We have great art, food, music, agriculture, farm to table restaurants, we are enviromentally consious, and i could go on and on. We also produce wine , mead, cider and liquor.
Duane Ellen, this year is the last Bele Chere in Asheville. It has become nothing more than a pretentious drunk fest, sponsored and paid for by the city & they have decided to no longer pay for it. So unless some other group, organization or individual is willing to fork out the $500,000 it costs to put on the festival, then this year will be the very last Bele Chere.
GR bitches get with the program mutha fuckers
I drank beer all over this planet and Asheville tops it (Wedge Iron Rail) !!!!!!!!!!!
Grand Rapids is the place to be in the mid west if you want some great beer
I've lived in both the South and the North. Y'all got great whiskey and bourbon down South, but Northerners trump at beer every go around. Go Grand Rapids!
Ashevilles downtown is dead? Then how come parking is impossible? And half the tags are from out of state? I am from michigan and am sad to see so many jerks from my home state!
Grand Rapids. Hands down
Impurity hangovers? I live in asheville, drink beer in asheville, and home brew in asheville. No impurity hangovers here!
Tessa: You sound like a real C-U-N-T. Maybe you should try getting laid more than once every other year. That should lighten you up :]
the people who are saying asheville have never been to grand rapids, Asheville's downtown district is dead compared to Grand Rapids, not to mention some of the best microbrews come out of grand rapids. Whoever said GR is a bible town needs to get a better grip on reality. Grand Rapids is a city thriving with creativity where all cultures meet, it is a great environment for anyone who is trying to have fun without the anxiety of being judged.
I'll be the guy that goes as far as saying that the reason Asheville has won so many times is because they care more about getting noticed than actually making great beer. There is some great beer there, don't get me wrong, but cities in Oregon, Michigan and Colorado have more to offer than Asheville and NC on the city and state levels. For the sake of variety, Chicago gets my vote this year - awesome city, lots of awesome beer, and that's augmented by stuff that comes from surrounding states as well. And for whatever it's worth, Charleston, SC gets a write in vote from me.
AVL
Asheville!
I love how everyone goes and with in this distance of the city there is this many more breweries. By end of summer there will be around 30 within an hour of asheville and more by next year. And if that mattered porland or san diego should win since they both have like 50 within an hour of them. And yay asheville!
All of asheville's "micro brews" leave one with impurity hangovers after one beer. Asheville is a mediocre, try to hard to impress, failure. Quantity of small breweries does not equal to quality. The best bars in asheville are the ones that don't even bother to sell local beer...
Grand Rapids
Kalamazoo, because there is so much support for home-brewers!
My bad... Ashville has 11 and that's not counting Pisgah Brewing in Black Mtn.... Not even to mention Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids are at least TEN TIMES THE SIZE and POPULATION of little ol' Ashville NC...
ASHVILLE IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION: NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE!!
(btw... PISGAH PORTER IS THE NECTAR OF THE GODS!! Can't wait for Bel Chere!!)
Founders beats anything coming out of Asheville!
GR of course!!!
Asheville has 9 microbreweries; Ann Arbor 4... Why is this even a contest?
AshevilleNative: Glad to see you're a dick on more than one forum!
Go back to CityData where you belong...
AshevilleNative: Glad to see you're a dick on more than one forum!
Go back to CityData where you belong...
Asheville!!!
My vote is G.R. Mi. Anybody that says there is only a handful of brewery's in G.R. has never been here. Look it up. 15-30 mile radius of downtown. Dozens! More coming all the time. Great city with lots to offer for everyone.
My vote goes to any city except Asheville
Asheville will win this. They do every year! Lol people are do butthurt, let's go AVL!
We are all missionaries in the same church! Give me a great craft beer and I'm all set. Although I am a member at http://hideoutbrewing.com/
Grand Rapids, Michigan rocks with its 8 breweries and 10 others nearby. Many are within walking distance of one another yet do not wholly compete as they offer differing styles of beer. Here's to Grand Rapids where the water is pure Michigan's. After all, Michigan is to water what the Mideast is to oil - its richest resource and basis for great beer. Enough said.
[Founders Brewing Company, The Mitten Brewing Co., HopCat, Brewery Vivant, Hideout Brewing Company, Harmony Brewing Company, B.O.B.'s House Of Brews, Schmohz Brewing Company]
Ann Arbor is the place to be!
Breweries within 45 minutes of Grand Rapids, listed from the closest, and leaving out all the incredible beer bars:
Founder's, Grand Rapids Brewing Company, HopCat (coincindentally, also the #3 beer bar in America), The BOB, Harmony, The Mitten, Brewery Vivant, Schmohz, Hideout, Perrin, Jaden James, Rockford, White Flame, Pike 51, Olde Boys, Odd Side, New Holland, Waldorf, Saugatuck, 57 BrewPub...
That's 20. 46 miles to KZoo from Downtown GR, which is why the whole argument between those two cities is just SILLY, because dude, I have conquered both towns in one day. I can leave my house in Lansing, drive 40 minutes to Marshall, go to Dark Horse, drive 15 minutes to Battle Creek, go to Arcadia, drive another 25 minutes to KZoo and enjoy all its majesty, and then its 45 minutes to downtown GR, not to mention stops in amazing places along the way.
Michigan Beer. If you are hating on it, its because you probably haven't actually tried anything we have to offer. Which is why you won't hear me hating on any of your cities, if I haven't had your beer. I will say that if New Belgium was coming to Michigan, I wouldn't be proud of it. Our beer is better than that. ;)
Not even a contest: Ashe-Vegas all the way!
Fellow Greater Grand Rapidians, my vote is in!
seems like all the great MI noms could split the voting, which is too bad. good luck GR!
To the person who claimed that all people in Asheville hate out-of-towners, you're right! We hate people who come from other places who assume we are all "PTSD drunks" wasting our lives away and living on lost hopes. It would appear you had a rough time with a drunkard who suffers from PTSD. Key part of that being "a". Asheville is a glorious city and if a lot of us happen to work in the service industry, it's because we are willing to put up with rude people like you to stay in this wonderful city. We really take pride in our beer and the place we call home. I shall take the high road here and invite you back to meet us again.
Its just beer, what is it about this beverage that makes people foam at the mouth if someone doesn't like the same brand they do. You never hear people getting so fired up and defensive over something like tea, coffee, orange juice, soda, milk, etc... If beer contained absolutely no alcohol what so ever, very few people would even be interested in tasting it, but because it does contain alcohol, people are obsessed over it, there are people who wont even go to certain restaurants because they don't serve beer, will spend their last dollar on a beer, take vacations that revolve around beer. Its really very sad how people will allow their whole life to be consumed by a beverage.
It's not just quantity but quality, how many of Asheville's beers make the top cut vs Grand Rapids. whomp whomp
I think WNCBADWOLF is a bit butthurt. ASHEVILLE all the way !!!
Grand Rapids area has many breweries that are awesome and just in walking distance from each other there are 3 so it it a great selection to choose from. There are many more than just those few and many more to come! This is going to be a grwat year for Grand Rapids, MI!
Asheville all the way, baby!!!
AVL is where it's at! All the people from GR are mentioning like 4 breweries. Seriously? When talking beer in Asheville, you have Highland (the original, since 1994), Asheville Brewing, Lexington Ave. Brewery, Wicked Weed, Oyster House, Altamont Brewing, Wedge Brewery, Green Man, and French Broad Brewery in Asheville proper. That is 9 just in the city with more coming including New Belgium. To claim beer supremacy for the region, you add Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, only about 15 minutes outside of downtown Asheville, and Thirsty Monk South, also only about 15 minutes away in Arden. In Brevard there is Brevard Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues which are about 45 minutes away. In Weaverville you have Blue Mountain Pizza and Brew Pub, again only about 15 minutes from downtown. Mills River is getting ready to add Sierra Nevada and they will be no more than 20 minutes from downtown AVL. I could go on but I think you get the point. When it comes to craft beer, Asheville is where it's at! Come to one of our many festivals and you'll see, we have the best beer around, hands down, and we are in a beautiful region to boot! GO AVL!
Let's go Asheville! Let's go! :)
This one I'm very impartial to cause was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mi. and now currently reside in Asheville,NC. Both cities tied for Beer City USA 2012.
Please vote for Grand Rapids, bring people to Michigan to help restart Detroit and surrounding areas. In Asheville, it is a hopeless void where there is not much going for it. It is a city of PTSD drunks who work in the service industry drinking away failed dreams lost to a culture of mediocrity that looms over the former Cherokee holy land. The city attracts the usual Southern Bible Culture of half-wit fratboy douches, especially during city functions. The service industry hates out of towners who show up and would rather everybody go home. Since service industry jobs are the city's only real source of income for most of them, they are stuck with it, other than to move out of that WNC void. But are too many of them chasing the American Dream of the great artist retreat? Vote for somewhere else...
A handy dandy map to all of Asheville's breweries (plus there's ANOTHER brewery that hasn't been added yet - Hi-Wire Brewing just announced it's opening in downtown Asheville!) --> http://bit.ly/Y9TEQQ
Come on Asheville ;)
Let's do this Asheville!!! .... and question: Why on earth are the poll results NOT live as votes are coming in? weak sauce
GR all the way! So many great brewries with more opening up, you can't go wrong. Also, when I say brewries, I mean places that brew their own beer. Not places like Shakespeare's Pub in Kzoo. What the heck?! All they do is serve it. Grand Rapids is Beer City!
Grand Rapids..Hands down on this one!!
ASHEVILLE!!
Aloft Hotel ROCK! Tallahassee and Asheville great locations!
GRAND RAPIDS by two kegs and a frothy pint!!
How do you not vote in Tampa? Cigar City, Cold Storage, Tampa Bay Brewing, Dunedin Brew, 7th Sun, Rapp, Green Bench, St Pete Brew, St Somewhere and Peg's Cantina. We have a great homebrew community and, oh yeah, we have beaches!!
Missoula, MT!
I love where I grew up in AVL but Missoula's beer is better.
Asheville, N.C...2013!!!
AVL all the way!
Love Ashville