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Rating: 3.50
Locations: Five locations in NC
Founded: 1999
Last visited: July 2022
Catawba Brewing has two locations in Asheville, NC and we visited the taproom in the Biltmore Village neighborhood. It’s a barebones, spartan taproom, but it gets the job done. Resident Dog Ellie appears to be in charge of the place. There were 16 beers on tap on our visit.
BEER:
Czech Mate Czech Pilsner (4.00) – Medium-bodied lager, straw colored. Hop bitterness lingers throughout and is especially evident in the aftertaste. Malt sweetness is prominent.
Premium Lager (3.00) – Light bodied lager, pale straw color. Not aggressively hopped. Beer is probably best described as a thirst quencher.
Vienna Lager (2.25) – Medium-bodied, but somewhat thin for style, which is malt-forward. Lacking in roasted and caramel aspects. A kind of fruitiness lingers in the finish, totally out of character for a Vienna Lager.
Fruity Trippel (2.00) – Extremely fruity in the bouquet and first sip. Citrus is too powerful and overwhelms the classic Trippel components.
Peach Sour Ale (4.25) – Tartness and peachiness are in excellent harmony. Light-bodied, easy drinking beer. Hazy, straw colored. Hop bitterness very much in the background.
Carolina Fog Hazy IPA (4.25) – Floral aspects evident in the bouquet. Proper level of hop bitterness for style. Malt sweetness well balanced for this beer. Totally acceptable example of style.
Brown Bear Brown Ale (2.50) – Very dark appearance, maybe excessive for a Brown Ale? Too much roasted character. This beer could easily pass for a Porter. Lack of caramel aspects troubling. A very tasty beer, just far from the target for a Brown Ale.
Espresso Porter (4.50) – Huge black beer with coffee characteristics in the bouquet and first sip. Beer is loaded with malty goodness, dark malts and roasted malts. Low level of hop bitterness, as appropriate.