hosts free beer and wine tastings every week! We are excited about our selection and want our customers to have plenty of opportunities to sample what we have to offer.
Beer tastings are held Fridays from 4-7pm and feature a different brewery or style of beer. Wine tastings are held every Saturday from 2-5pm and focus on a particular winery, grape varietals, or a certain wine region. We also host private events and tastings, if you are interested in holding a private event please contact us.
The Girls on Grapes wine club also regularly meets at Hops & Vines, and members also get special discounts on certain wines in the shop. If you interested in joining, contact jessica@ashevillewineconsulting.com. See you soon, Cheers!
Beer tasting this Friday, October 10th, from 4pm - 7pm
Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Michiagn
Founders Brewing has a reputation of creating some of the most innovative
beers in the craft brewing industry. They produce a unique line of brews
that breaks the standard of most US mico-breweries. Founded by Mike Stevens
and Dave Engbers, Founders produced its first beer in November of 1997.
Built out of a dream and a passion for home brewing, what started out as a
hobby quickly became a thriving business. This very well may be the most
flavorful tasting to date!
Dirty Bastard - Founders flagship beer. Dirty Bastard is an absolute
beautiful beer to behold. Dark ruby in color and brewed with ten varieties
of imported malts, this beer continuously lives up to its reputation as a
bold and powerful ale. Dirty Bastard is complex in the finish with hints
of smoke and peat paired with a malty richness, finalized with a good bit of
hop attitude.
Pale Ale - A testament to Cascade hops in a bottle. This medium-bodied,
Pale Ale has a distinctive floral hop aroma and refreshing citrus flavor.
Founders Pale Ale has a slight malty sweetness with a balanced hop finish. A
perfect beer to enjoy while mowing the lawn, boating, grilling with friends
or just taking it easy.
Red's Rye - Pours a spectacular crimson red with a creamy tan head.
Brewed with four varieties of Belgian caramel malts imparting a sweet
richness. Red's Rye is impressively balanced with its hop bitterness and
huge citrus bouquet achieved from the immense Amarillo dry hop. The generous
amount of malted rye used accentuates a spicy crisp finish.
Breakfast Stout - You've got to love coffee to truly appreciate this
phenomenal brew. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and
sweetened imported chocolates, Sumatra and Kona coffee. Breakfast Stout has
an intense, fresh roasted coffee nose toped with a cinnamon colored frothy
head that seems to never fade and makes you wish breakfast would last
forever.
Beginners Homebrewing Class
Our next homebrew class will be held on Sunday, November 9th from 12pm to 5pm. This beginners homebrew class covers basic brewing procedures, recipe formulation, fermentation, sanitation and much more. We brew the beer right at the store, about 2 weeks later you come back for bottling and you get to take at least a six pack of what we brewed. This next class we'll be brewing an American Pale Ale. Homebrew classes make a great gift for friends and loved ones. Call or e-mail Alex for more details and to sign up! Cheers.
$45 dollars covers everything including a six pack of beer we brew!
Wine Tasting this Saturday, October 11th, 2pm-5pm
The Wines of Domaine Ferraton
Domaine Ferraton is a highly-praised producer based in the Rhône Valley of France. Sustainable farming, a new state of the art winery and expert handling of the grapes all contribute to incredible expression in the glass. This week we’ll try four absurdly delicious offerings!
2007 Côtes du Rhône “Samorëns” Blanc – 60% Grenache Blanc gives this white Rhône excellent body while its high proportion of Clairette adds freshness and good acidity. The wine sees no oak as the estate’s priority is to maximize the wine’s pure fruit flavors.
2006 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc “La Matinière” – This wine is 10% Roussane, but is dominated by Marsanne (90%), as is evidenced by a nose and palate of mineral, quince and honeysuckle. This fruity, full-bodied white is simply outstanding and would be absolutely perfect on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
2006 Côtes du Rhône “Samorëns” Rouge – Composed of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 15% Cinsault, this is classic, straightforward Côtes du Rhône. It is a high-acid wine with notes of cherry and dusty tannins.
2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages “Plan de Dieu” Rouge – Plan de Dieu, located just west of Gigondas was upgraded to Villages status in 2005. This wine is composed of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, and it offers up a plump nose and palate of ripe strawberry and black cherry, with some underlying minerality, spice and sweet herbs. The soils here are very similar to those in Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas, making this wine an incredible value!