French Broad River Brewery

Quite possibly my favorite brewery in Asheville. Aside from their terrific beers and pizza, the staff was so awesome and helpful. I believe the gentleman's name behind the bar was Cam, and what an asset to this brewery to have such a knowledgeable & personable guy slinging drinks. Things got really busy, really quickly ahead of the music act on Wednesday night 5/8 and he handled it perfectly. Very impressive and can't wait to come back to this place again!

It's been a while since I stopped in. I like having the pizza shop and enjoyed the music.

I'd love to love this place and give it 5 stars. I've been there 4 times. They have live reggae every Sunday, and other live music regularly. I've seen Stephen Marley on their outside stage (in their normal parking lot). There's a pretty good pizza shop on premises. There's so much to like... and then there's the beer. Every beer they make is waay overhopped. There is no regular-beer-flavored-beer with a nice balance of hops, malt, and alcohol; every style I have tried is well beyond the accepted range of bitterness and so out-of-balance that I' just can't drink any of them anymore. I have been a homebrewer and draft beer lover for over 3 decades, but I actually ordered a lime cherry seltzer last time I was there. Their beer is that bad. Even my wife, who is a bit of a hop-head, didn't like any of it. It's all too much high-alpha hops boiled for way too long in everything; it is completely inappropriate and unacceptable for many beer styles. Everything does not have to taste like an IPA. I'm writing this to help remind me not to go back. It's not enjoyable. Also their men's room reeks of old strong urine (like stinkier than all but the worst port-o-lavs)

Had a nice time here. They have some good beer selections. I had the Upstream IPA which was great. They had some live music and the crowd was so friendly.

It is a nice lil spot, visited for the reggae show. They've got food over at french broad pizza, which has more than just pizza, salads and subs too. Didnt get a chance to try out the brewery's selection of items. Also, they have a tiny area besides the pizza thats just a few tables and its on the grass. Its a super relaxing area to chill and take a break, I wish more places had a spot like this. Indoor space good for small events, but I couldnt figure out where the outdoor space for larger events is (maybe parking lot?)

One of my favorite breweries in Asheville, and that's saying something, because the competition is fierce. French Broad has some excellent beers. The wee heavy and kolsch are probably the two big favorites but I really haven't had any that aren't above average. The staff is really nice, very helpful. The atmosphere is laid back and unpretentious, which is welcome after visiting some of the trendy places in the central beer district. The pizza is also really good, too, surprisingly. I'm from Cincinnati, which has a pretty robust brewery scene, and French Broad is the only brewery that I make absolutely sure I hit every time I go to Asheville. On merit alone, it's up there with the best breweries I've ever been to, and they aren't pricing the product in the same way that many other places do, which means on value, there's really nothing that comes close to French Broad.

Glad I made the trip from downtown Asheville. Cool little area. Nice outdoor seating and good beer. Within an easy walk of Hillman and Catawaba breweries. Good pizza place next door.

French Broad River Brewing has a great facility. It's a large, open space with plenty of seating. They had a reggae band playing the day we visited, which was very good. Their beers are very good too.

Came here last week after visiting the Burial Beer Forestry Camp. Shared a flight of IPA's with my girlfriend while we listed to the Regae band, and people-watched and dog-watched. We got to pet a sweet chocolate lab and giggle at a weiner dog with a super bouncy walk! The peers were good, the staff was very friendly and the music was good, too!

Great find in Biltmore Village. The staff is super friendly and welcoming. The beer is top notch. I was greeted and told about a black lager that's not on the menu. Malty, light, and delicious! I ordered a 4 pour flight for $10. Pretty reasonable. The inside is spacious and includes large tables as well as small ones. There's a ping pong table and TVs for the sports fans.

Love the ambiance, very chill and relaxed. Beers are pretty basic, nothing overly exciting. But flight was well priced at only $10 for 4 4oz pours.

We stopped in on our whirlwind tour of breweries in Ashville and were pleasantly surprised. For one thing, the large hanger had tons of seating and also they had a ping pong table that we had fun playing on when we were there. We got several beers, all of which were very good and the pricing was excellent. The service was great too and there is a pizza place right next door where you can get some food and have some more beers. I would recommend French Broad.

Found another hidden gem. Love the selection of breweries on the French Broad River. And they have food!!! Pizza!!

Was visiting and saw this cute little brewery while waiting for our dinner reservation. Very chill place for a drink and they have plenty of beer options. I got wine since I'm not a beer person. My friend said the beers were okay, but we loved the aesthetics. You seat yourself and there's also a pizza joint you could order food from. Decently priced drinks with a relaxing environment!

Visiting Asheville and we wanted to stop at a brewery. We were happy to see this one was open during the day on a Tuesday. We opted to sit outside to enjoy the nice November weather, but the atmosphere from where we sat was okay; it's right in front of some train tracks and industrial looking complexes. I ordered a couple of the sour cherry ciders, and I liked these just fine. I usually opt for ciders when in breweries, and I was hoping they would have more cider options. My boyfriend ordered a mocha beer they had on special, the 13 Rebels ESB, and another Octoberfest one they had on special. He liked 13 Rebels best.

I love a good, French broad and this place delivered. The beer selection is perfect and the taste is divine. What a lovely atmosphere with great people chilling and having a great time. Come here and enjoy it.

Beer was good was there to see dog adoption group. Nice they do that. Very kid friendly and dog friendly place

French Broad has become one of my favorite of the many breweries in the Asheville area. Here's why: 1) great weekly specials, 2) well priced 6-pks to go 3) chill tap room with plenty of space, 4) and welcoming staff. Overall, I really enjoy stopping here to read and enjoy a quick pour or two.

UPDATE: Building/Location: They updated the taproom more recently and it is absolutely gorgeous! They have outdoor seating (great during warmer months!) as well.

There's a lot of untapped potential here. Large space with plenty on the menu. The pizza is fantastic. However, the decor is very thrown together as it looks like most of the chairs/tables were just pulled out of yard sales, since nothing matches. There's a large deck space and a great location. This has all the potential to be a really great spot!

Plenty of beer options! But no food. There is a pizza place that shares a deck that goes perfect with their beer. Large open inside space with minimal outdoor seating. The stars are for the beer not the atmosphere, so that's gotta say something.

We were in town brewery hopping and noticed this place had a Groupon for flights and growlers. The beer was good but the service was terrible. The bartender acted like we were a nuisance for having a Groupon. There was no small talk or greeting from the bartender. Anytime she looked up at us to help she ended up going over to someone else. Definitely didn't feel welcome or feel like a valued customer from this place. No amount of discount will make up for poor service. Avoid this place and the Groupon they offer.

So glad we decided to stop in here before leaving Asheville. It's very dog friendly and everyone, the beer keep and patrons, were very friendly too. Good beer and fun atmosphere. I recommend the kolsch, session IPA, and frog horn IPA. Doesn't look like much from the outside, but spacious and welcoming when you enter. They have games and a big stage for live music.

Miko hooked us up! Had a great time here. It's a hidden gem in Ashville, but well worth the drive. *** Beers are a bit more old schooL, with plenty of pilsners, IPAs, Porters, lagers, and stouts, and not as many sours or experimental beers. *** Highly recommend the Black ipa, We-Heavier scotch ale, the Pilsner, and the Upstream IPA. *** Good atmosphere- play pingpong, talk with the great bartenders, and say hi to the dogs there. Highly recommend.

Beer, trivia, pizza, dog friendly, what more do you need in a trip to a brewery? It has a huge locals vibe to it as well, which is harder and harder to come by in a town overpowered by tourists. And you can't beat their to-go beer pricing, for most of the pandemic French broad has been slinging $7 six packs. What?! I always grab one or two to go when I'm near by because you can't beat that pricing. They host trivia during the week, and Papa Nicks is on site to fulfill your pizza cravings. Dogs are allowed inside and out, and there is ample sitting throughout. The staff is always very friendly, and grabbing a beer at the bar has always been quick and easy.

This is a great local brewery. Very close to the Biltmore. Lots of fun activities going on there. A great beer selection. I was able to get a black IPA, and a rye IPA, both I rarely see in most breweries outside of Asheville. Check it out.

Nice, open space inside. Self pour water tap, and dog bowls available for use. Although, the dogs bowls were extremely slimy/dirty, so take caution. Beer menu is diverse, and the beers sound good, but the flavor is just a notch below. I do recommend the stout, though! Service was very nice, and the atmosphere is welcoming!

We are so happy to have found this brewery on a hot, rainy day in Asheville. We needed a covered place to hang with our dog Addy on our last day of our trip. They have a great selection of drinkable beers. Inside the taproom was VERY DOG FRIENDLY. Plenty of water and dog bowls were provided and the cool concrete floors were definitely enjoyed by our tired hot pup. It was nice and cool and we weren't restricted to a hot patio. The bartenders were very knowledgeable. All around, a fantastic experience for a traveling couple with a pup. Do yourself a favor and pull off and have a couple of pints with your pup!

Wasn't very impressed with beer selection which were heavily weighted towards the IPAs. Nice big screen TVs and the breeze through he building was a welcome relief on a warm October day. Service was just north of a snails pace, good thing there were less than a dozen patrons on premise.

French Broad Brewing has been brewing for 15 years - long before the current craft beer popular movement began. They are located in a real everyday warehouse, not a renovated warehouse with neo-rustic styling added. Old school, the real thing & no frills. Wee-Heavy-ER Scotch Ale

Awesome space! Super friendly staff too! They have a lot of beers on tap, and a ton of variety. Tried the black IPA (really smooth), Anvil Porter (solid), and the Wee Heavy- er scotch ale...went with the Wee Heavier and it is terrific! Lots of room to spread out - inside or outside...if you get hungry there is pizza right next door too! We did not do pizza, but it smelled good!

This is a great taproom with a good selection of beers. They are following ideal, covid protocols for the most part and there is indoor seating (with garage doors opened for good ventilation) and good outdoor seating. Also a huge plus is that they serve their beer in a glass-the way a good, craft-beer should be enjoyed. (Sorry folks, but if I want to drink out of a plastic cup, I'll stop by a keg party.) The issue for me is the smoking patrons outside on the side of the building. In this day and age, people shouldn't expect to be able to smoke in any public place. Smoke permeates an area and can't be kept to yourself. With the pandemic still raging, do people not understand that they are blowing their droplets in the air with the smoke suspending them for everyone to breathe and a cloth mask can't negate that. It would be nice to see staff a bit more present to enforce no-smoking, as well as cleaning outside tables as they turn over.

Never again. I walked in and immediately wanted to leave. Someone holding 4 very large dogs on long leashes blocked me in and made getting around difficult. Lastly, if I wanted to drink beer and hear screaming kids running wild, I'd stay home and babysit my friends kids. This place sucks.

French Broad Brewing Company has never impressed me with their beer. Decided to stop in for a flight recently since we were out and about in the area and was able to sample 6 beers for $12. If I had to choose a beer for a pint out of the ones sampled it would have been the Gateway Kolsch or ESB. This is a chill brewery that can attract an interesting crowd, I always recommend checking out any brewery that you can while in Asheville!

Wonderful staff wonderful big nice place ping pong corn old it was banned they're really good beers frog hop was the beer I had was really delicious they opened up early they have a really nice deli next door overall great service and good place to meet at fun and games nice atmosphere, it's one of the stops on the beard brush bus to her

Service was awesome, learned a lot about the different brews. $10 for a flight of all beers on tap. Bar is adjacent to the open brewing area which allows you to watch the brewers as they work. Not my favorite brewery due to the specific flavors of the beers, but there is a little something likely to satisfy everyone!

We stirred by Friday afternoon. My wife and I were the only two people in the bar. The bartender was efficient but not overbearing. We had a nice conversation with Adam who worked in the brew house. Good beer selection. Will definitely return.

I have been here several times. It has a small inside and not a whole lot of seating. Thankfully it has never been crazy busy when I've been. The service is good, the staff is very personable and helpful. The beer is good as well. It is an overall decent place to stop and have a quick flight or a drink. The place is not overly fancy or decorated hip/over the top with style...BUT it is clean and small and friendly-so that matters.

None of the beer here was actually any good. Very depressing for the Asheville scene. Do yourself a favor and skip this place. I regret wasting the time here.

After trying our hand at some tree infused vodka we went next door to FBBC. Walking in you see the fuse ball and ping-pong table and know yep, "this'll do, pig. This'll do." Went up to the Jerry Garcia look-a-like tapsmen and asked for the Kolsch and the guest tap for the wife. After my 3rd, her 4th and Mike's 2nd it was clear we weren't going back down the mountain. And so the night of Asheville Tasting begins. Can't go wrong with this place TVs also not to mention a stage. What they do there, no clue, didn't ask... The Kolsch is amazing if you didn't know.

I am loving the new space. It's just next door but it's so much nicer and roomy. It has a great stage for music. Not cramped at all and a beautiful bar. New outdoor patio with picnic tables too. Great improvement and great beer.

So French Broad makes a fair, but not spectacular beer. They were one of the oldest craft breweries in Asheville and did fairly well. Recently they were purchased by people from out of town who wanted to own a "Local" brewery. They made the decision to close down a local art space and circus school that was much loved in Asheville. This pretty much shuts down the "local" claim. They have shown no respect and support for the community they bought into. Now the community has now support or respect for them. If you are traveling to Asheville, please know there are many other breweries with better beer and more conscious of the community they are part of. I'd leave this one off the menu if I was you.

One of the oldest breweries & pioneers of the craft beer movement. Helping locals and tourist get a taste of the beverage arts. Many great brewers and assistants that reside in extremely well known and respected breweries have learned the tricks to the trade, starting at French Broad River Brewery. Many breweries have learned valuable lessons from the trials and tribulations French Broad River Brewing have gone through. Under the new ownership of a wonderful family with a lot of innovative ideas for the future, this will remain one of the staples of Asheville. CHEERS!

First of all, I loved visiting this brewery! Great beer and awesome place to go hang out with friends!! Very friendly and laid back atmosphere! I would recommend checking it out for sure!! I will be back every chance I get a chance to be in Asheville. Btw, if you notice a small handful of reviews giving negative feedback and ratings of one, those people are apart of a small group not liking the fact someone wanted to enhance the brewery! From the look of it, they have decided to form a faction of some sort to try and bring negative ratings to a respectful and enjoyable establishment! Its a shame people who are suppose to be adults are acting like children, go try French Broad out for yourself and make your own decision and I will promise you that you will not regret going there!

French Broad has been around a long time. I remember drinking French Broad the first time I went to Mellow Mushroom in Asheville. That was over ten years ago. As Jeff S pointed out, it can be a little tough to find. It's a bit of a hole in wall/down and dirty version of a brewery. First come, first serve seating indoors and out, plus the world's smallest stage. There's live music (for free!) on weekends. Normally, I don't go for ESBs, but their 13 Rebels is very tasty. The Ryehopper Pale Ale is great if they have it. I really like the trays with the laminated description sheet to keep track of flights. What I want to know is who had the disco ball first, Highland or French Broad? The nice thing about this place is that it opens pretty early at 1PM (but does close earlier at 8PM), when lots of others don't open until 4PM. And they're open seven days a week!

Only visited one brewery during my short time in Asheville. Really enjoyed this place even though I am not the biggest on beer. Came during COVID. They were superb at following safety guidelines. My party enjoyed our visit.

Hate to give it one star. Wish I could do zero. Rudest bunch of people I've ever seen. Couldn't get out fast enough. Be kind, people. Ugh.

My husband and I stopped here as we passed through on our way to Linville NC. The service was fast and the food was good. They had covid restrictions they required us to sit at tables in the parking lot . I was happy that they offered gluten free and vegan options .

Sweet little hole In the wall brewery. Found out that it was Asheville's second brewery, which is surprising because it's so small. I loved the grandmas house feeling when I walked in the door lol very cute but they could invest in fixing up the place.

[ We visited French Broad as part of the Asheville Brews Cruise: https://www.yelp.com/biz/asheville-brews-cruise-asheville?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) ] "At French Broad, the taproom is sparse and functional, with a full view of the casks. We spent some time with the master brewer and tasted kolsch, ESB, and scotch ale. The kolsch was my favorite but I was impressed with the smoothness of the ESB and scotch ale." I really enjoyed spending time with the master brewer. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the Asheville beer scene. It's clear that they focus solely on the quality of their brews. They don't need to boast or brag - their beers speak for themselves: Each of the three beers was a perfect sample of the style.

Humble understated spot. Small tasting room-- like really small, wish there was more seating..Had pint of Scotch Ale- darkish and lightly sweet. Tasted the IPA, Which had bitter hops. Enjoyed the live music. Will try again in summer for outside seating. nice location near Biltmore Village with two other tap rooms within walking distance- just off train tracks, so when those roll by just adds some cool ambiance :)

French Broad is another gem of a brewery in Asheville, near the Biltmore village area. They offer beer flights which let you sample all their tasty (and hoppy) wares! We got a flight of the five "permanent" taps, plus a seasonal (late spring) beer, for $1 each. Some of my favorites: Scotch ale Rye Hopper Ale French Broad 13 rebels ESB The tasting area is large, and they feature live music on most nights. This is a super-friendly place, where all the patrons know each other. Many of the customers we encountered were themselves brewers and were friends with the barkeep. I always love seeing such camaraderie between local businesses, even ones that presumably compete with one another.

Asheville, N.C.'s French Broad Brewing claims to be the "first microbrewery to convert to waste vegetable oil as a primary fuel source." According to brewer/owner Jonas Rembert, the boiler and a French Broad promotional vehicle, Vice President Jason Smith's military Blazer, have been converted to burn alternative fuel provided by Corn-A-Copia, a local green fuel company. When Rembert found that he "could save money and do the right thing socially and environmentally," the company signed up immediately. "It started as a business decision and consequently spurred the evolution of our progressive values," Rembert said, as well as a new company motto: "Global Beer. Asheville Flavor." French Broad has nine employees, including new brewer Bobby Krusen, who previously brewed for New Knoxville Brewing. (Bobby's brother, Al, brews for Knoxville's Downtown Grill & Brewery.) French Broad recently increased production capacity by 70 percent with the addition of two new fermenters and a bright tank. Summer seasonal Laurel Country White, along with six other beers, is available at French Broad's popular taproom, in kegs and growlers to go and at many local bars and restaurants. More on this place soon...

French Broad is a beer you will find in "bombers" at some stores in the Asheville area and WNC region. It took me...sadly...2 years to go the brewery itself. It is small, so close to everything in Biltmore Village...but hard to find. Great place... They make one of the better IPAs in the city and yet get little attention among the beer scene'ers. They are your "best beer to try in Asheville that people don't talk about all the time." This year, for consistency, for the hard work, and the quality, I voted for them for best IPA. They don't do a lot of beers...what they do...they do well. You will find a crisp, tasty Kolsch that I love when lawnmowing. There is a porter that is really tasty. Wee-Heavy-er...a scotish stronger ale, and a really great barleywine at the brewery. I love the Asheville beers and I am finding that I am picking theirs up more and more.

First of all, their beer is nothing special. There are many breweries in Asheville with much better quality brews. Second, don't be fooled by the attempt to market themselves as local and community-minded. This place is now owned by people who don't even live in Asheville; they don't know anything about the community or what Asheville needs. They've kicked out local artists in favor of trying to cash in on the "beer city" hype, and they obviously don't care about the community at all. They care about profits, nothing more. Check out some of the places on the South Slope with beer worth having instead of lining the pockets of some greedy snobs here.

Stopped by this place after visiting Hillman Beer co. Across the street. I wasn't too fond of any of the beers, which were 6 of the 7 beers I tried. It almost tasted like lagers, very strong malt and yeast flavors.

Great place to hang for a beer or two. If you like IPA, try Frog Horn.