After the Flood: How Asheville’s Breweries Are Rebuilding | Imbibe

Last September, Hurricane Helene marked the second calamity to befall Asheville, North Carolina's brewing and hospitality industry in the last five years. The pandemic forced breweries into survival mode, pivoting to stay in business while staying at a safe distance. The federal government provided fiscal assistance to businesses and employees. The hurricane created the inverse. Federal aid was meager, and insurance companies largely refused to pay claims. “If it has anything to do with a flood, then it’s not covered,” says Jess Reiser, CFO and co-founder of Burial Beer.

And so much wasn't covered. Western North Carolina and the Asheville area suffered landslides, flash floods, widespread destruction, and a lack of electricity, cell service, and potable water.

Brewing fresh IPAs, much less flushing toilets, was unfeasible for the future—or maybe forever. The storm’s malignant forces reduced to rubble both Brewery Cursus Keme and New Origin Brewing.

One year later, how are Asheville’s breweries rebounding? I first visited in 2009, reporting on the town’s ascendant scene for Imbibe magazine. Then as now, the story couldn’t be reported from a distance. So I flew to Asheville and spent around three days this spring in conversation with dozens of brewers, bartenders, brewery owners, and beer drinkers.

This was a deeply moving story to report, and I want to thank everyone in Asheville for sharing their personal experiences to help me tell this story of a bowed but unbroken beer scene, discovering how Asheville's breweries are banding together and rebuilding for a stronger future. Asheville is open for business. My advice: Travel there and tip back a few pints.