Around the Block in Weaverville

I’ve always been partial to a particularly fun block, which is probably why I enjoyed a recent Sunday-funday jaunt in Weaverville. 

I almost said “day trip” instead of “jaunt,” but Weaverville, just north of Asheville, is close enough to truly just go for a drink or meal if that’s what you’re feeling and still have plenty of day left. Or, you could stay for a couple of hours in the afternoon as I did, which still allowed me a full morning of productivity. 

The three breweries in Weaverville—Leveller, Zebulon, and Elluvium—are all within a block’s walk of each other, making for a very convenient brewery crawl. 

Leveller is the only one I’d been to prior—on the way back from my first time in Burnsville—and right on Weaverville’s main drag. It has a cute little main-drag patio, some decent food offerings I’ve yet to try, and, to be honest, I think I’m split on the beer. I liked the IPA I got the first time I visited (and went back for 2nds..and perhaps even a third), but the one I had this last time wasn’t my favorite. Still, I’ll have no issue going back (I want to try their pimento with focaccia, probably more than I want to try a new beer?). 

Elluvium is where we went second and is located down the side street across the street from Leveller. I had an excellent hazy IPA, and while I didn’t try any food here either (this was a beer-only outing), I know several people I trust who speak highly of it. 

Zebulon is the smallest of the breweries and feels most like many of the upstart breweries I’m used to from back home in PA, in that it still feels like you could be in someone’s basement or garage doubling as a tasting room, which isn’t a knock at all! I like that environment, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it down here, where beer is king and, thus, breweries are polished. Zebulon also scored points by legitimately being in an alleyway (I think I’m even more partial to alleyway establishments than I am to fun blocks) and having a table next to us where two 80-year-old men were seated, shooting the shit. 

On the way back to town, we stopped at Salt Face Mule Brewing Company—one of the area’s newest offerings—which I won’t review here because I think my feelings on it deserve their own post. 

On the way back to town, I also learned that Weaverville is home to a sit-in Pizza Hut that advertised a Sunday buffet, which—sorry to Leveller, Zebulon, and Elluvium —was easily the highlight of my day.