I found golf and beer heaven. But now Asheville needs our help

I’m wondering about “Rev.” 

Now that’s a nickname, though it speaks to something more than just its likely divine inspiration: You have to earn “Rev.” You’re not hailed as “Rev” on day one, and the “Rev” shepherding golfers from his seat in the Black Mountain proshop seemingly had been sitting there since the course’s namesake were but black bumps. There’s little doubt, too, that he had heard every player’s story about the Donald Ross track’s 747-yard, par-6 17th, so come to think of it, maybe “Rev” is “Rev” because countless golfers have come to him confessing they’d committed the deadly sins of slices and hooks on the behemoth. 

I’m thinking about Bebette’s early morning beignet maker. 

At Bebette’s, your assembly of sugary fried dough gets in your belly like the coffee: hot off the press, which is absolutely a nod to the newspaper office right across the street. The beignets are called to duty only after they’re summoned here, and can go rogue if you prefer, such as in a breakfast sandwich, meaning you get two (2) beignets, which bookend a slathering of eggs, cheese and bacon. But each treat is created for you — not at all unshelved, most assuredly not unwrapped — by the hands of an angel, the early morning beignet maker.    

I’ve texted some folks, including Jen. 

Jen runs Wicked Weed Brewing’s mixed-culture program (think sour beers), but she’s also, by at least this account, the town’s mayor. Everyone loves Jen, and Jen loves everyone, but there’s room for more. To illustrate this further, when told that a reporter sought to have nine beers across nine breweries over his four-day stay, she understandably mistook that as nine beers at each, didn’t blink and was game for the 81 challenge. 

She replied to my message this way: 

“Thanks for thinking of us! As you can imagine, everyone is busy trying to rebuild and make sure our teams have the resources they need. As of right now, everyone is OK.”

As of right now. That’s stuck with me. 

That was on Oct. 1, about a week after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, which was about two weeks after my first visit to Asheville, N.C., where I’d wanted to uncover whether the city was a potential bonanza for the golf reader. (Already globally known for its beer, Asheville appeared to have some sneaky good golf, and golf and beer go together like short grass on golf greens.) Now, though, I was seeing Helene’s startling aftermath, and these things hit differently when you can associate — I’ve gone to [insert place that’s been affected] and I know [insert person who’s been affected], and I, in fact, had just been to Asheville. But I wasn’t exactly close. I came, I saw, I’d write. But if you’ve been yourself, you know what’s coming. Of course, it would be a golf and beer Shangri-la, though for more reasons than just the golf and the beer. To keep our theme flowing, Asheville is kinda like a corner bar that has an open seat — and a whole bunch of folks who don’t want you just to sit, they want to pick up the tab.  

Like the bartender I met at Sierra Nevada, the California beer icon that has an outpost near the Asheville airport. As I had my first pint here, someone told him what I was doing, and over a Pale Ale, we talked. Or he did. He’d read GOLF Magazine. He told me of Asheville mountain golf. He told me of other breweries — that was a constant theme: Everyone wants you to stop at their place, only to mention not to forget about another dozen or so stops, too. (According to a story published by wncmagazine.com late last year, there are 62 breweries in the greater Asheville area.) Let’s see if I can remember the order of the breweries I went to. (My plan was to have the nine beers across the nine breweries, along with playing 54 holes of golf, all of which are golf friendly numbers.) Sierra Nevada. And Asheville Brewing, where it seemed as if the large windows facing the street were always open. And Hi-Wire, which also had a tiki bar. And Wicked Weed (more on them in a sec.) And Terra Nova, which shared their location with a pizza joint. And Highland, the godfather of Asheville beer. And Burial, which was packed on a rainy Thursday night. And New Belgium, another big name with an Asheville spot. And Zillicoah, a favorite of nearly everyone I talked to, who late last month posted the video below to their Instagram page. 

I’m also thinking about Ryan. He’s one of the co-founders of Wicked Weed, and was one of the four people I played golf with in Asheville. Wicked Weed had originally pitched to me to visit, and part of my story concept was that I’d have him act as a bit of a tour guide, which turned out well, as the Asheville native cared equally as much about his golf (he’s a single-digit player) as our beer cooler. (Notably, he also tipped the beer cart well, knowing he’d brought his brewery’s goods to the course — I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.) One night, we talked about the beer-and-golf overlap, and he dished on what he considered to be the “sweet spot” while playing and drinking (that being a pre-round beer, followed by a beer every four holes), what makes the best beer cart (food, but not just candy; a cocktail bar; and domestic and craft beer) and the best way to shotgun a beer (with a tee, of course). Alone, I played Chestnut Mountain, which works well as a short-drive-from-the-airport track; together, we played mountain-beautiful Sequoyah National and the aforementioned Black Mountain, where “Rev” oversaw things. Chestnut and Sequoyah are back in business after Helene; on Thursday, no tee times were available for the next week at Black Mountain, and no one was answering the phone. You may have also seen this video of Broadmoor Golf Links. 

I talked with Rachel. 

She’s the Wicked Weed communications czar who on day one went with me to Asheville Brewing and Hi-Wire, where she recorded me drinking for a potential video and told me one of the secrets of Asheville beer: its water. But for the purposes of this story, she’s the area’s strongest believer. Almost daily, she’s been sharing ways you can help, and I asked her for her list, and you can find that below, along with some of her thoughts. 

She’s also posted this:

Here’s another reminder: Visit. Check when things are settled, and play the golf, eat the food and drink the beer. 

If you beat me down, say hi to everyone. 

Ways you can help Asheville and western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene 

Where to donate  

— BeLoved Asheville: Most recommended right now for a reason. Boots on the ground, local organization getting supplies to those in areas that can’t get to distribution sites. They are a great organization serving the houseless population 365 days a year, but also found a way to serve all in a time of crisis.

— Community Foundation of WNC Disaster Response Fund 

— Mountain True / French Broad Waterkeeper: Helping facilitate well-water testing and critical clean-ups for public health and environmental safety. 

— Appalachian Community Fund: Channels resources to areas of greatest need throughout Appalachia; very grassroots support.

— Blue Ridge Public Radio: Providing various formats of critical updates throughout the disaster, helping spread the word about rapidly changing information and resource guides to help stay safe.

— MANNA Food Bank: This Feeding America food bank is no stranger to helping feed the community, but their building was nearly demolished during the storm. They have continued to find spaces and ways to serve those in need and will need support in the months ahead with facility damage. 

— Eblen Charities: Assists with bills (utilities and rental assistance). 

— Hearts With Hands: Swannanoa / Black Mountain-based help, an area hit especially hard.

— Vecinos: Farmworker relief (they run a bilingual free clinic for low-Income, uninsured folks in western North Carolina).

Food and beverage / local business specific

— NC Hospitality Workers Relief Fund

— NC Craft Brewers Guild: Direct links to support the western North Carolina craft beer community via impacted brewery GoFundMe accounts; also offers an updated list of participating breweries in the Pouring for Neighbors fundraiser, now with 265-plus locations in over 30 states and territories; also offers an updated directory of breweries serving as supply drop locations.

— Buy Beer City a Beer: Support western North Carolina by “buying” a $7 beer (donation) that goes to support BeLoved Asheville.

— Southern Smoke Foundation – Emergency Relief Fund: Used to help F&B workers pay for essentials like groceries, clothing and medications, and cover the cost of rent, natural disaster damages, lost wages and more. There’s no deadline for requests and no cap on the amount given.

— Giving Kitchen 

— WNC Rural Organizing And Resilience

— A more exhaustive list can be found by clicking here.