Asheville wins Beer City USA title for a second year.

Asheville has won the title of Beer City USA for a second year in a row. With a number of new breweries opening in the Asheville area this win comes as no surprise for local beer enthusiasts. To celebrate this title there is an upcoming festival in June. Details on that in a minute - first more about the contest.

From the Beer Examiner blog - Asheville, North Carolina represents the spirit of beer enthusiasm, taking top honors in BeerCity USA 2010 poll.

Asheville, North Carolina is BeerCity USA 2010. While Portland, Oregon organized a healthy challenge against the western North Carolina city of Asheville, in the end the relentless craft beer enthusiasm for Asheville won out. Enjoy the hundreds of comments on the original poll site.

There’s no doubt about Portland, Oregon. Anyone who has enjoyed beer in Portland will agree, it’s a craft beer experience and highlight of the American beer experience. Asheville has 6 breweries who enjoy terrific support from their local community. Beers experienced from breweries in both cities, I can attest to, are worth the journey to these American beer Meccas. In fact beer enjoyed in most American cities is worth the journey. Beer drinkers are on notice: You can leave home now – better beer awaits.

What about the 1,500+ other craft brewers and the cities, towns and villages they call “local?” The growth in enthusiasm and support for celebrating American Craft Beer Week last week is a clear indication that there are many BeerCity USAs worth visiting. Savoring the American beer landscape has turned out to be a fun journey for 90 million American beer drinkers. American Craft Beer Week coincided with BeerCity USA poll and ended with an outpouring of votes for the relatively smaller city of Asheville, North Carolina. In the end the 7-day BeerCity USA 2010 poll reflected a clear winner. Most Americans, on average live within 10 miles of a brewery.

It’s always time to celebrate beer. Here are the results of BeerCity USA 2010 Poll.

19,040 votes were cast by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, May 23 (MountainTime). Here’s the finally tally for the top 10 vote getters:

Top Ten BeerCities USA 2010

City
Total Votes
Pecentage Votes

1. Asheville, NC
7389
38.8%

2. Portland, OR
6565
34.5%

3. San Diego, CA
884
4.6%

4. Philadelphia, PA
600
3.2%

5. Missoula, MT
515
2.7%

6. St. Louis, MO
421
2.2%

7. Seattle, WA
362
1.9%

8. Denver, CO
234
1.2%

9. Milwaukee, WI
227
1.2%

Fort Collins, CO
210
1.1%


Congratulations to the beer enthusiast network and beer passion expressed in the BeerCity USA Poll 2010 by Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville will be celebrating this win with the Beer City Festival on June 5th. It will take place at the new Roger McQuire Park in downtown Asheville. There is a full line up of bands and of course a variety of tasty brews. Tickets are available online. If you are traveling in to Asheville for this event then check out these great hotels.

Charles Schwab info session at the Hilton Asheville

On Wednesday May 19th, investors of all experience levels are welcome to attend an educational seminar presented by Charles Schwab & Company at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park. The topic for this session will be how best to use Schwab.com to research investments; place online trade orders for stocks, bonds and mutual funds; and manage your finances with convenient online tools.

There are two sessions planned for the day. The first one starts at 9:30 AM and the other begins at 2:30 PM. The seminar is free for anyone who wants to attend. If you have questions regarding this event you can e-mail William.Wells@schwab.com for more information.

To learn about how you can book your next meeting with the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park, visit us here.

Fanaticon this weekend in Asheville

This weekend the streets of Asheville will be inundated with comic book and sci-fi characters as Fanaticon makes it's inaugural debut. This free convention will be held at the Asheville Art Museum downtown this Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM, hand there are special events planned all weekend long.

Exhibitors will be on hand selling many types of costumes, collectibles and comics. Special guest Butch Guice will also be on hand to meet fans. He has worked on many notable characters in the comic book world including Captain America, Superman, X-Factor and more. For the Star Wars fans out there be sure to look for the Rebel Legion which specializes in exact costume replicas of your favorite characters. This may be a great time to buy a Wookie costume for Halloween (or any other day you feel like dressing up like Chewie).

Speaking of dressing up, one of the activities planned is a costume parade. Come dressed in your favorite hero (or villain) attire and make a scene on stage of the Diana Wortham Theatre. Everyone who participates will receive a special prize.

To learn more about this event check out the Fanaticon website. If you are traveling into town and need accomodations there are still rooms available at these great hotels.

Mother's Day Brunch at roux in Asheville

This Mother's Day why not treat the special mother in your life to a delicious brunch menu specially crafted by Chef Randy Dunn at roux, a restaurant located inside the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park. The brunch is this Sunday May 9, 2010 from 11am - 2pm.

The theme of roux is southern food with a twist and this menu certainly delivers on that. Where else can you find applewood smoked bacon layered between peanut butter and banana pancakes? Perhaps your palate prefers a more traditional brunch item such as the Eggs Benny, but there are options to spice it up with smoked salmon or fried oysters. The crab and swiss omelet is sure to be a winner as well, but still there's more.




Other menu items include the maple-ginger glazed salmon, slow cooked pork belly, fried chicken and waffle or a 12oz prime rib. There are delicious desserts as well such as the caramel pecan bread pudding with white chocolate whiskey sauce or a fresh strawberry shortcake trifle.



In addition to the menu items there will also be a full buffet that includes, cooked to order eggs, omelets, waffles, pancakes, french toast, greek pasta primavera, carved to order salmon wellington, roasted potatoes and mushroom bisque. The buffet costs $16.95 and includes a beverage.

Are you hungry yet? Reservations can be made by calling 828-209-2715. You can learn more about roux and get directions here. If you're traveling to Asheville this week you should check out our Hilton hotel where roux is located for your lodging needs.