39 North Lexington Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
828-252-2827
E-mail: bookings@lexavebrew.com
Website: http://www.lexavebrew.com
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 11:30 A.M.–2 A.M.; Sunday, noon–2 A.M.
Tours: Part of Brews Cruise tour (brewscruise.com/inc/)
Owners: Steve Wilmans and Mike Healy
Brewmaster: Ben Pierson
Opened: 2009
Regular beer lineup: American Pale Ale, Chocolate Stout, Marzenbier, Bohemian Pilsner, LAB IPA, Belgian White Ale
Award: 2011 GABF Bronze Medal for “Porter”
Steve Wilmans and Mike Healy are not typical bar owners. Wilmans, a recording-industry veteran, was a partner in Seattle’s Stepping Stone Studios when such acts as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Modest Mouse were on their way up—that is, he was until a Microsoft executive made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. After a year of travel, Wilmans found himself in Los Angeles agreeing to help Healy, a longtime friend, pick up and move across the country to Asheville. There, Wilmans fell in love with the local vibe and ended up opening a new recording studio, Echo Mountain Studios.
LAB, or Lexington Avenue Brewery, in Asheville
At the same time, Wilmans and Healy pooled their resources and bought a space in downtown Asheville. It had always been Healy’s dream to open a pub, and it seemed fitting that his pub in Asheville would feature a brewery. After three full years of renovations, that space became LAB—Lexington Avenue Brewery.
To brew the beer, they hired Ben Pierson, a veteran of the Asheville brewing scene. Ben had brewed at Jack of the Wood (now Green Man) before leaving to become a brewery consultant who helped open breweries around the Southeast. This project, in a town where he had seen so much success, pulled him back.
Lexington Avenue was conceived as more than just a regular brewpub. It is a “gastropub”—a pub that pairs high-quality food with its beers. It also places an emphasis on live music. LAB features two stages—an acoustic stage in the dining area and one in the back of the brewpub that’s soundproof, so it can host live shows without disturbing dining patrons.
The brewhouse can be seen between lit fermenters at Lexington Avenue Brewery.
The sweeping, curved bar and the dining area are lavishly beautiful. The outdoor patio seating blends seamlessly into the brewpub’s main dining area. And all of it is lit by the spectacular light show in the brewery, where colored lights are cast against the stainless-steel fermenters. Through the fermenters, the beautiful 15-barrel copper kettle brewhouse is barely visible, allowing patrons to see shadows of movement while brewing is happening in the back.
