[denny]

I hear great things about Portland and hope to get there in the next few years, however one friend said if you want a hoppy beer you can get one anywhere in the area, but if you want something else you are SOL

There are lots of great hoppy beers here, but the variety and innovation of others shouldn't get overlooked.  For instance, there's a little known brewery named Heater Allen, making nothing but lagers, all of them outstanding.  Not to mention Hair of the Dog, making basically unqualifiable styles all of which are incredible.

Lemme know if you ever decide to head to Asheville and if it's a couple of years down the road by then I'll probably have a place for you to stay just down the road.

I'd love to take you up on that as long as I don't have to get a haircut! 

[MDixon]

You'd fit right in...Asheville's got about 100 motto's. One is "Something for everyone", another is "Where Weird is Normal". I think the official one is "any way you like it"...http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx

[Hokerer]

I'd love to take you up on that as long as I don't have to get a haircut! 

You could get away with just trimming the front/sides and leave the rest.  Then your new mullet would blend right in

[majorvices]

Denny, Asheville is a great town and it's kinda like the Portland of the East in some ways. Lots of laid back people, very much an art town. Great hiking and beautiful backdrop for beer and food. One of my favorite places to go on the east coast.

[denny]

Sounds cool!  Hopefully I can get there one of these days and you and Mike can show me around.  Then I can repay the favor when you guys come to OR!

[narcout]

Asheville is, indeed, a fantastic beer town.  I go every summer to visit two of my friends from high school who live there - I'll be heading up labor day weekend.

[denny]

I don't think there's any doubt that Ashville is a great beer town.  The question is, is it the "best"?  I think that's where I might differ.

[majorvices]

Maybe if everyone inn Portland would put down the dewbage and log on to vote they'd win every once in a while.

[MDixon]

What is amazing to me about Asheville is every time a brewery opens they seem to meet with success. You'd think they would eventually surpass demand, but that isn't the case. It's a thirsty place...

[tschmidlin]

I hear great things about Portland and hope to get there in the next few years, however one friend said if you want a hoppy beer you can get one anywhere in the area, but if you want something else you are SOL

There are lots of great hoppy beers here, but the variety and innovation of others shouldn't get overlooked.  For instance, there's a little known brewery named Heater Allen, making nothing but lagers, all of them outstanding.  Not to mention Hair of the Dog, making basically unqualifiable styles all of which are incredible.

You left out the sour beers coming out of Cascade.  Really amazing stuff.

I haven't been to Asheville or San Diego, so I can't include them in my list.  But Portland is better than Seattle is better than Denver in my opinion.  I know some Portland people who would put Seattle first, so I think it is pretty close.

[denny]

You left out the sour beers coming out of Cascade.  Really amazing stuff.

Tried anything from Gilgamesh in Salem?  VERY different, unusual beers, all of them sour.

[MDixon]

Sour in a good way or in a Cisco (Nantucket) way?

[denny]

Sour in a good way or in a Cisco (Nantucket) way?

In a VERY good way!

[jeffy]

I didn't vote this time. 
I was tempted to go with Philly, one of my favorite pub cities, but Tom said it was meaningless.
One day maybe I'll get to spend some time in Asheville to check it out.  It sounds really great. 

[gordonstrong]

VERY different, unusual beers, all of them sour.

I've been to places like that.  They should clean their lines more often.