A Sense of Belonging

In a city that is becoming more and more saturated with craft beer and breweries, it can be challenging to stand out from the pack.   So what is it that makes Burial Beer Company different?  I got the chance to speak to Jess Reiser, one of Burial’s owners to get her take.  “We want people to have a great experience and to feel a real sense of community when they come to Burial,” Jess explained as she talked about the different ways in which Burial tries to foster a real sense of community with craft beer drinkers.  Burial hosted events this year on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and invited the community to come join in some good old fashioned potluck and special keg releases.  They have also started a Sunday Jazz Brunch every Sunday.  A sample of their most recent brunch included Cajun Spiced Pork Chop, Boudin Gouda Grits, Malted Currants, Chicory Porter Braised Greens, and Crispy Trinity.  Oh, and of course there are several beers for you to purchase during the brunch as well.  My favorite is their Skillet Donut Stout, which is not always available, so make sure you get it while you can.  If you have children, they are welcome at Burial.  Jess was explaining to me that there is a difference in being kid tolerant and kid friendly.  Many breweries in Asheville will tolerate you bringing those crazy kiddos, but Burial actually fosters kid friendliness by providing an area with a toy box for the children to play with.  Our two year old daughter loves going to Burial and hanging out with us. Burial is a place we can go and feel like we belong as a family.  Community is king and at the end of the day relationships are what really matter, and if you can have all of that while also enjoying a delicious pint, then that my friends is perfection. Keep reading to find out the origin of the brewery name and brand.

Burial is constantly expanding as they had a very humble 1 barrel pilot system to begin with.  They now have expanded and have a 10 barrel system which means they were only brewing 30 gallons of beer at a time, to now brewing 300 gallons at a time.  Burial also has plans to open up a 30 barrel production facility once they find the right piece of land.  They still have the 1 barrel pilot system for experimentation.  Doug Reiser, a brewer and owner made an Amber Ale in which he experimented with adding some nice hop character to it which is typically absent in the Amber style.  Normally Ambers don’t do a whole lot for me, but this one had some nice earthy and piney characteristics.  They are currently building a malt house to store all their malt and are building a cooler to store kegs.  Burial also has plans for an outdoor music area on the backside of their property. They will also be canning some of their flagship beers in the first quarter of 2015 which include Skillet Donut Stout, Scythe Rye Pale Ale and Pipehawk Mountain Ale.