Wicked Weed Brewing reopens Candler taproom after 2-year closure

Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read

ASHEVILLE - Wicked Weed Brewing is extending its taproom experience beyond downtown Asheville. Again.

The Asheville-based craft brewery will welcome guests back into its Wicked Weed West taproom after it was closed to the public for two years.

Wicked Weed West will reopen March 19 at 145 Jacob Holm Way in Candler.

In June 2019, the Candler location originally opened. In March 2020, the taproom closed in the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and remained closed.

Wicked Weed's Candler location will feature a new food truck, an outside seating area, an indoor taproom.
Wicked Weed's Candler location will feature a new food truck, an outside seating area, an indoor taproom.

“Out of an abundance of caution we kept the location closed until we felt comfortable where it made sense to start reopening more of our retail spots,” said Jared Edwards, director of pub operations.

Candler is an ideal location for another of the brewery's taprooms as Asheville and surrounding areas see growth, he said.

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“People are kind of moving outside of Asheville city limits," he said. "Places like Candler, Canton, Weaverville, Woodfin, Black Mountain and even into Arden, those parts of Asheville are growing because people are sprawling out."

Wicked Weed's Candler location will be reopening this Thursday, March 17. The location was closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wicked Weed's Candler location will be reopening this Thursday, March 17. The location was closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, the taproom is close enough to attract Asheville residents, such as those in the western Haywood Avenue and Sand Hill Road areas, he said.

Wicked Weed West has maintained some familiar elements and adopted some new ones.

The taproom was built on the second-floor mezzanine overlooking Wick Weed’s production facility. Guests have a bird’s eye view of the various phases of the beer-making and distributing process from brewing to packaging, he said.

Wicked Weed West will reopen on March 19 at 145 Jacob Holm Way in Candler.
Wicked Weed West will reopen on March 19 at 145 Jacob Holm Way in Candler.

Tables, chairs and lounge seating are available, but the comfort level has been elevated during a renovation project preceding the reopening.

“We’ve also enclosed our taproom. That way we can keep the space climate-controlled where before we weren’t," Edwards said. "We’ve made some pretty significant increases to the space.”

Wicked Weed will now have its on-site food truck, serving American pub food.

The tasting room has 15 taps of Wicked Weed beers, including the Pernicious, Dr. Dank and Appalachia IPAs. Vidl, the company’s wine brand, plus its cider line, will be available, too.

Wicked Weed West will reopen on March 19 at 145 Jacob Holm Way in Candler.
Wicked Weed West will reopen on March 19 at 145 Jacob Holm Way in Candler.

The brewery is taking on more of a sports bar feel with the addition of televisions dedicated to athletic events.

“What’s a little different from our downtown locations is (that) we set this place up to be more sports-friendly,” Edwards said. “Here, we have four large TVs in the taproom and we have all the sports packages that you can possibly have.”

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Another difference from its South Slope locations is that Wicked Weed West has a customer parking lot. Wicked Weed West will be reintroduced with a bit of fanfare.

The Asheville Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the taproom’s soft opening at 4 p.m. March 17.

Wicked Weed's Candler location will be reopening this Thursday, March 17. The location was closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wicked Weed's Candler location will be reopening this Thursday, March 17. The location was closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A grand reopening celebration will be noon-9 p.m. March 19. Throughout the day, 100 customers will receive a $10 gift card with their first purchase of beer. Live music will be performed from 1-3 p.m. by Mike and Amy.

More changes are coming for other Wicked Weed establishments.

Wicked Weed’s brewpub is at 91 Biltmore Ave. Funkatorium, a taproom dedicated to sour beers, is at 47 Coxe Ave. Cultura, a fine dining restaurant, is connected to Funkatorium.

Funkatorium is undergoing an expansion that should allow for its Cultura restaurant to open for regular dining service later this year, Edwards said.

“Hopefully by the fall we will have all four of our locations reopened since COVID,” he said.

If you go

What: Wicked Weed West

Where: 145 Jacob Holm Way, Candler

Grand reopening: Noon-9 p.m. March 19

For more information, visit wickedweedbrewing.com or call (828) 365-7166.

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Wicked Weed reopens Candler taproom after closing in COVID-19 pandemic