Located in the heart of Asheville, North Carolina, this beer pub has two floors of beer.  Two FLOORS. This is one of the reasons The Thirsty Monk is this months Beer Goddess Bar of the Month!

Upstairs is light and breezy with a great array of local and regional craft breweries. Downstairs, you’ll find the oak paneled Belgian beer that is unsurpassed by any other pub in town.  As a matter of fact, It’s revered by some as the South's premier Belgian Beer Bars. Currently there are 14 beers on tap in the basement level and a 150+ bottle selection.

They have a great, albeit small, menu featuring nice assets to their beer lineup.  Happy hour is 4-6 Monday through Friday, where you can munch on monk nuts, soft baked pretzel, cheese of the day, lamb, beef or salmon sliders or focaccia with dipping sauce.

But back to the beer….a list of the past year includes Victory Brewing's Baltic Porter, Stubbe Keyte, Storm King Stout, Anchor Steam's Christmas Ale, Highland's Cold Mountain, Rogue's Hazelnut Nectar and Trappist Rochefort 10. Currently, they’re offering a slew of beers on tap, varieties including – but not limited to - Tripel-Trappist, Belgian IPA, Saison, Belgian Scotch, Strong Ale, Winter Warmer and Dubbel.

The upstairs tap list ain’t so bad, either. With beers hailing from Oregon, California, Delaware, Maryland and Colorado, there is sure a suds to please your pallet.

For you beer explorers, learners or geeks, the Thirsty Monk also offers a variety of events held at the pub; ranging from beer release parties to brewery weeks complete with giveaways and pint nights.

I’m not sure the next time I’ll be in North Carolina, but I’ll be sure to come thirsty and drop in at the Thirsty Monk.