Voodoo Brewing, a new brewery, restaurant, opens in Arden
ASHEVILLE - Arden’s newest neighborhood haunt has officially opened with a menu of craft beers, pub fare and other local drinks and treats.
On Oct. 24, Voodoo Brewing Co. made its Arden debut at its grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration at 3578 Sweeten Creek Road.
The brewpub, owned by local franchisee Bill Osborne, is one of the latest locations of the Pennsylvania-based brewery company.
Voodoo Brewing, formerly the site of 12 Bones Smokehouse, features a spacious dining room, plus a front and covered back patio where customers can sit a spell with a craft beer from the company’s award-winning collection.
The Voodoo Brewing culinary crew is conjuring up an extensive lineup of shareable appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and other savory and sweet contemporary and traditional dishes.
Voodoo Brewing’s menu is stacked with light bites and full meals from mini hot dog flights to smoked wings to salads to loaded “Arden Beer Cheese Macs.”
“It’s been going great,” Osborne said. “Rave reviews on the food, which we’re excited about because we’re a brewery so it’s about the beer first, but we’ve heard a lot of really good things about the food.”
In addition to the vast amount of in-house offerings, guests will find treats from local partners like European Market and Annie B’s ice cream pies.
“Understanding while we’re a franchise out of Pennsylvania, it still has a local flair,” Osborne said.
Voodoo Brewing’s flagship and seasonal beers are on tap and available for retail sale. Plus, it offers an assortment of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages from ciders to spirited elixirs.
Here are some of the early favorites to try on Voodoo Brewing-Arden’s food and beverage menus:
Voodoo Brewing brews
Voodoo Brewing’s flagship beers are available year-round, such as the “Oh Mama” Golden American Lager ― a collaborative beer with the rock band Styx ― and the Lacto-Kooler Sour Beliner Weisse, which has a green appearance.
Voodoo Lovechild, Osborne’s favorite of the bunch, is a Belgian Tripel with notes of sour cherries, raspberries and passionfruit. It’s 9.2% alcohol by volume.
“It’s a very high-gravity Belgian. It’s one of those, you don’t want to drink a lot of, but it’s a nice sipping beer,” Osborne said.
Guest brews and cocktails
Half of the beer taps feature guest local and regional breweries.
“We tried to keep everything in the Asheville or at least the Carolinas area,” Osborne said. “We didn’t want to bring in all those beers that you can get anywhere. … It’s not those standard national brands you’re going to get everywhere. We tried to stay more local with those, including the ciders and Ginger’s Revenge with the ginger beer.”
Voodoo Brewing doesn’t have a full bar but offers several elixir mixer cocktails made with its signature hard seltzer and superfood powders and blended with an assortment of flavors. The Strawberry Dragon Mule is made with Voodoo hard seltzer, strawberry, antioxidant-rich dragonfruit powder, lime and ginger beer.
Gaby’s Turkey Burger
Named after Osborne’s daughter, Gaby’s Turkey Burger is a fresh turkey burger patty topped with cheddar and “Oh Mama” onions and avocado aioli.
It’s one of five signature burgers with other proteins, certified Angus beef burger blend or portobello mushrooms available, and served with a choice of additional toppings and a side of fried pub chips or fresh-cut fries.
Gluten-free buns and lettuce wrap-style are available upon request.
Max’s Inferno
Several 10-inch signature pizza options are available with the option of cauliflower crust.
Max’s Inferno, named after Osborne’s son, is made with a house-made roasted garlic pesto, pizza cheese, smoked chicken, crumbled blue cheese and drizzled with buffalo sauce and ranch.
Chicky Chicky Bang Bang
Osborne’s favorite is the Chicky Chicky Bang Bang, one of five “handies” on the menu. A chicken thigh is marinated in tikka masala, fried until golden and then perched on a craft beer bun. Next, the chicken thigh is topped with pickles, cilantro, tikka slaw and “Bang Bang” drizzle.
“Instead of being a buffalo chicken sandwich ― the kind of thing you always see ― it has more of an Indian flair to it with the tikka sauce,” he said.
The handheld sandwiches may be served on a gluten-free bun or as a lettuce wrap and come with a side of fried pub chips or fresh-cut fries.
Drunken Pierogis
Osborne called on an Arden neighbor and specialty store to provide one of his childhood favorites from when he lived in the North.
European Market is supplying the brewpub with a few styles of pierogis, sauteed with Voodoo Brewing’s signature “Oh Mama” lager onions and infused with craft beer.
The Blitzed is made with beer-braised bacon kraut and pastrami and drizzled with a housemade Russian sauce and finished with parsley.
Voodoo Brewing Co.
Where: 3578 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
Info: For more, visit voodoobrewery.com and facebook.com/voodooasheville and follow on Instagram at @voodooasheville.
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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 Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What to know about Voodoo Brewing, now open in South Asheville
