Darcy and I are Dirty Cherubs
A brief tutorial on happiness and sadness and beer
Darcy and I became friends twenty years ago over beers and our grief. Her father had just died. In our earliest conversations, she learned that most of my life had been lived under the shadow of my beloved brother’s death when I was young. Our mutual consolation was our bond.
Darcy asked me, “Does it ever go away?”
I said, “No.”
She started crying.
I said, “But it gets better.”
She and I spent the next couple of years hanging out in the bars of Asheville. There are dozens of craft breweries in Asheville, including our favorites: Asheville Brewing and Hi-Wire. With New Belgium and Sierra Nevada moving in, we’ve gained a couple of bigger players as well, although Highland Brewing is still the king for locals.
Craft beer has become part of the tourist draw in Asheville. People come here for the hiking, the food, the music, and the beer.
Even with this embarrassment of riches, the favorite beer by far for me and Darcy was always the Firewater IPA by Catawba Brewing.
