USA: The Brewery Capital of America Is Asheville

Beer drinkers unite and make your way to Asheville, North Carolina as soon as you can.

With the most breweries per capita, Asheville is indeed the brewery capital of America. There’s a brewery seemingly everywhere you turn in some downtown areas.

It truly is a beer lover’s paradise.

And while there are far too many to knock out in a single day, travelers can still easily make it anywhere from seven to 10 breweries in one weekend. Yes, some may attempt to reach that many on Saturday alone since it’s a popular destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting to celebrate a friend’s bachelor party, and we managed to hit five breweries within seven hours.

Factoring in the atmosphere, location, prices and beer options, here are some of the best breweries in Asheville.

This chunk of downtown is the go-to spot if your goal is to try as many breweries as possible.

From Lexington Avenue on down to Collier Street, there are over 10 breweries all within easy walking distance from each other.

Depending on which ones you visit, you could walk 10 to 12 minutes at most to your next stop, while others are as close as a 60-second, leisurely stroll around the corner.

Also referred to as the South Slope Brewery District, you can pay by the beer three to five dollars at most breweries.

However the best of the best in this location include:

Wicked Weed: The full brewery is now out in West Asheville, but the downtown location is where it all started. What was once a hardware store basement is now arguably the most popular brewery in downtown.

Try the Orange Peel Ale (5.5 percent ABV), a nod to Wicked Weed’s music venue neighbor: The Orange Peel. Or try the Freak of Nature (8.6 percent ABV) if you like an IPA-style beer.

Richard Bibb, noted IPA fan and groom on our excursion, said: “it’s one of the best IPAs I’ve ever had.”

For those in favor of a good sour beer, there are a few options here, but you’ll find plenty more by taking an eight-minute walk over to Funkatorium, which is a taproom owned by Wicked Weed and fully dedicated to sour and funky beers.

Catawba Brewing: The White Zombie Ale (5.1 percent ABV) is a popular year-round brew here, but this past weekend Catawba released their new Peanut Butter Jelly Time (5.7 percent ABV).

It hits with you a strong peanut smell right away before even tasting. It was a bit heavier than I expected, but the hint of raspberry puree really delivers to make this a solid beer.

Burial Beer Co: The outdoor area really steals the show thanks to the brewery’s corner location and the old ford truck that has become a popular photo spot. Sit back and enjoy great beer, great company and a great view.

The taps can change frequently, so make sure to check ahead of time on their taproom page if you’re looking to try a specific beer. Waves Crash Upon Us – Brett Pale (5.8 percent ABV) was my favorite, but it’s off today’s listed tap, for example.

It will surely be back, though.
If you’re in the spirit of trying new things, sample the quail or bone marrow from the Salt & Smoke food truck.

Green Man Brewery: What began as a brewpub has now grown into a much larger facility. The third-floor patio here offers an awesome view of Asheville's south side.

If you’re into heavier beers likes stouts and IPAs, this is definitely the place for you.

Of course, they do have some beers under six percent ABV, like the award-winning ESB amber ale (5.5 percent ABV).

But most are here for the brews with higher alcohol content, such as the Trickster IPA (7 percent ABV) and The Dweller (10 percent ABV).

This massive estate will take your breath away the minute you pull past its gates.

If you only have a day to visit Asheville breweries, Sierra Nevada needs to be on your list.

A great place for a brewery tour given how large it is, I recommend starting your day here before venturing to the downtown breweries, you can walk to those but have to drive to this one.

Located about 20 minutes outside of downtown, the Taproom opens at 11 am on Saturday and gets crowded all day. Thankfully, there’s a ton of room for everyone: Even if you are in a big party and have to wait 45 minutes to an hour for a table, you can grab a beer at the bar inside or the one outside.

Try the Nooner Pilsner if you’re into German-style beers. For more hops, try the Tropical Torpedo, which you can’t get anywhere else but here until the fall.

This is also an ideal spot for a Saturday lunch outing: You can order food from the Back Porch menu if you don’t feel like waiting for a table, but the best thing you can put in your mouth at Sierra Nevada is the crispy pork belly on the Taproom menu inside.

Other Breweries
New Belgium Brewing was one popular spot we weren’t able to make on our brewery extravaganza. Given there are a plethora of options in the city, there just wasn’t enough time in the day for a stop here.

But rest assured, I’ll be back and plan to visit, as well as Highland Brewery Company, which locals I ran into during my trip raved so much about.
To my beer peers who only drink cider style, you’ll want to visit Noble Cider and Urban Orchard Cider Company.

As always, please drink responsibly.

Don’t drink and drive. Asheville has taxis as well as Uber and Lyft ride services to move you around the city. As previously mentioned, once you get downtown, you can easily walk to many breweries.

USA: U.S. Federal Judge Rejects Uber $10M Settlement

A federal judge has rejected a legal settlement that would have divided up to $100 million among about 380,000 Uber drivers to resolve claims the ride-hailing service has been exploiting them by treating them as independent contractors instead of employees.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen declared the deal unfair in a decision issued late Thursday, complicating Uber's efforts to remove the legal threat of having its drivers classified as employees.

That distinction would give Uber's drivers more rights and benefits. That would in turn force the San Francisco company to change its business in ways that would cause its expenses to soar and potentially undercut its plans to eventually sell its stock in an initial public offering.

Uber expressed its disappointment with Chen's ruling in a statement that said the company will consider its options. The alternatives include taking the case to trial, awaiting rulings in two appeals that would bolster Uber's cause, or negotiating a revised settlement with the drivers in an attempt to appease Chen.

In another case earlier this year, Uber rival Lyft initially had a similar settlement with its drivers rejected by a different judge. Lyft raised its initial offer from $12.5 million to $27 million, good enough to win preliminary approval from U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in June.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, the lead attorney representing the Uber drivers, said she thinks a revised settlement is possible in this lawsuit, too. If not, she is prepared to take the case to trial, she told The Associated Press in an email. In that event, the case could be whittled to about 8,000 drivers because of binding arbitration clauses that Uber holds.

"I am disappointed the judge did not approve the settlement, but I understand and I have heard him," Liss-Riordan wrote.

The agreement would have required Uber to pay at least $84 million to drivers in California and Massachusetts who had been picking up riders who requested them through the company's service dating back to August 2009. Uber would have paid another $16 million to the drivers if the company's market value increased by 1.5 times within the first year of its IPO.

If everyone covered in the lawsuit had filed for payments, the California drivers would have received an average of $10 to $1,950 apiece and the Massachusetts drivers would have received an average of $12 to $979.

Uber is currently a privately held company backed by venture capitalists and other investors who have valued the business at more than $60 billion, though some analysts question the reliability of that figure.

Chen also is skeptical of Uber's prospects in an IPO, saying in his decision that he based his conclusions that the company would only end up paying the drivers a minimum of $84 million.

Most of the money would be designated to settle claims that Uber had been cheating them by refusing to reimburse them for mileage and phone usage while also refusing to pay them for overtime and prohibiting passengers from tipping them. Had the case gone to trial and the drivers prevailed on them, they might have won estimated $854 million, based on estimates from the drivers' attorneys.

Given the risks facing the drivers had they not won those specific claims in a trial, Chen concluded the $84 million would have been a "fair and adequate" amount.

But Chen was troubled that the settlement also would have prevented the drivers from pursuing claims on a variety of other employment issues that could have generated another $1 billion in a trial verdict favouring their arguments. Lumping in those potential liabilities, the proposed settlement would be paying the drivers less than five per cent of what they could win in a trial — a sum that Chen concluded "is not fair, adequate or reasonable."

INDONESIA: Uber Obtains Government Approval To Do Buisiness In Jakarta

Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday it had received the green light from the Jakarta governor to operate in the Indonesian capital after giving assurances that it would comply with local tax rules and other requirements.

Jakarta police had earlier this year deemed the US car-hailing service illegal, saying its drivers did not pay the correct taxes and the company did not have the license needed to operate as a form of public transport.

In a statement, Uber said it is working with the office of the city’s governor, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, and Indonesia’s investment coordinating board to establish itself as a legal entity in Indonesia, pay taxes, have adequate insurance and ensure its “partner vehicles” undergo regular inspection.

“Previously there was tremendous regulatory ambiguity,” Uber spokesman Karun Arya said in an email.

“Governor Ahok has now provided clear direction for Uber in terms of specific requirements for Uber and other ride sharing platforms to operate and thrive in Jakarta.”

Uber has registered with Indonesia’s investment coordinating board as a technology or web company, Arya added.

There was no immediate comment from the Jakarta governor’s office.

Privately owned Uber has grown aggressively worldwide with its matchmaker service for drivers and passengers, but a lack of regulation for the relatively new business model has brought it to the attention of authorities.

The company is also facing stiff competition from rivals US-based Lyft, China’s Didi Kuaidi, Southeast Asia’s GrabTaxi and India’s Ola, which recently formed a global ride-sharing partnership.

In Indonesia, Uber currently operates in Bali, Bandung and Jakarta, a city notorious for its traffic congestion and lack of public transport.

In an email, Uber said it planned to expand to more cities in Southeast Asia’s largest economy next year, and would boost the number of its drivers to 100,000 by 2017 from more than 12,000 currently.

SINGAPORE: Lyft Partners With Ola, GrabTaxi To Reach Asian Markets

Lyft has formed new partnerships with two Asian on-demand ride services, Ola and GrabTaxi, as the U.S. company works to gain a toehold in the booming overseas market.

Lyft, which announced an alliance with Didi Kuaidi, China’s largest ride-hailing company, back in September, has formed a coalition that will allow passengers to use all platforms to hail a ride as they travel between the U.S. and Asia.

The four companies, which connect passengers with cars and other transportation services through mobile apps, will compete together against Uber. They will also share information on new technology and products, and knowledge of local markets and regulations.

The new partnerships, announced on Thursday by Lyft Co-founder and President John Zimmer, are expected to be completed by mid-2016. Didi Kuaidi’s deal provided Lyft with a $100 million investment, but Ola and GrabTaxi have not offered any financing, a Lyft spokeswoman said.

Joining forces allows these ride services to bolster, albeit just slightly, their competitive edge to Uber, a global force that is in 67 countries.

Uber was looking to raise as much as $2.1 billion that would push its valuation to $62.5 billion, citing people familiar with the matter.

Through the partnerships, Lyft users traveling in India, for example, will be able to open their Lyft app and access Ola’s service, while paying in U.S. dollars and using the app in English, the company said.

Users of the Ola and GrabTaxi ride apps – the latter serves Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam – will have access to Lyft when visiting the U.S., and can use the app in their native language and pay with their native currency.

“The thought behind this is, for these Asian geographies, partnering with other companies is the way to go,” Zimmer said.

“In a geography where there are significant cultural differences, having a local partner is an incredible benefit and strength.”

The partnerships allows Lyft to build its brand awareness in Asia without the hefty cost of putting cars on the road or waging battles with regulators.

Despite promising in early 2013 to be a global service by 2014, the company has yet to open offices outside the United States. Lyft is currently in about 150 U.S. cities.

“I don’t think Lyft wants to or can,” become a global ride service, said Aswath Damodaran, a professor of finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “It is a company with much smaller ambitions.”