Why Hillman Beer Has One of the Best Burgers in Asheville

What Makes a Great Burger in Asheville Worth Talking About

Asheville’s food scene is not short on ambition. The city has built a well-earned reputation as one of the most food-forward small cities in the American South, with independent restaurants and breweries competing hard for attention. Within that crowd, a burger has to do more than be edible to stand out.

The best burgers in Asheville share a few reliable traits: honest sourcing, proper preparation, and a setting where the food feels intentional rather than incidental. At many breweries, the kitchen is a support act. At Hillman Beer, it operates as a full scratch kitchen, which changes what ends up on your plate.

According to NC Department of Commerce (2023), Western North Carolina’s food and beverage sector has grown steadily over the past decade, with Asheville continuing to attract independent food businesses that prioritize local supply chains. Hillman fits squarely within that movement, but backs it up with an operational consistency that newer spots often lack.

The pub-style approach Brad, Greig, and Brandi Hillman built into the brewery from day one extends directly to the kitchen. Comfort food made with care, sourced locally, served in a room where the beer was brewed a few feet away. That combination is rarer than it sounds, and it is central to what the Hillman family has built since opening in Asheville in 2017.

Asheville’s competitive food landscape makes quality sourcing and kitchen seriousness the markers that separate a forgettable meal from one worth returning for. Hillman Beer’s scratch kitchen and local sourcing position its burgers as a genuine contender among the best burgers in Asheville rather than a secondary offering.

Grass-Fed Beef and the Scratch Kitchen Standard

Hillman Beer’s kitchen starts with grass-fed beef, and that decision shapes everything downstream. Grass-fed beef carries a different fat composition and flavor profile compared to conventionally raised beef, and when it is prepared without shortcuts, the difference is noticeable on first bite.

A scratch kitchen means no pre-made patties, no frozen components, and no outsourced prep. The kitchen team builds the burger from raw ingredients, which gives them control over seasoning, thickness, and cook. That control is where pub-style comfort food either earns its name or loses it.

According to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (2022), grass-fed beef programs require animals to have continuous access to pasture during the growing season, which directly influences the flavor and nutritional quality of the meat. Sourcing to that standard is a deliberate cost and operational decision, not a marketing claim.

Hillman’s locally-sourced ingredient philosophy extends beyond the beef itself. The broader menu reflects the same commitment: ingredients come from regional producers where possible, keeping the food connected to the same Western North Carolina community the brewery has been building relationships with since opening in Asheville in April 2017.

“Bringing the pub style to the brewery experience means the food and the beer have to hold each other up. One without the other isn’t the full thing.”

That philosophy makes Hillman’s burger more than a menu item. It is an expression of what the brewery believes a brewery visit should feel like: complete, considered, and worth the trip.

Hillman Beer’s use of grass-fed beef and a full scratch kitchen sets a consistent quality baseline that supports its case as one of the best burgers in Asheville. The sourcing choices reflect a genuine operational commitment rather than a branding layer applied after the fact.

Beer Pairings That Actually Change the Meal

A burger at a brewery should, logically, be paired with a beer. But at Hillman, that pairing is not accidental. The brewery has won multiple Great American Beer Festival medals, including a Gold in 2019 and Silver in 2018 for their ESB, and a Bronze in 2017 for the Four Fat Baby brown ale. These are not background beers.

The ESB, or Extra Special Bitter, carries a clean malt backbone with enough bitterness to cut through fat without overwhelming the palate. Next to a grass-fed beef burger, it works the way a well-chosen wine works with food: each element makes the other more interesting. The Four Fat Baby brown ale brings a nuttier, richer character that pairs naturally with caramelized edges on a well-cooked patty.

For drinkers who want something lighter, the Kölsch offers a crisp, German-style lager character that refreshes without competing. The Old Fort Original gold lager, brewed at the Old Fort location, plays a similar role with a slightly more approachable profile.

According to Brewers Association (2023), craft brewery taprooms have become destination dining spaces across the United States, with food sales now representing a growing share of total taproom revenue. The breweries making the most of that trend are the ones where the kitchen and the tap list are developed in conversation with each other.

Hillman has been doing exactly that since opening. The result is a pairing experience that rewards the drinker who takes a moment to ask what’s on tap before ordering.

Hillman Beer’s award-winning tap list transforms a burger visit into a pairing experience that few restaurants in Asheville can match. The ESB, Four Fat Baby, and Kölsch each offer a distinct complement to the scratch kitchen’s burger, reinforcing why Hillman belongs in any honest conversation about the best burgers in Asheville.

The Setting Makes the Difference

Food tastes better in the right room. That is not sentiment; it is well-documented in hospitality research. The Asheville location, set near Biltmore Village with creek-side seating, creates a backdrop that makes a long lunch feel earned. The Old Fort location offers a slower pace and an industrial character that suits a relaxed weeknight dinner.

Both spaces are family-friendly, dog-welcoming (leashed, well-behaved), and built around the idea that a brewery should feel like a place to stay a while. Kitchens at both locations close at 9pm, with taprooms open until 10pm Wednesday through Saturday, giving visitors enough time to work through a proper meal before moving on to another round.

The family ownership is not incidental to the atmosphere. Brad, Greig, and Brandi Hillman built both spaces with the same instinct that produced their first beer in a garage: make something good, make people feel welcome, and do not overcomplicate it.

That ethos carries into the dining experience in ways that are difficult to manufacture. The staff know the beer. The kitchen takes the food seriously. The seats by the creek or the bar inside both feel like they were arranged for people to actually talk to each other. Hillman uses the phrase “we’ve saved a seat for you,” and in both locations, that reads as a genuine description rather than marketing copy. Visitors planning their first trip can find hours and directions for both venues before heading out.

The atmosphere at both Hillman Beer locations reinforces the quality of the food and beer by creating conditions where a meal becomes an experience. For visitors weighing where to find the best burgers in Asheville, the setting at Hillman adds a dimension that a purely food-focused venue cannot replicate.