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DCL
I was in Asheville this weekend and I cannot say enough about the local beer. It seems that everywhere you go, there are a number of local microbrews available for you to try. When from breweries five minutes down the road are making beers comparable to those flown in from Germany, why wouldn't you buy local? But in other areas of the country, this is certainly not the case. Finding local brews can be few and far between at best. If you can't find a good brew in your area that's all the more reason to make your own. And according to Aaron Schenk, the 2008 Highland Cup Homebrew Competition Winner (featured in this month's issue of New Age Journal) it's really not as difficult as you might think. Of course your first batch isn't going to taste like a Sierra Nevada, but as you learn the practice, the beer gets better and better.
