Asheville Beer Choir fosters community one song and beer at a time

The Asheville Beer Choir opens every rehearsal the same way — with a rendition of popular pub song “Beer Is Great” by English folk band The Longest Johns. “Beer is great, beer is grand/I long to hold one in my hand,” the group belts. And for many of the singers, a cold beer is exactly what they’re holding, as rehearsals take place at one of several Asheville breweries.

Unlike more traditional choirs, the Asheville Beer Choir doesn’t have auditions or a strict attendance policy, nor does it require any significant time. Instead, it’s what founder and director Laura Williams calls a “casual sip-and-sing ensemble.” The group rehearses at a different brewery once a week and performs about five times a year.

“The goal,” she says, “is to connect with other singers, make friends within the community and support local businesses.”

And in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, Williams adds, the mission feels more important than ever. “It’s been a rough year in the community. People are looking for spaces where they can feel safe and connect with one another. It’s so cool to be able to provide that.”

Gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day

While Williams herself is a voice teacher at Mars Hill University and a professional musician, the choir is open to anyone who enjoys singing, regardless of skill level. Someone with more experience who wants to hone harmony and polish solos is just as welcome as the casual car singer.

“Maybe someone doesn’t even think of themselves as a singer, but there’s a part of them that’s like, ‘Well, that might be fun.’ It’s such a great space to just try that out,” she tells Xpress.

The choir is just as open in terms of the music the members sing. For its holiday concert, the chorus performed traditional Christmas choral music. For Asheville Beer Week, Williams arranges mountain-themed songs by artists like John Denver and the Fleet Foxes. In 2024, the choir put on a ’90s-themed show, belting out all the popular hits and encouraging the crowd to sing along.

For its upcoming St. Patrick’s Day shows, the choir will draw on traditional Irish music sessions, performing a set of pub songs, sea shanties and classics like “Danny Boy,” and will be accompanied by the Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance. Performances are Saturday, March 15, 4-6 p.m., at the Asheville Performing Arts Academy and Sunday, March 16, 2-4 p.m., at Sweeten Creek Brewing. 

Voices rebuilding

The concept of a beer choir is not new. Williams first became aware of them years ago while performing and teaching in Germany. But it wasn’t until 2022, on the heels of the pandemic, that she formed the Asheville Beer Choir.

“A lot of my adult students really missed singing together, but joining a traditional choir or being in a theatrical performance was too much of a time commitment,” she says. “So I saw the need to create a space that was very open and can meet people where they are.”

Williams announced her plan on the Asheville subreddit, sharing details for the first rehearsal. “People were brave,” she says. “They just took the leap and came out.” The group has been steadily growing since, with 15 newcomers joining since Helene.

The September storm dealt the choir a particular blow, as Cursus Keme, the brewery where the singers had been rehearsing every week for a year, was completely washed away. Having no place to sing, the group didn’t rehearse for an entire month but gathered to check in on each other.

“After Helene, it was so wonderful to have people to reach out to — to connect with and commiserate with. Sometimes it takes something really terrible like that to make you realize the community you have and the people who are there for you,” Williams says.

It wasn’t too long before other breweries became operational and jumped in to help, opening their doors and taps to the displaced choir. “We were finally able to make music again and just rebuild in a lot of different senses of the word,” she says.

Williams also enjoyed bringing business to breweries that had been struggling from the downturn in tourism. Even now in late winter, a historically slow time for local businesses, an average rehearsal brings 50 choir members who are not only buying drinks but providing free music for the other patrons, who are more likely to linger for another round or two.

“It really feels like my initial goals are paying off,” she says. “We’re supporting the breweries, the bartenders and the waitstaff. And they’re very happy about the energy we bring to the space.”

Everyone wins

Williams seems to have perfected a boozy business model: Breweries see more sales, their patrons enjoy free entertainment, and the choir members themselves reap the benefits of belonging to a fun, supportive community.

“I thought I was going to a one-time event to drink and sing,” Tatiana Martinez says. “But at the very end when Laura mentioned T-shirt sizes, it dawned on me that I’d just joined a choir. Truly one of the best decisions.”

After making the difficult decision to leave the classroom as a music teacher, Brandon Betz still wanted to sing but didn’t care to join the classical, auditioned choirs he’d grown up in. “When I heard about the opportunity to join an inclusive community and make art for the sake of art, I had to go,” he says.

For Sarah Dobbins, the Asheville Beer Choir has seen her through difficult times in life, providing her with joy and laughter needed to keep going. And for Meghan McCoy-Smith, being a member of the choir just makes sense. “Singing is good for you,” she says. “People who sing live longer.”

The Asheville Beer Choir is open to everyone — young and old, professional singers and shower singers, busy parents, people who travel and can’t commit a lot of time, and people who only feel compelled to break out into song during the holidays. “It’s a very open environment for someone to come in and check out,” Williams says. “We’re here when you want to be here.”

For more information on the Asheville Beer Choir, visit avl.mx/eku.