How I Go Columbia: Ashley Bower

Ashley Bower has lived in Columbia all of her life. After graduating from Limestone College in 2008 with a bachelor's in business administration, she worked as a floral designer and structural steel buyer before landing her current position as a sales representative with Charleston-based craft beer distributor Rafa Distributing.

Bower is one of the founders and is a past president of the Midlands Craft Beer Supporters, the organization responsible for Soda City Suds Week, as well as a founder of South Carolina Girls Pint Out, a women’s beer education and appreciation organization founded in Columbia in 2013.

A certified beer Cicerone who is also certified through the Beer Judge Certification Program, Bowers is a proven expert on beer. She is vice president of education for Palmetto State Brewers, Columbia’s premier home brew club.

Bower and her husband, Matthew, live in West Columbia with their four cats and their basset hound.

EAT: Being mostly vegetarian, I’m a huge fan of ethnic food. My favorite restaurant in our city is Baan Sawan – the one place that knows how to make my green curry hot enough. I’ve always loved Blue Cactus’ bibimbap with tofu and extra spicy bean sauce. And Spice Junction in West Columbia makes some of the best Indian food in town.

DRINK: When I get off work and want to grab a pint, I love going to Craft and Draft or Flying Saucer. As much as I love beer, sometimes I like to mix it up a bit. Kat (Hunter) at Bourbon and Josh (Streetman) at Motor Supply make some of my favorite botanical forward cocktails. Anna (Ross) over at Grapes and Gallery really knows how to pick out some fantastic wines. She does a pretty good job on her beer selection, too.

PLAY: It’s getting to be my favorite time of year, when I can dig my kayak out of storage and get out on our beautiful waterways. I enjoy kayaking the Saluda River, as well as paddling the pond over at Sesquicentennial State Park. I also recently purchased a bike and am looking forward to taking advantage of the Canal Park reopening.

LISTEN: I’m a huge fan of WXRY-FM, our original independent radio station in Columbia. I love their mix of music and how they are so involved in promoting events within our community. I recently attended a Sunday afternoon event at The Whig for the Greater Columbia Society for the Preservation of Soul and am really looking forward to the Greater Columbia Record Fair next month.

SEE: I love the Columbia Museum of Art. They do such a fantastic job of bringing in interesting new exhibits and collections. I’m really looking forward to seeing a Fireflies game. I’ve been a member of Riverbanks Zoo for several years now and look forward to this time of year when all the flowers are out in the Botanical Garden.

Janet Jones Kendall, jjkendall@thestate.com

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 10:42 AM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Ashley Bower."