You can’t put a value on that.”Īshburn is now Highland’s president and CEO, and her tenure has marked an era of rapid change, both for the company and the city of Asheville. “It was about being part of the community. “Other things became more important, and the brewery was one of those more important things,” Ashburn said in a 2018 interview with Business North Carolina magazine. Years later, after Ashburn built a thriving career in sales and marketing at a yearbook publisher in Charlotte, her father actually recruited her for a position at Highland however in the intervening years, the tables had turned: He could no longer afford her.īut blood is thicker than water, and, apparently, so is beer. He wanted her to find her own way, he told her. More than a decade earlier, Ashburn had applied for a position with her father’s company after graduating with a degree in journalism from UNC Chapel Hill, but her father turned her down. In 2011, Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, officially joined the team at Highland Brewery. While that superior quality persists, little else remains from those early days in the basement. Why? Because he was determined to produce a high-quality product on a consistent basis. Still, it took Wong eight years to break even. As the first legal brewery in western North Carolina following the repeal of Prohibition, you can imagine its allure. After forging a successful career in nuclear engineering, he later created an innovative nuclear-waste disposal company, then went on to found Highland Brewing Company, Asheville’s oldest independent brewery. Wong, the son of Chinese immigrants, grew up in Jamaica and moved to the United States to study civil engineering at Notre Dame University. In 1994, Oscar Wong began brewing beer in the basement of Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria in downtown Asheville. A different food truck is on site each day and free live music is available most nights.History is brewing again in downtown Asheville. The generous, diverse daily beer list may be enjoyed in the spacious taproom or on the newly completed rooftop bar, which provides 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. She also used her goodwill with her former employer to host an Arrogant Bastard Hits the Road guest brewing, producing a version of the celebrated ale even tastier than what Stone ships across the country. The number of taproom-exclusive small batches have grown exponentially since Stephenson’s 2015 hiring and more year-round beers (including three IPAs and a pilsner) have been added, including a few in cans. Recruiting Hollie Stephenson, formerly of Stone Brewing Co., as brewmaster is one of many indicators that Highland refuses to rest on its legacy and is dedicated to ongoing innovation. Terese’s Pale Ale and Black Mocha Stout, Gaelic Ale remains one of the most dependable beers in western North Carolina, if not the entire state, region and nation, while cult favorite Cold Mountain Winter Ale continues to draw passionate crowds each holiday season for the ever-evolving brewery. Part of the original core four brews with Oatmeal Porter, St. In 1994, co-founders Oscar Wong and John McDermott began brewing on repurposed dairy equipment and hand-bottling their flagship Gaelic Ale in the basement of Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria in the heart of the then not-so-happening downtown.Īs Asheville grew, so did Highland, rolling out the area’s first mix-pack (the 12-bottle, four-variety Mountain Medley) before moving to its own facility atop a picturesque hill in East Asheville in 2006. Highland Brewing Co., Asheville’s beer-making pioneer, remains a leading figure in the local industry as it gradually expands its presence throughout the eastern U.S. in Asheville, North Carolina by Edwin Arnaudin
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