Highland Brewing Releasing Cold Mountain Winter Ale Variants Nov 7th
Story by:
Bil Corcoran
YOUR HOLIDAYS START HERE
Kick off your holiday season with Highland’s much-anticipated, annual Cold Mountain Winter Ale release —now in its 29th year! Join us for this beloved, festive community celebration with great music, fantastic beer, and unforgettable experiences.
Whether you’re burning for bold brews or chilling with friends, this weekend is set to be a blazing celebration of all things Cold Mountain!
RELEASE WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
Fire & Ice: From Friday through Sunday, experience this year’s theme “Fire & Ice” with fire spinners, ice carving, and more.
Live Music: Enjoy performances from local and regional bands throughout the weekend with a mix of genres to keep everyone entertained!
Cold Mountain Winter Ale: Cold Mountain Winter Ale and limited-edition beers like Coconut Cold Mountain, Breakfast Cold Mountain, Cinnamon Roll Cold Mountain, and Barrel Aged Vanilla Cold Mountain are available while supplies last. Please note pre-ordered beer is not available this year.
Activities: In additional to live music, weekend highlights include a 360 degree photobooth to capture your coolest moments, exclusive on-site small batch Cold Mountain brews, and wintery cocktails. Sunday features fun for the whole family, including kid-centric music and activities.
Fresh Merch: Stock up on holiday gifts for the whole family with limited edition Cold Mountain gear and Highland winter wearables. A “cocktail lovers” gift pack is available while supplies last.
Beer Dinner: Kick off the weekend festivities with a sizzling beer dinner, crafted in collaboration with Chef Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farms.
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About Highland Brewing:
Highland Brewing Company is the largest independent, family-owned brewery native to the Southeast. With a portfolio of beers that honor tradition and blaze new trails, we’re honored to be Asheville’s pioneer in craft and a leader in southern beer.
Our story began in 1994 when Oscar Wong, a Chinese-Jamaican immigrant and retired engineer, introduced Asheville to Highland’s first beer using refurbished dairy equipment in the basement of Barley’s Taproom. This humble location housed operations for 13 years as Oscar’s hobby churned out beloved first favorites: Gaelic Ale, Oatmeal Porter, and Cold Mountain Winter Ale. Little did he know, Oscar laid the foundation for a robust brewing community that would grow to over 35 breweries within city limits.
In 2006, we moved to a sprawling 11-acre facility on 40 acres of land on a hill in East Asheville. This location, once Blue Ridge Motion Picture Studios, has transformed into more than just a brewing operation. Highland is also a destination brewery featuring five sand volleyball courts, an 18-hole disc golf course, indoor and outdoor public spaces, and wedding and meeting venues, including a spacious rooftop.
Leah Wong Ashburn, Oscar’s daughter, joined the company in 2011 in a sales position, became President in 2015, and CEO in 2018 while Oscar holds Vice President and Chief Schmoozer titles. Brock Ashburn, professional engineer, builder, and married to Leah, is Vice President. Rounding out the executive team is Nikki Mitchell, who was promoted from event sales to Hospitality Director to Vice President. Today, Highland is a force of over 100 individuals with a passion for craft beer and community operating from our East Asheville brewery and campus.
Highland History
ASHEVILLE – Highland Brewing Company was founded in 1994 by retired engineer, Oscar Wong. It was the first craft brewery in Asheville since Prohibition and has grown to become the largest family-owned, female-led brewery native to the Southeast.
Wong immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in the 1960s to attend the University of Notre Dame. While there, he studied structural and civil engineering and took an interest in home brewing between study sessions. After graduating, he opened his own engineering firm. The business was a success and allowed him to sell it and retire at a young age. He had been a home brewer in college and decided to open a brewery in Asheville for the start of his second career.
Wong and his family enjoyed vacations in Asheville for many years and felt connected to the creative community of independent thinkers and doers that had long called the region home. After a few years of retirement, Wong was ready for his next challenge and when a local brewer reached out about an opportunity to start a craft brewery, he was ready for the adventure, but only in Asheville. Highland Brewing Company was founded on April 21st, 1994 and became Asheville’s pioneer and first brewery founded in the city since Prohibition and the third oldest craft brewery still in operation in the state of North Carolina.
Brewing operations began in a rented space in the basement underneath what is now Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria in downtown Asheville. The first brewing equipment was made from old Sealtest dairy equipment that Wong retrofitted to fit the brewery’s needs. Those tanks are still used by the brewery to store spent yeast, trub, and hops. Highland brewed in that basement for 13 years as beers like Gaelic Ale, Black Mocha Stout, and Oatmeal Porter grew into the region’s favorite brews.
In 2006, Highland moved from the downtown basement to the former home of Blue Ridge Motion Picture Studios in East Asheville. When the movie studio folded, Highland was able to purchase the entire 40-acre property. Since then, the brewery has continued to grow and expand into the 180,000-sq-ft building, adding the Taproom, Meadow, packaging hall, Event Center, and Rooftop Bar. From this rehabilitated manufacturing facility on a hilltop, the brewery affords space for thousands of visitors to enjoy limited release beers, tours, and live music. In addition, the Event Center and Rooftop are available for private events. Through it all, Highland remains committed to quality and sustainability, boasting the sixth largest solar array in an American craft brewery and a host of other sustainable initiatives that honor their home in the mountains.
Today, the company is led by Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, and she serves as President and CEO. Highland Brewing Company has grown into a regional leader shipping 50,000-bbls annually with distribution across five states in the Southeast including North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Gaelic Ale, an American Amber Ale, remains the brewery’s flagship and best-selling brand 27 years strong. More award-winning beers like AVL IPA and Highland Pilsner have since been added to Highland’s line-up of 8 year-round, 4 seasonal, and 2 limited release beers. Every week, Highland releases new small batch beers in the Taproom totaling over 100 one-off beers in 2019. Highland’s new barrel-aged beer program, The Southern Nouveau Series, is already gaining awards and recognition for quality and craftsmanship. In 2020, Wong became the 34th recipient of the Brewer’s Association Recognition Award honoring his outstanding contribution to the craft beer movement. This year, Highland will celebrate 27 years of brewing and innovation with a return to downtown through the opening of a new taproom in the S&W Market. Highland’s taproom within this restored Art Deco food hall in the heart of Asheville represents an exciting homecoming and a new chapter for the brewery.
For more information, visit www.highlandbrewing.com. Follow Highland on Twitter at @HighlandBrews and Instagram at @HighlandBrewing. Become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/HighlandBrewingCompany.
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