Highland Brewing Company

Regional Brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, United States 🇺🇸
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 1994

Contact
12 Old Charlotte Hwy, #200, Asheville, NC, 28803, United States
Description
Highland Brewing was founded in 1994 by retired engineer and entrepreneur Oscar Wong, establishing it as the pioneer of Asheville, NC’s booming craft beer industry. With a portfolio that is equal parts established and inventive, Highland is known for consistently excellent beer. Proudly regional, Highland is distributed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky. Highland is the largest independent family-owned brewery born in the Southeast, with the third largest solar array in an American craft brewery. The brewery is in a rehabilitated manufacturing facility on a hilltop, affording space for thousands of visitors to enjoy limited release beers, tours, and live music. In addition, the event center and rooftop can be reserved for private events. Since 2015, the company has been led by Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, and has 50 full-time employees.

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7.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
12 ounce can into lager glass, canned on 6/20/2017. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, peach, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light pepper, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with pale malt and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of lemon, peach, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light pepper, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light pepper, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish. Very nice robustness and balance of pale malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero astringent flavors after the finish. Perfectly clean on lager flavors, with zero yeast notes present. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is a very nice German pilsener. All around nice robustness and balance of pale malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, and refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Really great clean pils malt showcase, with nice earthy hop balance. A bit of fruitiness from the hops; but this is really traditional tasting, spot on stuff for the style. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried from Can on 15 May 2018 at 23:36

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 6
From a 12 oz bottle. Pours a hazy god with a thick off white head. Aroma of tropical fruit and melon. Flavors are bitter citrus and pine. Bitter finish.
Tried from Bottle on 12 May 2018 at 00:37

4.2/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 5 Flavor 4 Texture 4 Overall 4
Slight hazy pale. Bitter but not really bitter like the ubiquitous. More like a stronger APA and I am grateful its sticking to its style, thanks. Yes, not bad for a quick one before I head over to the myrtle beach, heheh.
Tried on 15 Apr 2018 at 12:23

6.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 4 Overall 7
Seemed billed as an extra hoppy type IPA, but it ain't. I strained to get much hop nose, there's a hint of resin and wet dog, and tropical fruit. Vague breadiness. Flavor similar, very bready with a peppery hop that hints at dank (but calling this beer a good example of dank hops is near laughable - let's change up that commercial description Highland!). Medium bitter finish, seems to have a good body but finishes on the thin side. Drinkable enough but really disappoints when you're expecting a bright aromatic hopped beer.
Tried on 09 Apr 2018 at 22:20

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bomber from Bruisin’ Ales or Tavour. Pours ruddy copper/amber with a beige head. Aroma is spicy, but not really the stand Xmas stuff. Med body or so. Flavor is rather vanilla, with smooth moderately roasty malt and some slightly biting spices. Not chili tho. Decent drink.
Tried on 02 Apr 2018 at 19:54

7.6/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Good stout, a touch sweet but with a nice mellow mixture of vanilla and earthy coconut with a milk chocolate base and blossoming coffee notes on the finish. Anise and roasted malt add an imperial stout flourish, while the finish grows somewhat dry and slightly warm. Could use a slight more depth, but otherwise a tasty pint.
Tried on 31 Mar 2018 at 00:06

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Draft at Craft Brewed. Pours a pitch black with a finger of brown head that lingers. Lots of cacao nib, milk chocolate and vanilla bean in the nose. Smooth and decadent. Lots of vanilla on the palate. ABV is hidden very well. Great stuff.
Tried from Draft on 19 Mar 2018 at 16:46

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Draft at Craft Brewed. Pours a clear gold with a finger of foam that lingers, then dissipates. Bright citrus on the nose. Orange zest and pith. Light biscuit malt. Grapefruit zest on the finish. Very nice SIPA. --- Beer merged from original tick of Daycation IPA on 17 Mar 2018 at 11:14 - Score: 7. Original review text: Bright citrus on the nose. Orange zest and pith. Light biscuit malt. More citrus. Quite a nice session ipa.
Tried from Draft on 19 Mar 2018 at 16:39

5.9/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 7.5
Can at home grabbed a sixer since bro coming to visit just stocking fridge with some variety. Yellow orange pour. Nose is citrus and slightly herbaceous. Tastes of mandarins, some white pine, botanicals and grapefruit pith. Watery palate. Not a ton going on.
Tried from Can on 19 Mar 2018 at 03:00

8/10
Tried from Draft on 11 Mar 2018 at 17:08