Highland Brewing Company

Highland Brewing Company releases Cattail Peak – An Organic Wheat Beer

2010-06-08T13:07:00.000-04:00

CATTAIL PEAK – An Organic Wheat Beer

A reprise of one of Highland’s favorite seasonal brews will soon appear in local groceries and restaurants. Cattail Peak wheat beer is brewed with 100% organic grains, a hint of rye and the tang and hue of organic hibiscus. This refreshing brew is as cool as the breeze that blows down from Mount Mitchell to Cattail Peak. Enjoy this delicious creation when the hottest summer day demands the best of the Blue Ridge.

Highland names all its seasonal brews after famous high altitude mountains in Western North Carolina and has recently partnered with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to raise awareness of the importance of protecting this region’s unique mountain peaks. The mountains of the Southern Appalachians are the highest in the east and shelter rare natural communities. Their grassy balds and spruce-fir forests are home to rare species like the federally protected rock gnome lichen and the Carolina northern flying squirrel.

Cattail Peak is a mountain summit in Yancey County in the state of North Carolina. Cattail Peak climbs to 6,516 feet (1,986.08 meters) above sea level.

Anyone attempting to climb Cattail Peak and reach the summit should look for detailed information on the Cattail Peak area in the topographic map and the Mount Mitchell USGS quad.

    * Peak Type: Summit
    * Latitude: 35.797339
    * Longitue: -82.257067
    * Peak Elevation: 6,516 feet (1,986.08 m)
    * Nearest City: Burnsville (6.1 miles away)

        Sit back, relax with this fine example of an American wheat beer and contemplate how you can join us to help protect this treasured peak. For more information on the specific threats to Cattail Peak and the rest of the Black Mountain Range, please visit our website at www.highlandbrewing.com or the website of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy at www.appalachian.org

Highland Brewing Company presents "Seven Sisters Abbey Style Ale"

2010-03-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

March 12, 2010
Asheville, NC
On March 12th, Highland released its latest seasonal beer, “Seven Sisters Abbey Style Ale”. It is Highland’s first Belgian styled beer. Highland names all its seasonal beers after notable mountains or mountain ranges in western North Carolina. The Seven Sisters mountain group is located a few miles from Asheville near Black Mountain and comprises much of the watershed for Asheville’s North Fork Reservoir, the source of Highland’s brewing water.

Highlands first Belgian styled beer is a “dubbel” with twice the normal grain bill and the addition of Belgian dark candi sugar. Fermenting with Trappist yeast creates dark fruit esters. Pilsen, Pale, Extra Special and Chocolate malts evoke classic Belgian Ale sweet aromas with a hint of nuttiness. Use of Hallertau Hersbrucker and German Select hops enhance authenticity and provide a restrained bittering of 20 IBUs and a slight spicy aroma.

Seven Sisters will be available in all of Highland’s current market area (except Tennessee) in six packs, 22 OZ and draught.

Highland is Western North Carolina’s first legal brewery and was started by Oscar Wong and John Lyda in 1994. It is currently ranked as the third largest craft brewery in the South East and distributes its beer in the states of Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

GO BIG or GO HOMEBREW! Highland Cup - Homebrew Competition

2010-02-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

"Best of Show" will be brewed & Sold by Highland + Trip to Denver, CO for GABF
(see details below...)

The Highland Cup
2010 Homebrew Competition
March 7, 2010

Location:
The Highland Brewing Co.
12 Old Charlotte Hwy Suite H
Asheville, NC 28803

Host Organization: The Highland Brewing Co. - Asheville, North Carolina

Welcome to The Highland Cup 2010:

Homebrewers and Highland Brewing Company share a long history of supporting one another in the quest for great beer. We're excited about celebrating that association with the third annual Highland Cup! Founded in 1994, Highland recently moved from our original downtown Asheville, North Carolina location to a much larger and more efficient facility five miles east. There we produce five year-round brews and this year we will have five seasonal brews as well. The "Best Of Show" winner will be brewed (under the homebrewer's strict supervision) at our facility and distributed and sold commercially by Highland. The winning brewer will also earn a trip to the 29th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver with Highland Brewing in September (16th -18th). This includes air travel (from Asheville with the brewery representatives) plus room and board. The winning beer will be entered into the Pro/Am competition at GABF, and served on the floor at the festival. A certificate for free entry into the AHA's National Homebrew Competition will be awarded to the Best Of Show winner. The Highland Cup is sanctioned by the BJCP. There are some restrictions that apply to the entered beer, and the applicant must be a member of the American Homebrewer's Association at the start of the Highland Cup judging in order to be eligible for advancement to the BOS round. We look forward to having you!!

Registration is limited to residents of NC, SC, GA, FL, VA and TN. The GABF requires the winning brew to be sold commercially. Highland feels that the winning homebrewer should be able to sip their award winning ale at their favorite watering hole in their hometown. To assure that this can happen, we feel that it needs to be restricted to Highland's distribution area.

The Highland Cup has few restrictions for the beer, but enough to pay attention to. They are listed as follows:

* Highland must be able to brew your beer (grain to glass) in no more than eight weeks.

* Any commercially available yeast may be used. Homebrewers should pick yeast that very closely match the allowed professions yeasts.

* Entries are limited to 2008 BJCP categories 1 through 23. All other BJCP styles are not allowed. Multiple entries in the same subcategories are allowed provided the recipes are significantly distinctive and the entries are given unique brew names.

* Any commercially available hops may be used in pellet form. Highland's kettle can only accept pellet hops, however whole hop Cascade can be used in a hopback for aroma. Please contact Steve Schwartz at Highland for further information. Steve's number is given at the bottom of this page.

* There are no blanket restrictions on malt. Please contact Steve Schwartz at Highland if you wish to use specialty malts which may be difficult to obtain in bulk quantities.

* Entries must be brewed from start to finish on a non-professional, homebrewing system.

* Extracts are acceptable.

* The alcohol cap is 15% ABV.

* Highland is not capable of doing decoction mashes. Single-temperature infusion mash must be used.

* Brew must meet style guidelines as set by the Beer Judge Certification Program Inc. Style guides are available at BJCP Style Guidelines 2008

* Beer must be able to be reproduced in a large quantity. Homebrewers should keep meticulous notes.

* Beer entries falling outside these restrictions or otherwise not suitable for production at Highland Brewing may be disqualified and the entry fee promptly returned. The actual beers will not be returned.

* California Ale yeast can be obtained from the brewery at no cost by appointment. Please contact Steve Schwartz (contact info below) to schedule an appointment. You will need to bring a sanitary vessel to collect the yeast.

And now for some legalese! Highland Brewing Company, will take the Best Of Show first place winning recipe and reproduce, as faithful as possible to the original recipe, on a professional scale with the help of the homebrewer. By entering the contest the winning homebrewer agrees to disclose their complete recipe to The Highland Brewing Company and grant The Highland Brewing Company all commercial and intellectual property rights to the winning beer. Entering the Contest, constitutes permission to The Highland Brewing Company and its agencies to use your name, likeness, picture, signature, voice, audio and video recordings and biographical information in any manner or media whatsoever (whether now known or hereafter devised) anywhere in the world in perpetuity for the purpose of advertising and trade, without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.

Quality judging is the primary goal of The Highland Cup. We make every effort to ensure that each entrant receives the best possible feedback for their entries. We need volunteers to step forward to judge and steward to make this happen. March is a great time to visit Asheville! Highland can secure corporate rates at the 4 Points Sheraton if need be. Breakfast, snacks, and lunch will be provided by Highland Brewing. Judges and stewards should use the same convenient on-line form as the entrants. No paper work is necessary. When your online form is received you will be contacted by Steve Schwartz. If you prefer you may contact Steve Schwartz at steve@highlandbrewing.com or (828)299-3370 ext. 305. All entries and payment in full must be received by the date specified below. This deadline applies to every entrant, without exceptions. Late deliveries will not be returned. This procedure will allow us to conclude the competition in one day and better assure quality control.

Who can enter?

Last year's Highland Cup BOS winner cannot enter this year but is encouraged to be a member of the BOS panel. The Highland Cup is open to all amateur homebrewers 21 years of age or older from Highland's distribution area (see second paragraph above). Please, no professional brewers or Highland employees and their immediate family members. Enter early and enter often. (Your entries will be assigned a competition-internal registration number based on random selection independent of time of entry.) Beers must be brewed at home from start to finish. Beer brewed in a commercial brewery or a brew-on-premises facility (BOP) is not allowed. Fresh malt extract from a brewery is not acceptable. Dry or liquid extract intended for homebrewing is allowed.

Brewer Grouping:

If multiple brewers produced any of the brews to be entered, a separate registration must be made for each unique set of brewers. The registration must include the point of contact data for the brewers in the Brewer's et al section. A separate field is provided to identify multiple brewers with a team name. The Brewer's Team Name field is limited to 35 characters maximum (about 6 words). For multiple brewers, flight awards will be made to the named team, not the point of contact or the members of the team. Most importantly for this competition, the Beer BOS prize is only awarded to only one brewer, either the single brewer or the team's point of contact as declared in the registration prior to the competition. Accordingly, completing the Brewer's Team Name field is mandatory if there was more than one person who participated in producing the brew. For the single brewer case, the point of contact and brewer are the same and the Brewer's Team Name field will be ignored. This field will also be ignored by stewards and judges registering without entries.

How much does it cost?

$6 for each entry.
There is no limit on the number of entries.

Special Note: The registration fees for this competition will be used exclusively to cover the cost of producing the Highland Cup and associated GABF costs. Any remaining funds will be donated to charity by Highland Brewing. Net proceeds from the initial sale of the beer made by Highland Brewing using the winner's recipe will likewise be donated to charity after all expenses are met. Quality ribbons will be awarded to all 1st, 2nd and 3rd place flight winners. The Best Of Show winner receives the trip to The GABF in Denver as explained elsewhere. All 1st place flight winners, who have current AHA membership and have qualifying recipes, will be carried forward to the BOS round. Highland also expects to allow additional beers into the BOS judging based exclusively on high scoring statistics. The high score cutoff (perhaps 40) will be set during the competition by Highland management to ensure a hearty BOS competition. Highland reserves the right to combine style categories for judging and awards. Each entry must be delivered with its completed recipe form. The link for the recipe form is on the On-Line Registration page. The AHA member # must be entered in the Comments section. Entries without both the recipe and the AHA number cannot be selected as the BOS winner.

Important dates?
1/19/2010 Opening day for on-line registration. Also the first day for receiving entries at Highland Brewing with fee check and recipes.

2/27/2010 Closing day for on-line registration (11:00 pm). Also the last day for receiving entries at Highland Brewing with fee check and recipes.

3/7/2010 The Highland Cup competition. The competition concludes with an awards ceremony and hand out of scoresheets.

3/8/2010 Results posted on the Internet (check the registration page).

3/12/2010 Remaining scoresheets and ribbons mailed to entrants.

3/12/2010 The competition organizer report filed with BJCP.

What kind of bottles are eligible?

Twelve ounce brown longnecks with plain silver or gold caps are required. The bottles must have no raised markings or labels except the rubber-band-attached competition label. Grolsch-type swing tops, or growlers are not acceptable. Caps must be free of markings or blacked out. We will be unable to return bottles or shipping materials.

How do I enter?

1. Prepare 2 bottles of each of your beers.

2. Complete the on-line entry form and print and cut-out the 2 bottle labels per entry. Also complete the recipe form.

3. Attach a bottle label to each bottle with a rubber band. Do not use glue or tape. It is advisable to enclose each label in a plastic (sandwich) bag to avoid smearing in the event of broken bottles during transit.

4. Write a check payable to Highland Brewing for the total of your entries. $6 for each entry. Check with FedEx or other private carrier if you prefer to ship. Checks shipped with brews should be enclosed in a plastic bag to eliminate smearing. Mailed checks are acceptable. Please ensure that the check identifies the entrant/point of contact. Also see MikeDixon for a JudgeNet posting on shipping advice.

5. Send or deliver entries, checks and recipes as noted above.

6. We will ensure that entries are well cared for once they reach the destination. They will be transferred to a beer cooler promptly upon delivery.

Shipping address and optional check and recipe mailing address:

The Highland Cup
c/o The Highland Brewing Co.
12 Old Charlotte Hwy Suite H
Asheville, NC 28803

Entry and check drop-off addresses:

The Highland Brewing Co.
12 Old Charlotte Hwy Suite H
Asheville, NC 28803

We will accept beer deliveries Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm, or by appointment. The brewery will also be open for deliveries Saturday February 20th between 10am - 1 pm and Saturday February 27th between 10am - 1 pm.

Contact Info

Steve Schwartz (Organizer) Phone: (828)299-3370 ext. 305 Email: steve@highlandbrewing.com.

Environmental Excellence Award (Presented to Highland Brewing Company)

2010-02-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

Asheville Greenworks presented Highland Brewing Company with the "Environmental Excellence Award" at their 15th Anniversary Party Friday, Jan. 22nd, 2010. Asheville Greenworks is an organization dedicated to creating a clean and green Buncombe county.

Highland Brewing works very hard to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible.
A few of the their efforts include:

Brewing
-   Give spent grain, spent yeast, used hops and our filter media to a local farmer.
-   Bulk grain, reducing packaging
-   For specialty grains, they come in paper bags which are then recycled.
-   We are creating our own Clean in Place system to recapture water and cleaning chemicals
-   We use a Heat exchanger to reclaim heat from boiled wort and transfer it to hot water for next batch.
-   Organically certified for 2 of our seasonal brands and expanding in future.
-   When we moved to our new location we sold our old tanks, which were retrofitted dairy tanks, to a local biodiesel manufacturing company which used them in their processing. They take used vegetable oil and turn it into fuel.

Packaging
-   We reuse as much water as possible in packaging- Rinse water is channeled around to rinse the floor down.
-   Six packs are made of a minimally processed board, unbleached, and more raw
-   Mother cartons are made of mostly post consumer recycled board
-   Moving our 12 pack to a kraft board, 100% recyclable, less processed package
-   Eliminating waste in production
-   New automated keg line saves water over our manual rinsing by reusing wash water.
-   Chosen suppliers as close to the brewery as possible. Both Mother Cartons and 12 packs manufactured within an hour of the plant to reduce transportation emissions.
-   Label Manufacturer is 10 minutes away and we save all packaging, boxes, roll cores, plastic bags, for reuse on our next run.
-   We purchase most of our equipment used, refurbish it ourselves, and reusing the equipment that would potentially end up in the landfill.

Distribution
-   Our distribution has spread organically so we are not shipping beer all over the country.
-   65% of our business is in WNC
-   Keg tracking system to use kegs as much as possible
-   We use one day shipments in order to eliminate the need for refrigerated trucks.

Sales/Marketing
-   US Fish and Wildlife Service, local branch, “mountain top island” awareness linked with Seasonals- Mountain peaks, Cold Mt. Winter ale, we have hiked to the summit each year to gather water from the spring just before the peak
-   River cleanups (2)
-   Sponsoring of organizations (See sheet)
-   Compostable Cups for tours
-   Encourage draft-reducing waste by reusing kegs

General Operations
-   Ethos of reduce, reuse, recycle throughout company.
-   We take advantage of programs from the state and the utility companies to provide energy audits, for natural gas, steam boilers, electricity etc.
-   We have a great respect for the ingredients that go into our product as well, and they all come from having a sustainable, clean, and healthy environment.
-   The main ingredients in beer are Barley/Hops/Water/and Yeast. All of which are natural ingredients that thrive in a healthy global environment.
-   We have a small facility and maximize every square ft. using what we have to the fullest.
-   We have a fabrication shop and save parts/metal/etc. to reduce waste and consumerism.
-   We are in the process of evaluating our energy inputs, and other inputs, tracking them over time, in order to find new ways of conservation.
-   We have talked with “green” manufacturing consultants for further help.
-   We rehabbed an old warehouse building instead of building a new structure.
-   We have a sewage pretreatment system to help alleviate the pressure put on to our MSD.
-   We have a recycling program company wide, glass, containers, paper and cardboard.
-   We are active in the “Local” movement, which involves us deeply in the community as well as environmental sustainability.
-    We support “Field to table” concepts
-   LEAF
-   Red Cross
-   Drink Local/Buy Local/
-   Dynamite Roasting Co. USDA organic/fair trade certified (We buy coffee from Andy, former brewer)

Future Plans
-   We have talked to BlueRidge Biofuels about using a byproduct of their process to fire our boilers
-   Potentially using bio-diesel in our trucks.
-   CO2 recovery system
-   Changing Lighting, including windows and solar tubes.
-   Stack condenser/heat exchanger
-   Increased reduction in inputs-water-packaging-energy
-   Compost system

Asheville Wintergrass, Saturday, Jan 30th at the "Grey Eagle/ Asheville NC"

2010-01-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Local bluegrass favorites TOWN MOUNTAIN host a night of traditional bluegrass featuring IBMA award winning bands Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper and Danny Paisley & Southern Grass.

The show is 18.00 in advance and 20.00 at the door, and is presented by Highland Brewing, WNCW, Dream Guitars, BlueChip Picks, Hill Creek Studios, and Asplin and Associates Insurance.

The venue is The Grey Eagle, and this event will be fully seated.

For Tickets - http://www.thegreyeagle.com/calendar/2010/01/30/asheville-wintergrass-hosted-by-town-mountain.php

Highland Brewing on UNC-TV tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at 7:30pm

2010-01-27T11:11:00.001-05:00

Highland will be on UNC-TV tonight, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 7:30pm.

The show is "North Carolina Now" and the whole episode is exclusively on Highland Brewing Company. Highland recently had the pleasure of a visit from Reporter/ Producer, Kelly McCullen of UNC-TV. Kelly spoke with several folks at the brewery regarding its beer, operations, and history.

Highland has played a major role in helping grow the Asheville brewing culture and is now celebrating its 15th Anniversary. Please tune in for an interesting take on the Asheville scene.

For more information, go to

www.unctv.org/ncnow

www.kellymccullen.com

Highland Announces Release of “Black Mountain Bitter – an organic pale ale”

2009-12-31T15:35:00.001-05:00

Highland Brewing Company is excited to announce that “Black Mountain Bitter – an organic pale ale” will be released to its entire seven state distribution area to kick off the New Year. Highland’s distributors will begin receiving shipments of Black Mountain Bitter the week of January 4th. If you are local to Asheville, you may have had the good fortune of picking up a six pack at your local package store or grocery during December. However, with the beginning of the New Year, you will also be able to find Black Mountain Bitter – an organic pale ale on draught at your favorite restaurant, pub or tavern.

To meet the ever growing demand for unique seasonal brews, Highland is pleased to have their lightest pale ale back in the market for its second year running. This classic English Bitter is a refreshing session beer meticulously hand crafted with a unique Highland twist. Brewed with 100% organic grains, using English Golding hops for bittering and dry hopped with British Challenger for aromatics, this beer finishes crisp and clean. It is a refreshing seasonal experience.

If enjoying a cask of organic “light” pale ale interests you, then be sure to drop by Highland’s 15th Anniversary party which has been rescheduled for Friday, January 22nd and enjoy a Firkin cask of “Black Mountain Bitter – an organic pale ale.” The 15th Anniversary Party will be held at Highland’s facility at 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville NC 28803 from 4:00 until 10:00pm. Live entertainment is provided by two of Asheville’s new and upcoming bands (“Now You See Them,” & “Funknastics,”) with food by Barley’s Tap Room & Pizzeria. Barley’s is also celebrating its 15th anniversary.

For more information;

Gerry Sigmon 828-299-3370, gerry@highlandbrewing.com or at http://www.highlandbrewing.com/

Highland Announces Release of 15th Anniversary Ale - Auld Asheville Vintage Ale

2009-11-30T12:53:00.001-05:00

Asheville — November 30, 2009

Celebrating 15 years as Asheville’s first and most successful brewery, Highland Brewing Company announced today the December 15th release of its latest seasonal, “Auld Asheville Vintage Ale.” Oscar Wong, founder and President of Highland, indicated that the name and label pays homage to the Scots Irish heritage of Highland’s mountain home. It is a style made famous by British brewers with their holiday offerings of old ales.

According to John Lyda, Highland’s Head Brewer, Auld Asheville Vintage Ale is a high gravity ale in the style of “Old Ales” or ‘English Strong” ales which are traditionally released just prior to the holidays. Contributing to the beer’s complexity is the use of three different yeast strains, two of which were imported from England. Because of the hopping levels, alcohol content, and the completeness of its attenuation with time in the tanks, “the product should cellar incredibly well and increase in complexity for at least the next year.”

Its taste is described as “having a bold profile from fine British Malts, woodsy and estery aromas from traditional British Ale yeast, and bittering from Styrian Bobek hops. The addition of Sterling hops provides a hint of spiciness in the nose.”

Highland will host an Auld Asheville Vintage Ale open house kickoff party at its facility at 12 Old Charlotte Highway on December 18th from 4:00 until 8:00 PM. Live entertainment provided by Asheville’s Funknastics band, with food by Barley’s Tap Room and Pizzaria. Barley’s is also celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Jimmy Rentz, owner of Barley’s and one of Highland’s original supporters, said “We are pleased to join Highland is celebrating both our 15th anniversaries. Highland set the standard for all the craft brewers who have followed them in Asheville. We’d like to think that Barley’s has also set a great standard in town by offering the best Craft beer selection in the region, including Highland beers.”

Auld Asheville Vintage Ale will be available in 22 OZ bottles and on draught in local restaurants and retail outlets beginning December 20th.

For more information;
(Gerry Sigmon), (828-299-3370), (gerry@highlandbrewing.com) or at http://www.highlandbrewing.com/

HIGHLAND ANNOUNCES RECORD YEAR

2009-11-28T18:54:00.001-05:00

With the strong continuing support of its loyal consumer base, Highland Brewing Co. moved its total beer volume forward an additional 14.5% YTD October, with an accompanying 16% revenue increase.

This performance was driven primarily by the wide acceptance of three new seasonal beers. Black Mountain Bitter, an organic pale ale, was released in January as Highland’s first all Organic brew. This was followed in April by Cattail Peak Wheat, a quaffable American Style wheat beer with a hint of Hibiscus for tang. The fall season was ushered in by Clawhammer Oktoberfest , a Marzen style Octoberfest style lager. And in October, the now famous Cold Mountain Winter Ale was released and all production sent to the marketplace within two weeks.

And Highland plans to cap off an incredibly successful year on December 18th with its release of a special vintage ale which has been in fermentation and conditioning since August. It is Highland’s 15th Anniversary beer named Auld Asheville Vintage Ale. It is a high gravity ale in the style of “Old Ales” or “English Strong” ales which are traditionally released just prior to Christmas in celebration of the holidays. Because of its alcohol content, hopping level, and the completeness of its attenuation with time in the tanks, the product should cellar incredibly well and increase in complexity for at least a year. The release will be celebrated with an open house on December 18th at Highland’s tasting room in Asheville beginning at 4:00. Entertainment, food by Barley’s tap Room, and special pricing will enhance the celebration.

Questions on this announcement or any other inquiries should be addressed to Gerry Sigmon, 828-299-3370, or gerry@highlandbrewing.com