Latest news with #HighlandBrewingCompany
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Charlotte breweries pay respects after death of Highland founder, NC craft beer pioneer
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Charlotte brewery community is mourning the loss of a North Carolina craft beer pioneer. Asheville's Highland Brewing Company announced that founder Oscar Wong died Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 84. 'With heavy hearts, we share the news of the passing of our beloved founder, Oscar P. Wong, lovingly known as the 'Godfather of Asheville Craft Beer,'' the brewery wrote on social media. Financial services company picks Charlotte for new HQ, bringing nearly 300 jobs According to the brewery's website, Wong brewed Highland's first beers in the basement of Barley's Taproom in 1994. That's where their staples like Gaelic Ale, Oatmeal Porter, and Old Mountain Winter Ale were created. Highland was the first known Asheville brewery post-prohibition in a city that's now home to more than 35 breweries and a beer-lovers' haven. Wong is a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state's highest civilian honor, and Highland became the largest independent, family-owned brewery founded in the Southeast. Charlotte has also grown into a craft beer hot spot over the last decade. Many of Mecklenburg County's 40-plus breweries offered their condolences to the Highland and Wong families, which some say helped them in their own business ventures. 'We are so sorry for your loss. Oscar did so much for us when we were young and clueless. We will be forever grateful.' — Birdsong Brewing 'We are so sorry for your loss! While we don't know you all incredibly well, we do know how much of a guide and legend he was to the city of Asheville, and the state of North Carolina as a whole. Our thoughts are with you, and the entire team at Highland.' — Heist Brewery 'He was and will continue to be such an inspiration. Thank you Oscar and rest in peace. Our hearts go out to the @highlandbrewing family. 💚' — Vaulted Oak Brewing 'Rest in peace, Oscar. Your legacy will always live on 🍻' — Lost Worlds Brewing Highland moved to an 11-acre facility in East Asheville in 2006. Wong's daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, is the president and CEO. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Founder of Asheville's first legal craft brewery after Prohibition era passes away
The founder of a popular brewery company in Asheville and the 'Godfather of Asheville Craft Beer" has passed away, Highland Brewing Company announced on Facebook. Oscar P. Wong passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, according to the brewery. Wong was given 6-12 months to live after receiving a cancer diagnosis three years ago. ALSO READ: NoDa Brewing launches 'Poured with Purpose' campaign to support local nonprofits Wong founded the Highland Brewing Company after a career as an engineer. It was Asheville's first legal craft brewery since the Prohibition era. It opened in 1994, according to Channel 9's partners WLOS. He was also awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2023, the highest honor granted by the governor of North Carolina. (WATCH BELOW: 'A wave is coming': NC farmer says tariffs, inflation hitting some harder than others)
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beer honors: Western NC city, town, breweries voted among best in the US
Western North Carolina has no shortage of award-winning breweries and beers, and four more countrywide favorites were just revealed. USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice lists are made up of reader-voted winners, chosen from a list nominated by a panel of experts. On March 5, 2025, WNC was recognized in a roundup of beer-related awards, with five wins spanning four categories. The lists, including best beer cities and towns, best beer labels and best brewery tours, are made up of locations from across the United States. Here's which WNC locations made the respective top 10s, praise from experts and fans and the full lists. Locations in the "Best Beer Cities" category were chosen as hosts for the "most outstanding beer scenes in the nation." Experts and voters alike were looking for "stellar collections of established and up-and-coming breweries, beer bars, brewpubs, beer festivals, and even thriving homebrewing communities where a novice brewer can get their foot in the door." They found one of these cities in Asheville, which ranked No. 7 on the list of 10, praising its "impressive number of breweries, friendly beer bars, and bottle shops that provide enthusiasts with easy access to more than 100 local beers." The entry noted some of the city's most recognizable names, Highland Brewing Company and Wicked Weed, but added that plenty of the area's countless smaller breweries are well worth a visit. The full list of Best Beer Cities in the U.S.: Grand Rapids, Michigan St. Louis, Missouri San Diego, California Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Columbus, Ohio Portland, Oregon Asheville, North Carolina Milwaukee, Wisconsin Charlotte, North Carolina Denver, Colorado More: Asheville brewery crew push to reopen taproom after flooding in Helene While Asheville was praised as a Best Beer City, another location in WNC was recognized specifically for its Small Town Beer Scene. Experts nominated only towns with populations of under 30,000, and readers voted for the best beer scenes that promise "small-town hospitality." Writers called Bryson City, which ranked at No. 7 in this category, "the perfect destination for any outdoor-loving beer fan." With hiking, rafting, tubing and exploring in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other outdoor areas, plus popular craft beer locations such as Mountain Layers Brewing Company and Bryson City Outdoors, it's no wonder this WNC small town made the cut. The full list of best small town beer scenes: Cody, Wyoming Avondale Estates, Georgia Traverse City, Michigan Biddeford, Maine Hammonton, New Jersey Decorah, Iowa Bryson City, North Carolina Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Geneva, Illinois Staunton, Virginia More: Forbes names Asheville a top 12 world destination for 2025: See why, full list Another category in which WNC shone was a collection of the Best Beer Labels in the country. This time, two different locations made the cut for their unique branding. Experts and fans voted for attention-grabbing labels that stood out from the crowd. To any Asheville resident, it may come as no surprise that one of Burial Beer Co.'s funky labels - and poetic beer names - made it onto this list. At No. 5, Burial's "When We Swung From The Rafters and Danced Upon Bars" was praised not only for its "wild" label depicting a giant tarantula, Venus flytrap, giant eyeball, Dali-esque elephants and more, but for its flavor. Experts and voters loved the 8.5% alcohol by volume Double IPA's unique notes of blueberry smoothie, red starburst and cantaloupe. Slightly further down on the list at No. 7, Sierra Nevada's "Bigfoot" was also recognized for its fun art and tasty flavor. The label shows an explorer and his reluctant steed investigating huge tracks into the forest, unaware of Bigfoot lurking just out of sight. Writers praised the 9.6% ABV barleywine ale's "hefty malt body" and intense hoppiness, calling it "worthy of its namesake." The full list of best beer labels: Don't Answer The Phone - Xul Beer Company (Knoxville, Tennessee) Homeslice - City Built Brewing Company (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Dan The Wiser - Kinkaider Brewing Co. (multiple locations, Nebraska) Ever Haze - Tripping Animals (Doral and Oakland Park, Florida) When We Swung From The Rafters and Danced Upon Bars - Burial Beer Co. (Asheville) Stout at the Devil - Straight to Ale (Huntsville, Alabama) Bigfoot - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California and Mills River, North Carolina) Winter Grind - Mother's Brewing Company (Springfield, MO) Cran Orange Wheat Ale - Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland, OH) Age of Otters IPA - 3 Floyds Brewing (Munster, IN) More: Off the beaten path: 7 WNC towns are worth a detour, according to WorldAtlas Last but not least, two locations in WNC - both of which were also honored on other 10Best lists - were praised for their behind-the-scenes brewery tour experiences. Burial Beer Co.'s Forestry Camp location ranked No. 5 for its one-hour tour of the "introspective realm" Burial employees call home. The tour comes complete with tastings, commemorative glassware and an expert company historian as a guide. Tours cost $35 - or free for designated drivers - and are available by reservation on Saturdays at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. You can book one at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s tours, at No. 7 on the list, are actually held at two different locations - Mills River and Chico, California. Writers appreciated the interactive nature of tours in both locations, in which visitors can "trace the process from grain to bottle," from smelling whole-cone hops and sampling sugary wort to a guided tasting of Sierra Nevada beers. A number of tours are available, from the 45-minute "Innovation Tour" for $9 to the in-depth, 3-hour "Beer Geek" tour for $82.50. Book an NC tour at The full list of best brewery tours: Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, Pennsylvania) Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner, Texas) SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia) Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experiences (St. Louis, Missouri) Burial Beer Co. Forestry Camp (Asheville, North Carolina) Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California and Mills River, North Carolina) Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon) Bell's Brewery (Comstock, Michigan) Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine) More: These 2 Western NC museums voted among 10 best in the US: See the lists Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville, Bryson City voted among 10 best beer scenes in US
