Highland Brewing

Posted in Highland Brewing, New Beers

Highland Dharma Wheat Beer

Highland Dharma Wheat Beer

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Highland Brewing, New Beers

Highland Brewing Count Blackula

Highland Brewing Count Blackula

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Asheville Brewing Company, Catawba Brewing, French Broad Brewing, Green Man Brewing, Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Highland Brewing, Lexington Avenue Brewery, Nantahala Brewing Company, Oyster House Brewing Company, Pisgah Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada, Southern Appalachian Brewery, Thirsty Monk Pub & Brewery, Wedge Brewing Company

14 North Carolina Breweries Create Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Brews

14 North Carolina breweries got a shot at Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp recently. The group created two beers – The Headliner (Black Ale), and Carolina Dreamin (Red Wheatwine). The 14 breweries are:

Green Man, Highland, Asheville Brewing Company, Catawba Valley, Nantahala, Pisgah, Craggie, French Broad, Oyster House, Wedge Brewing Company, Lexington Avenue Brewery, Thirsty Monk Pub & Brewery, Heinzelmännchen Brewery, & Southern Appalachian Brewing.

Look for kegs at any one of these breweries starting now!

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Coming Soon, Highland Brewing

Highland To Launch Red IPA “Devil’s Britches”

Highland Devil's Britches IPA

Mark my words, Highland Brewing Company is about kick things into overdrive. You will soon see Devil’s Britches, and new “red” IPA. This newbie will be hoppy, but also with a touch of toasted/biscuity flavor and fruit notes from the hops. While most of the seasonals Highland releases are named after protected mountains, Devil’s Britches is actually a trail near Cataloochee Ranch.

Lordy, that’s as red as the devil’s britches.” exclaimed a local ranther, awed by the vibrant fall canopy ablaze on what is known today as Devil’s – Britches trail. Highland Brewing commemorates the history of the Great Smoky Mountains and Devil’s Britches trailwith a rich, red IPA. Ashbume Mild malt produces a toasted and biscuity flavor,and Extra Special malt renders an alluring red hue. Apollo hops provide aggressive bitterness 70 IBUs), while dry-hopping with Calypso hops yields complex fruity and floral aromas with hints of pear and apple. This devilishly delicious ale is Highland’s twist on the great American IPA. 

Style: American IPA
Hops: Apollo, Calypso
Malts: Ashburn Mild, Extra Special Malt

Availability: 12oz bottles, Draft
Arrival: TBA

6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Highland Brewing, New Beers

Highland Brewing Friday’s Wish

Highland Friday's Wish

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Highland Brewing, New Beers

Highland Brewing ESCape California Common

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Highland Brewing, Press Releases

Beer Analyzer Raises Bar At Highland Brewing (PR)

May 16, 2012 – A new relationship began on February 14, 2012, when the perfect Valentine’s Day gift arrived. For Erica Nelson, flowers and chocolate pale in comparison to an Anton Paar Beer Analyzer. Erica manages Quality Control/Quality Assurance at Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, NC. The Anton Paar catapults the capabilities of her department and Highland beer to world-class levels and she’s loving it.

Still the only one in a NC craft brewery, the Anton Paar takes up about as much room as a microwave and is a $60,000 investment in beer quality. It has a modular design, with a base unit that measures specific gravity. The other modules measure alcohol, color and carbonation. In the future, the haze module may be added, which measures clarity.

“It calculates anything you want to know: ABV, original gravity, final gravity, apparent efficiency, real efficiency, apparent extract, real extract, and the number of calories in a 12 oz. bottle.” Much more information than the average beer drinker can see, smell or taste, but all required for exceptional quality. Erica has been happy to find that beer color is very consistent within each style. Carbonation levels have become more consistent thanks to the test she conducts on every batch of beer — every day during fermentation, several times in the packaging line, and in the final package. Erica exports data to Access and collaborates with brewers John Lyda and Joey Justice to look for trends and improvements to be made.

Bottles are enclosed in the explosion-proof base unit, then put under 85 pounds of pressure per square inch. The pressure is needed so that when cap is punctured by a metal straw, the beer is least affected from the change. The beer is analyzed right from the bottle.

Equipment this sophisticated “gives us the ability to further refine our processes for many years… This machine will take us as far we can go. We’re getting great information now, but it does so much more, and we will grow with it.”

Erica cleans and calibrates the machine almost every day for the most accurate readings — a labor of love that began on Valentine’s Day.

by Reid Ramsay