North Carolina Craft Brewing Part 1 - Highlands Brewing Company

As I mentioned last time, I was particularly impressed with the craft brewing scene in western North Carolina. I had the good fortune of visiting one of the breweries while I was there, however I was able to canvas the region through just going to the local Walmart. In the mixer six packs that we made included 6 beers from the Highland Brewing Company located in Asheville.

With trying to be a good houseguest in mind, I did not go complete beer dork on all of these. Therefore I only have some limited notes about a couple of these beers.

Black Mocha Stout - Chocolate aroma, smokey finish, khaki colored head with little carbonation. I did enjoy how smooth and drinkable it was for a stout. 

Gaelic Ale - another smooth and drinkable one. A citrus finish and a dark copper color.

Kashimr IPA - typical IPA flavors. Not the most intense one, but not my cup of tea just because of the style.

St. Teresa's Pale Ale - creamy white head and much milder flavor than the IPA.

Thunderstruck Coffee Porter - these guys don't mess around with the naming. Most coffee tasting beer I have ever had. Nice lacing and head.

Oatmeal Porter - still sitting in my fridge. Review to come later.

Overall, I was impressed with the Highland beers. Very consistently drinkable and smooth tasting beers. I like how they are heavy on the porters and stouts, which makes sense based on the name. The Highland area of Scotland would likely require some hearty beers to stay warm. For more info on the Highland Brewing Company please see Highland Brewing Company

Note the frozen mason jar mugs used for the tastings, courtesy of our travel companions Tom and Kathleen. I need to get some of those.

Cheers!