Highland Brewing Co. - Asheville NC's Best Microbrewery

Congratulations to Oscar Wong--winner of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce's 2007/2008 Small Business of the Year Award!

Welcome back Joey Justice, who returned to Highland after successfully completing an intensive 6-month brewing program at U.C. Davis!

	Oscar Wong oscar@highlandbrewing.com Founder, Owner, President, Chief Peddler, Schmoozing and Cleanup Guy -- Oscar brings years of business experience and leadership to our growing company. He is an active volunteer in the local community.
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	Brewed barely drinkable beer in college, then started Highland after a 30 year hiatus in engineering. Have concluded that without beer, civilization would not have flourished.
What's your favorite beer?	Highland's Kashmir IPA.
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."
What do you like about the beer industry?	The wonderful, interesting people who also appreciate good beer.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Thomas Jefferson, a practical intellectual.
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Adventurer - checking out remote places and sampling beers, wines, and cuisines on the way.
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	I'm like a Pilsner - easy to meet, complex characteristics, but with a long lasting flavor.

	John M. Lyda brewhouse@highlandbrewing.com Brewmaster and Vice President. A Siebel graduate and Asheville native, John has been with the company since its inception.
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	A home-brew kit purchased at a church rummage sale.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	Begged and pleaded.
What's your favorite beer?	Corsondonk's Monk's Brown Ale .
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"The moving finger writes; and, having writ moves on: nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it." - Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám .
What do you like about the beer industry?	The camaraderie among brewers & beer drinkers.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Stephen Hawking
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Sagacious
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Grand Cru - aged to perfection.

	Paul Rollow Assistant Brewer
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	It was the love of beer at a young age and the realization that I could make it myself much cheaper.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	I came in and talked to Rueben (a former brewer at Highland).
What's your favorite beer?	Highland's Kashmir IPA and Diebel's Alt
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"Didn't even have to use my AK. I'd have to say it was a good day."
What do you like about the beer industry?	The smell of hot caustic in the morning
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Dave Maheen
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Retired on my own island in the Caribbean
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Olympia, because my body is mostly water

	Kevin Wheeler kevin@highlandbrewing.com Head of Operations
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	I got a job at Highland.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	I saw the sign that said "Interns Wanted."
What's your favorite beer?	Highland's St. Terese and Otter Creek's Stove Pipe Porter
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"Let me die in my footsteps, before I go down under the ground."
What do you like about the beer industry?	I like all the people I work with, camaraderie (and smothering myself in yeast)
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Dylan Thomas
What do you want to be when you grow up?	A writer
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Guinness - I take a while to settle, but I'm worth the wait.

	Greg Ferguson greg@highlandbrewing.com Packaging Supervisor (Beer Expulsion Engineer)
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	Highland Brewing was the first contact I had with the brewing industry.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	I was introduced by brewer Andy Gibbon to work on Highland's packaging crew.
What's your favorite beer?	That depends on the season and my motives
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	Lead by example
What do you like about the beer industry?	The glory -- It is a stepping stone into higher society
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	My dad
What do you want to be when you grow up?	A rock star and a stunt pilot
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	I'm light and pale like a Pilsner

	Don Wallace don@highlandbrewing.com Head Trucker/ Packaging
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	I'm strictly on the consuming end.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	Sat down at a bar next to Highland's sales and marketing representative, who told me about the job vacancy.
What's your favorite beer?	Highland's St. Terese's
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"Don't sweat the small stuff," and "It's all about the small stuff."
What do you like about the beer industry?	The liquidity
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	My wife (what can I say; she's awesome!)
What do you want to be when you grow up?	An angel
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Schlitz! I'm kinda Schlitzy!

	Barb Cole barb@highlandbrewing.com Office Manager
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	My husband started home brewing.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	I heard about a vacancy for a part-time office assistant and called for an interview.
What's your favorite beer?	Highland's Kashmir IPA
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
What do you like about the beer industry?	The diversity of people who all agree on the need for beer in their lives.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	My Mom -- for her patience, compassion, and integrity.
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Satisfied!
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Pilsner -- perky, refreshing, and good to have around.

	Sandi Hammontree sales@highlandbrewing.com Sales and Marketing Representative
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	I've always had a love for beer, but it wasn't until my experiences with Highland that I learned the nature of the business.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	Oscar and Mary Eliza took a chance on me.
What's your favorite beer?	Snake River Lager, ice-cold PBR, and Kashmir IPA
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"Remember who you are and where you come from," and "Go Dawgs . . . sic 'em!"
What do you like about the beer industry?	There is never a dull moment. Every day is different and always interesting.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	My family
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Party Planner.
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	A specialty beer . . . anything goes!

	Joey Justice Packaging
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	The interest in sustainable living
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	Phone calls! Showing up one day a week for 2-1/2 months, refusing to leave when asked nicely, and changing my whole life to follow a passion.
What's your favorite beer?	Inside Passage Ale - Boundary Bay Brewing Company, Bellingham, Washington
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself, and thereby learning his true and hidden strength." (Jack Kerouac)
What do you like about the beer industry?	The people and the shared passion
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	My grandmother, who taught me love and compassion for every human being.
What do you want to be when you grow up?	A person whose life flashes before his eyes then dies with a smile on his face knowing he lived life to its fullest with no regrets.
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Seasonal, because you only want me around when the time is right.

	Liza van Cauwenberghe accounting@highlandbrewing.com Controller
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	I'm not involved in brewing yet--just counting, imbibing, and enjoying.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	I got an internship, then decided I would never leave.
What's your favorite beer?	That depends entirely on the season. My current Highland favorite is Shining Rock Lager.
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"Clothes make a man. Naked people usually have little or no influence in society." (Mark Twain)
What do you like about the beer industry?	The laid back atmosphere, the people, gossiping around the tap instead of the water cooler.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Barbarella, queen of the brewery!
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Cook, interior designer, and a cowgirl
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	A wit beer--Belgian, pale, refreshing, slightly spicy, and great with a slice of lemon.

	Sam Rose Cellarman
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	Seven years ago, a friend bought me a home brewing kit for my birthday, and another friend swiped a 10-gallon pot from his job. I've homebrewed ever since.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	Greg told the bartender at Jack of the Wood there was an opening. She happened to be my girlfriend, and I had just graduated college. In other words, fates aligned!
What's your favorite beer?	Kashmir IPA is my favorite Highland beer. Theakston's Old Peculiar is my favorite overall.
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	If you always tell the truth, you never hae to remember anything.
What do you like about the beer industry?	It's a fascinating combination of science, artisanship, and tradition.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Burt Munro--an engineer with a dream and a plan
What do you want to be when you grow up?	Space pirate cowboy
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Theakston's Old Peculiar, again; dark, strong, mysterious

	Matt Piscitelli Packaging
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	In Durango, Colorado, helping Ska brewing, handpasting, and handcapping 22 oz. bottles. That was fall of 1996.
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	My friend, Bill Alexander, gave me a referral.
What's your favorite beer?	Highland Oatmeal Porter or IPA; any Ska beer, New Belgium, Bell's, Anchor Brewing, Blue Ribbon, and Great Lakes from Cleveland
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	"Vita, Klaus!" taken from German forklift training video seen on YouTube.
What do you like about the beer industry?	I think the large competitions/festivals like the Great American in Denver and the World Beer Cup are pretty cool.
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	Lou Diamond Phillips and John Lyda
What do you want to be when you grow up?	A good father, car enthusiast, wood worker, and tattooed.
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	Most like an amber, not too heavy or light--kinda somewhere in the middle.

	Steve Schwartz steve@highlandbrewing.com Sales and Marketing Representative
*Curious Questions*	*Deeply Insightful Answers*
How did you become involved in brewing?	Working at Highland and asking questions
How did you find a job at Highland Brewing?	I met Greg downtown through a former employee and fellow Iowan Mike Elliott.
What's your favorite beer?	It is a toss up between Kashmir IPA and St. Terese's. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with a good Abby.
What's your favorite saying, quote, etc.?	Worrying is the darkroom where negatives are developed.
What do you like about the beer industry?	What is there not to like?
Who is your idol, who do you look up to, etc.?	My dog, Dula
What do you want to be when you grow up?	A big kid with adult toys
Compare yourself to a beer brand or style?	PBR because I'm cheap and get the job done.

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