Craft Brewery of the Day – Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, NC
In December 2012, Craggie Brewing Co. became the first Asheville brewery to close.
Less than a year later in the same building on a side street halfway up the South Slope, just around the corner from Asheville Brewing Co., arose the circus-themed Hi-Wire Brewing. Entering the fast developing local scene with names like Bed of Nails Brown Ale — part of a flagship quartet rounded out by a lager, pale ale and IPA — it quickly developed a reputation as one of the most reliable sources of flavor-forward yet approachable beers in town.
Hi-Wire soon cycled in such seasonal beers as Lion Tamer Rye IPA and Strongman Coffee Milk Stout as well as exciting one-offs in its Ringmaster’s Reserve series, among them a Wine Barrel-Aged Belgian IPA and a Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout.
One of the few Asheville area breweries to take the time and energy necessary to produce lagers, Hi-Wire was rewarded for its efforts on a national level when its Zirkusfest Oktoberfest Lager took home a gold medal at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival.
While the cozy original location remains open, the brewery’s braintrust has shifted the spot’s focus to small-batch and sour beers, earning raves for its Single Barrel Series of oak-fermented brews incorporating fruit or Brettanomyces.
As for the large scale production, it’s moved to a charmingly cavernous Biltmore Village space directly behind noted local bottle and wine shop Appalachian Vintner. Aptly named The Big Top, it’s become a hot spot for its roomy interior and copious parking, quarterly festivals (e.g. Stout Bout and the How Do You Lagerfest?), soccer game viewing parties and winter and summer film series.
Big Top
2 Huntsman Place
Asheville, NC 28803
South Slope
197 Hilliard Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 738-2448
www.hiwirebrewing.com