Asheville’s Highland Brewing is one of the oldest craft breweries in North Carolina and like most breweries, Highland brews and bottles its share of annual and seasonal beer. The winter season is especially sweet for Highland Brewing fans because it means the release of perennial favorite Cold Mountain Winter Ale. This year is no different, but for an added treat, Highland is celebrating 20 years of Cold Mountain with the release of a special offering, Imperial Cold Mountain.
Much employee research went into the formulation of this special beer. Highland brewing involved its employees in selecting the flavor profile for Cold Mountain and since the beer is turning the ripe old age of 20, it was decided that an additional beer should be brewed and sold alongside this winter classic. The resulting Imperial ale is a bigger, bolder winter beer with a more chocolatey flavor and stronger alcoholic warmth. The Imperial version weighs in at 8 percent alcohol by volume and it will be sold in one liter bottles, bomber bottles, and on draft.
With all great things, there is often a catch and with Imperial Cold Mountain the catch is the beer’s limited availability. It will be sold only at Highland Brewing with sales beginning on Thursday, November 10, at 4 p.m. and continuing on Friday and Saturday Quantities will also be limited per person, with the allotment determined each day the beer is sold. This limitation is a bummer for those of us who live too far from Asheville to make the trek, but it is welcome news for the Asheville craft beer community, who will get exclusive rights to this special anniversary beer.
Cold Mountain Winter Ale derives its name from the famous novel and North Carolina mountain, located not too far from Highland Brewing. It’s a highly acclaimed beer, with well above average ratings in Beer Advocate and RateBeer.com, just to name a couple of sources. It is certainly a beer worthy of seeking out so head to Highland Brewing on November 10, 11, and 12 for the Imperial version or look for the traditional Cold Mountain Winter Ale at a store near you starting Monday, November 14 and keep warm this winter season with Cold Mountain Winter Ale in hand.
Leave a Reply