Hi-Wire Brewing Begins Distribution to Virginia

Discussion in 'Mid-Atlantic' started by Jason, Apr 21, 2020.

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  1. Jason

    Jason Founder (0) Aug 23, 1996 Massachusetts

    Hi-Wire Brewing and Virginia’s Specialty Beverage won’t let a pandemic stop them. The new partnership will move forward with the launch of statewide distribution in Virginia starting April 27, 2020.

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. — April 20, 2020 — Virginia is for (craft beer) lovers, and even in the midst of a global pandemic, Hi-Wire Brewing delivers. Beginning Monday, April 27, Specialty Beverage will be distributing Hi-Wire’s full lineup of flagships, seasonals, and specialty releases throughout the state of Virginia. As crazy as it may seem to expand distribution with the national market currently turned on its head, Hi-Wire wants to get its beer in the hands of its northern neighbors who have long been requesting it. This package-only launch is just a sneak peek of more to come when life returns to “normal” and restaurants, bars, and bottle shops are able to reopen their doors in full force. For now, if you’re a Virginian looking for Hi-Wire Brewing beer, give your local bottle shop a call and make the request.

    The initial plan to expand into Virginia was hatched in early 2020 but was put on pause as the COVID-19 crisis developed. That was until Specialty Beverage pitched the idea of launching anyway. As co-owner of Hi-Wire Brewing, Chris Frosaker, sees it, “People are supporting their local beer stores and looking for new products right now, so it is the perfect time for new people to try our beer and hopefully bring them some joy.” The partnership with Virginia’s Specialty Beverage was a no-brainer for Hi-Wire because as Frosaker notes, “The team at Specialty ‘gets it.’” Specialty’s expertise works well for a brewery like Hi-Wire, which offers a large and diverse selection, because the Specialty Beverage team knows exactly how to sell craft beer.

    About Hi-Wire Brewing
    Hi-Wire Brewing is known for producing approachable and balanced lagers and ales, most notably Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA, Lo-Pitch Juicy IPA, and Bed of Nails Brown, and it boasts an award-winning sour and wild ale program. Founded in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2013, Hi-Wire now has two locations in Asheville – the Big Top Production Facility, Taproom & Event Space and the South Slope Specialty Brewery & Taproom – along with a third taproom in Durham, North Carolina, and its first out-of-state taproom in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hi-Wire Brewing’s Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup award-winning beers can be found on draft and in cans across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, and Virginia. To learn more about the company, visit hiwirebrewing.com
     
    #1 Jason, Apr 21, 2020
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  2. Miles_in_beer_city

    Miles_in_beer_city Pundit (982) Jun 18, 2014 North Carolina

    VA, you gonna love it. Their flagships are great, their seasonals are awesome. Enjoying their Hi-Pitch IPA at the moment.
     
    #2 Miles_in_beer_city, Apr 21, 2020
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  3. hottenot

    hottenot Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2018 North Carolina

    I mail order from them all the time.
    Lately though Food Lion here in Denver of the East North Carolina has started stocking Hi-Wire beer.
    Food Lion to their credit, has started a more substantial effort to support NC breweries.
     
    #3 hottenot, Apr 26, 2020
  4. joerooster

    joerooster Initiate (0) May 15, 2018 Virginia

    Yay, another IPA heavy brewery to sit on shelves and get old. I’ve had a few hi wire, pretty average.
     
    #4 joerooster, Apr 26, 2020
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  5. Miles_in_beer_city

    Miles_in_beer_city Pundit (982) Jun 18, 2014 North Carolina

    They offer so much more than IPA's (which are better than average), but have a wide spectrum of some really good beer. Stouts, porters, lagers, browns, are all on my rotation list from them. Actually the one brewery we go to on a regular basis, where I have a hard time deciding which style I want that day.

    Picked up a growler of 10W-40 German Chocolate Cake, and will be cracking that later today.
     
    #5 Miles_in_beer_city, Apr 26, 2020
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  6. NoMoreBeerBelly

    NoMoreBeerBelly Pundit (825) Dec 2, 2009 North Carolina

    I find their core beers pretty boring but their seasonal, specialty series and sours beers are usually pretty great. And they are not an IPA heavy brewery.
     
    #6 NoMoreBeerBelly, Apr 28, 2020
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  7. Sheppard

    Sheppard Grand Pooh-Bah (3,516) Mar 16, 2013 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    This may be so, but from what they've sent us (going off my LBS' initial inventory), we got 4 IPAs, a mixed pack, a wit, a gose, a stout, and a brown. Half of the beers they sent are IPAs. I know very little about this brewery so don't take any of what I say as having pre-conceived notions about them in particular. I think it's very interesting that they're leading this way if they're not IPA heavy. I feel like most breweries feel they need to enter with an IPA in the portfolio. I wonder how much of a gateway beer it is (still) to introduce people to the brand, even if it's not a specialization or something they stand out in making. Is it a matter of more eyes = more beer sold? Wouldn't it be better to have a purely positive notion about your niche style beer versus a lot of "meh" 3 or 4 star check ins for the IPA on Untappd?
     
    #7 Sheppard, Apr 28, 2020
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  8. VABA

    VABA Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,735) Aug 8, 2015 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah

    I been to their taproom in Durham, all of their non IPA beers were solid. I had Stouts, Porters and Brown Ales, and had a great time in a very lively taproom atmosphere.
     
    #8 VABA, Apr 28, 2020
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  9. Sheppard

    Sheppard Grand Pooh-Bah (3,516) Mar 16, 2013 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    For the record, I pursue beers from breweries based on what they're known for. I am much more likely to try Hi-Wire's brown ale than I am their IPAs.
     
    #9 Sheppard, Apr 29, 2020
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