Asheville, King of Beer
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<b>Big Ten</b> Asheville is home to ten local microbreweries, more per capita than any other city in the U.S. (Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau )
<b>Trailblazer</b> The Highland Brewery, Asheville’s first, produces a variety of bottled and draft beers that is sold in bars and stores in seven Southeastern states. (Cappy Cochran/Fox News)
<b>Beer King</b> Oscar Wong, credited with starting the Asheville craft beer movement, ended his career as a nuclear waste engineer and opened The Highland Brewery in 1994. (Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau)
<b>Beer City</b> What started out as a way for Wong to save money in college grew into a hobby after graduation. But the one-time nuclear waste engineer never expected to be a trailblazer in a micro-brewery industry that would eventually put Asheville on the map with the title of “Beer City, USA.” (Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau)
<b>Early Misgivings</b> “It took eight years to break even and my wife, who used to think I was a smart guy, was really worried,” says Wong, about opening the Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. (Cappy Cochran/Fox News)
<b>Mountain Town</b> The booming brewing industry has been a perfect complement to an area that is already popular with tourists and boasts a cutting edge culinary scene. Situated in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, food lovers and artists. The area hosts more than 3 Million overnight visitors per year. (Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau)
<b>LaB</b> Lexington Avenue Brewery (LaB) is one of Asheville's ten microbreweries and also serves locally sourced gastropub fare. (Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau)
<b>A.B.C.</b> The Asheville Brewing Company has been serving up suds since 1998. Demand is so high for their ten varieties of craft beer that owner Mike Rangel, plans to open a third location just to keep up. (Cappy Cochran/Fox News)
<b>Big Business</b> Dodie Stephens, Senior Communications Manager with the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimates the breweries and brewery-related business help boost the $2 billion per year tourism industry in Western North Carolina. Stephens says the breweries and the thriving culinary industry work together to promote each other – a relationship benefits all Asheville businesses. (Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau)