For centuries, the circus has captivated the world. Across borders. Beyond language. Where the impossible is just part of the craft. When Hi-Wire began, we found our inspiration there. A modern brewery built on that same spirit. Through the ups and downs, what started small has grown into the grand circus we are today. And like any great circus… We think it's time for our next act.
Our Brand Journey
2013
Hi-Wire Brewing is born
Hi-Wire started as one small taproom and brewhouse on Asheville’s South Slope in July 2013 — with a strong circus identity from day one. The beers, the branding, even the name: all of it tied closely to the circus.
As the craft beer world boomed, Hi-Wire grew quickly and our branding stretched and gradually moved away from those circus roots.
2016
A few years later, our first packaged cans launched, adapting the previous hand-drawn label art from bottles to a new medium.
2018
At the time, hand-drawn art didn’t translate well to cans due to color limitations, so we made some slight changes to our can designs in 2018.
With two locations already in Asheville, we started our expansion outside the city with the opening of our Durham taproom in 2018. This was quickly followed by eight other locations — bringing the total to eleven taprooms — over the next four years.
2022
We moved all of our packaged beer into 16-ounce cans in 2022, and while we were at it, we modernized the design — dropping the illustrations in favor of a sleek look and shedding the last visual ties to our circus heritage.
2024
On September 27, Hurricane Helene rocked western North Carolina, bringing damaging winds and catastrophic flooding across our mountains. Our flagship location in the River Arts District (RAD) that housed our Beer Garden, Taproom, Distribution Center, and Corporate Headquarters were inundated with 15 feet of toxic, muddy floodwater.
Many months of recovery and reflection ensued. We made the difficult decision to close four of our taprooms in the year that followed (Nashville, Birmingham, Cincinnati, and Louisville) and were fortunate enough to celebrate with our community as we reopened the RAD location in 2025.
Then we turned inward to really evaluate: Who is Hi-Wire?
2025
The answer was clear: We believe that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. Our mission is to create what brings us together.
And we like to have fun doing that.
On the inside, we’re the same Hi-Wire you know and love. Inclusive, friendly, maybe a little odd. Our beers aren’t changing. Our people are still here. But, we took a look at our branding and our messaging and realized we needed stronger tools to tell the Hi-Wire story. And so, we launched into an extensive design refresh process that lasted more than eight months, where we gathered feedback, looked at our history, and future.
The circus is back in town.
2026
We’re going back towards our circus roots. And this time, it’s a new show. It’s bright, it’s colorful, it’s fun. It’s circus, modernized.
The circus is a place where misfits are accepted, friends and families are welcome, and guests leave feeling surprised and delighted. We feel the same about Hi-Wire.
Stay tuned for this multi-step rollout as we work to update the branding into our physical presence through package design, new merch, and taprooms. We hope you’ll join us under the tent.
Welcome back to the circus!
