Oscar Wong was born to Chinese immigrants in Jamaica. After an engineering career, including a stint in Charlotte, he retired to Asheville and started the city's first brewery since Prohibition. Today, Highland Brewing is North Carolina's largest brewer, and Wong has become known as the state's "godfather of craft beer."

He turned over operation of Highland Brewing to his daughter in 2015 and is now mostly retired. In May 2023, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's highest civilian honor.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Wong discusses his remarkable background, from Jamaica to the U.S. to Asheville, as well as the history of craft beer in North Carolina, his role in shaping the beer industry in the Southeast, and where he sees the craft beer industry going in the future.

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This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Ledger editor Tony Mecia. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

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