Stories of Humanity, Beer, and Burrow

Written By Jonathan Cranfield

By Ian Guevara


Every brewery has a story.  It can be a story about the place itself, or more likely, stories about the people in them.

Breweries are places where you learn about people.  Their dreams, desires, passions, professions, tales, and travels are all laid bare in a brewery.  Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.  And a brewery is the perfect place to spark a conversation with a stranger.  The art of conversation may be a dwindling practice in the information age.  Sure, we find solace in making idle conversation with the people we already know, but learning about a stranger and hearing their story has evaporated from the nexus of humanity.

That’s what makes breweries unique.  You get to learn about people and humanity along with the culture and daily life of the local area.

As a student and teacher of history, it's these stories that fascinate me and keep me invigorated.  Like a shot of espresso while working late at night.  You walk in, make a comment about an article of clothing, eavesdrop on a conversation, or simply pet a dog.  These things instantly spark a conversation.  This could lead to a long lasting friendship that brings you enrichment and joy, or these conversations could lead to absolutely nothing.  A brief moment in time spent with a random individual.

Either way you leave with something.  An addition to your soul.  A badge from the heavens that speaks to your humanity.  You carry it everywhere you go from there, spreading the ideas, thoughts, and passions shared from one place to another.  It's infectious.  From brewery to brewery, from bar to bar, you spread these ideas and compassion for all.  There’s no inoculation, you have to accept it and spread it.

It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon as I hit the road, my compass points towards the Hayesville Brewing Company.  In front of me lies an incredible sight: a hazy blue mound rises above the highway, towering over my destination.  The mountain scenery here is unparalleled and captivating.  These mountains have stories to tell too, you just have to listen.

I’m following the directions on my phone and the signal cuts.  T-mobile lied about its coverage… big surprise.  Thankfully, I possess the most useless skill in the history of humanity: an eidetic memory of maps and locations.  When people say everyone is born with a skill that will make them successful, they mean other skills like math, science, and entrepreneurship.  If I told that same person that my skill was memorizing maps and locations, they’d change it to “most people are born with a skill that will make them successful.”

As I pull into a gravel parking lot I’m immediately greeted by a hand painted sign and the smell of BBQ, omens that serve as the main beecon for all visitors to Hayesville Brewing Company.  I’m already happy, a smile from ear to ear, excited to discover what follows.

Backpack on, sunglasses set, hat on backwards, and lushess hair flowing I walk towards a small operation snuggled next to farm pastures and a lone road that evaporates into the mountainside.  As I take a picture of the scenic and quaint setting, my leg is licked.  I look down to see a happy-go-lucky yellow lab named Maggie.  Her owner, Rob, sits casually among the outdoor tables and chairs, puffing on his cigarette and sipping on a pint of tasty beer.

Rob is a retiree from Florida and Colorado, escaping first the heat of Florida, then the droves of West Coasters hoarding into Colorado like a reverse Gold Rush.  Rob and I talk for a bit and wax poetically about the Gospel of beer and its meaning to community and culture.  We talk about labs, I owned three as a child, and rattlesnakes briefly before I make my way into the tap room to survey the brew and setting.

As I sit for my first flight I see a couple walk in whom with I briefly talked at a previous barstop for lunch.  My kind of people.  Woody and Jenna are coming from North Georgia where Woody runs the family farm.  Jenna is from Winsconsin, near Kenosha she sheepishly admits. What connects us immediately is our shared love of breweries.  They too travel to as many as they can.  Woody admits to craving a simple, cold, and crispy Busch Light after work (this man loves his dad beers) but loves to indulge in craft beers searching for the stories each beer tells.

The couple share with me their own beer adventures, traveling around Wisconsin and even staying in the New Glarus campground.  I promptly imagined a campground owned and operated by the New Glarus Brewery.  Beer tents, beer slides, and beer baths oh boy!  Woody dashes my hopes: New Glarus campground is in a state park outside of the town New Glarus.

The door to the tap room swings open and Cheyenne walks in, the bartender from Nocturnal Brewing Company!  She’s accompanied by her husband Jacob and they sit and enjoy that intoxicating BBQ I mentioned earlier.  Jacob’s an engineer, an Auburn grad, and an Atlanta Falcons fan… I won't hold that against him.  We dive into the heaviest conversation to exist in the South: SEC football.

From Bo Jackson to Bo Nix, from Russel to Burrow, we applaud and commiserate in the collective stops and starts of two college programs that eschew sustained success and ride the roller coaster of mediocrity and prize.  And of course, I push the debate to the fact that Joe Burrow is a living god of football.  The perfect conversation for the bar.

Hayesville Brewing Company rests upon the scenic Tusquittee Street right outside of downtown Hayesville, North Carolina.  Along with an array of well crafted beers, Hayesville Brewing Company offers an intimate tap room and a scenic outdoor setting where you will share stories with locals and travelers alike.  The beers are more than fairly priced, especially considering the taste and quality.

The owners, Jody and Leisa Jensen first set up their laboratory off of Highway 64 in 2017, creating a restaurant and bar.  After outgrowing the location, the couple sold the restaurant and moved their brewing operations to its current location.  They make a cornucopia of delicious beers out of their small operation, proving that craftsmanship and love of beer always leads to success.

My first flight was filled with the “WNC Wheat”, “Duck and Cover”, “Baby Got Bock”, and “Cowpie”.  The WNC is a Wheat Beer displaying a light clear yellow that glows in color, with a slight buttery aroma.  It’s crispy, with a bready aftertaste that approaches perfection with a slice of orange floating in its foam.  Duck and Cover provides a brownish and red color like a proper Irishman.  It’s malty and sweet to start and finishes with a wonderful caramel flavor.  

Baby Got Bock showcases a dark brown, almost cola color with a chocolatey smell.  It starts off malty and sweet and is followed by a delightful chocolate flavor.  Cowpie is a Dad Beer candidate Pilsner showing a lively gold color with a slight hoppy aroma.  It’s tremendously crispy and sweet giving an earthy flavor to start followed by a subtle bitterness.

My second flight flowed with the “Yellow Jacket”, “Possum Drop”, “Uncle Fest’r”, and “EZ-PZ”.  Yellow Jacket is a standard IPA appearing with an old gold color and a super hoppy smell.  It provides a sweet and slightly fruity taste to start followed by a balanced bitterness.  Possum Drop is a chocolate and coffee Porter exhibiting a deep burnt oak color with a thrilling chocolate and coffee aroma.  It’s malty and chocolaty sweet to start followed by the balanced bitterness of coffee.  

Uncle Fest’r is an Oktoberfest Ale that would make any German cheer “Prost!”  Reddish brown in color with a hint of maltiness, Uncle Fest’r is sweet and malty to start, finishing with a splendid bitterness.  EZ-PZ is a Blond Ale revealing a light gold and shades of hay in color.  Light, crispy, tasty and slightly sweet, EZ-PZ starts slightly bready with a fascinating malty finish.

Hayesville Brewing Company is open Saturday through Tuesday from 12pm to 6pm.  The brewery offers a cozy tap room, scenic outdoor seating, and a rocking BBQ food truck.  It delivers eight house beers, each one as tasty as the next.  Locals, dogs, travelers, and drifters like myself are all welcome to enjoy stories of life and occasionally SEC football debates.

Remember: Every beer has a story.  Every brewery has a story.  Every person has a story.  Don’t be afraid to pet a dog and talk to a stranger.  The only danger is leaving without a new story.

Jonathan Cranfield
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