USA, NC: Whaley Farm Brewery becomes Old Fort’s second brewery

Despite still being dry, Old Fort is suddenly a two-brewery town, the Mountain Xpress reported on September 29.

Hillman Beer became the McDowell County town’s pioneer brewing establishment in 2020, following the passage of N.C. Senate Bill 290, which permits beer, wine and cider to be served on the premises where they are made, “regardless of the results of any local malt beverage election.” Two years later, Whaley Farm Brewery has doubled the town’s local beer options.

The husband-and-wife team, Jessica and Chris Whaley, began pouring Chris’ brews from a 7-barrel system in late July, nearly three years after purchasing the property at 178 Catawba Ave. The “Farm” component of the business’s name refers to Jessica’s agriculture operation in Black Mountain, which specializes in salad mixes in addition to other crops grown throughout the year. Her produce can be purchased at the brewery and is gradually making its way into the beer.

“We started talking about building a farm brewery about 10 years ago and having a small radius of sourcing ingredients,” Chris says.

Though both are originally from the Midwest, the pair met in South Florida, where Chris taught homebrewing classes at Funky Buddha Brewery. Following a brief stint in Vermont, the Whaleys relocated to Asheville. And after completing South College’s brewing program in 2015, Chris continued working on his craft at a number of local establishments, including Thirty Monk Brewery, Appalachian Vintner and Zebulon Artisan Ales.

Though the Whaleys live in East Asheville, they plan to eventually move to Old Fort, which has long held special significance for them. The couple got engaged at nearby Catawba Falls shortly after moving to Asheville in 2014 and, while they enjoy the vibrancy of Asheville, prefer a more leisurely pace of life.

“We’ve always had a passion for small towns — both our families are from small towns,” Chris says. “And we really wanted a pub experience where the community could get together and have good conversations.”

Such neighborhood gatherings will be fueled by a variety of brews — traditional styles, lagers, farmhouse ales and classic English pub ales — nearly everything except IPAs.

“I love classic styles and followed that path through the cicerone program and doing all those certifications,” Chris says.

Best Bitter Ale is the brewery’s first bottled beer. More recently, Chris introduced the 1910 London Porter on tap. The recipe comes courtesy of Amsterdam-based beer historian Ron Pattinson, whom Chris met through Mike Karnowski, co-owner of Zebulon Artisan Ales. The new porter and other creations are poured via the brewery’s two beer engines, and the cask-conditioned ales have earned the approval of customers with a palate for authenticity.

“There are three British expats who’ve been coming in every weekend from Marion,” Chris says. “The biggest compliment ever has been them saying, ‘Oh, this takes me back to being a kid.’”

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