Chris and Jessica Whaley on Building Back Whaley Farm Brewery

[gentle music] You can't contrive, like, the community that creates a space.

It's like we can set the table, but the people that come and eat, or drink in this instance, are like the most special and most, like, crucial part of, of what goes on here at the brewery.

I don't know that we could have done it without them, and they are certainly the reason we chose to reopen.

Um, I... a- although I don't know that it was ever on the table that we wouldn't.

[laughs]

Yeah.

Today on The Blue Ridge, our guests are Chris and Jessica Whaley, the owners of Old Fort-based Whaley Farm Brewery, where Appalachian-inspired beers, local ingredients, and a resilient community helped shape the brewery's long road to recovery after Hurricane Helene.

I'm your host, John Page.

Let's begin.

After many years of farming and brewing in Western North Carolina, the Whaleys opened their brewery in 2022 and specialize in Appalachian farm beers, English cask ales, and thoughtfully crafted lagers.

Jess is a farmer who grows produce, herbs, and flowers, many of which find their way into the beers.

The Whaleys also source additional ingredients, including fruit and all of their malt from local suppliers.

Chris is a studious brewer who loves classic styles, while Jess often nudges him towards experimentation.

Together, they've built a tap list where traditional English bitters, cream ales, and pilsners coexist alongside beers featuring locally grown herbs, flowers, peaches, and even foraged mushrooms.

The common thread is balance, drinkability, a disregard for flashy trends, and a strong sense of place.

The taproom is a warm, welcoming space that also features plenty of outdoor seating.

You're likely to find locals chatting over a cream ale, families playing board games, and travelers passing through town.

The friendly vibes and the quality of the beer makes it the kind of place I wish I could walk to from my house.

In fact, when I first interviewed the Whaleys in early September of 2024, it was that sense of place that was a big part of our conversation.

I was looking forward to making it one of the first episodes of this podcast, but just a few weeks later, Hurricane Helene arrived and changed everyone's plans.

The brewery, which sits alongside Mill Creek, took on roughly three feet of water.

When the floodwaters receded, they left behind about a foot of mud.

While the taproom's foundation remained intact, the concrete slab beneath the brewery had to be torn out and replaced.

Recovery stretched on for months, and when Whaley Farm Brewery reopened in June of 2025, the brewhouse was still under construction, and Chris was essentially brewing on a home brew scale system inside the taproom just to keep beer flowing.

It wasn't until February of this year that brewing operations finally returned to normal.

In this episode, Chris and Jess share their memories of Helene and the long road to reopening, the acts of kindness that sustained them during the recovery, how farming and brewing intersect at Whaley Farm Brewery, and what gives them hope for the future of Old Fort and Western North Carolina.

I interviewed Chris and Jess in their tasting room in early June, just a few days before the first anniversary of their reopening.

We were also joined by their adorable four-month-old son, Jasper, who opted to skip his morning nap and occasionally weigh in on the conversation.

To kick things off, I asked Chris and Jess to reflect on what it meant to reopen last year.