Beer doesn’t get more local than this

Lookout Brewing Co. releases fresh batch of Van’s Harvest Pale Ale

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 13, 2021

Van Burnette takes his first sips of Van’s Harvest Pale Ale, a wet hop beer released Aug. 12 by Lookout Brewing Co. that was made with hops from his nearby farm. Photo by Fred McCormick

On Aug. 3, Van Burnette was on his farm doing what his family has done on the land in the North Fork Valley for seven generations—harvesting the crops grown in the bountiful soil. 

A little more than a week later, he was just three-and-a-half miles up the road at Lookout Brewing Co. sipping on a beer that couldn’t be more local. 

The Aug. 12 release of Van’s Harvest Pale Ale, a collaborative effort between the Black Mountain farmer and the nearby brewery, marked the return of a truly unique beer. The limited release wet hop beer is brewed with fresh Cascade hops grown by Burnette, who delivered them to the brewery and dropped them in the boil on the day they were harvested.

“It’s pretty damn local,” he said between sips of the beer bearing his name. “You have hops from my farm, water that is literally right under our feet, malt from Riverbend Malt House and yeast from White Labs in Asheville. You really can’t get much more local than that.”

Burnette grew up on the farm, which has been in the Walker family for nearly 200 years. The soil has produced numerous crops through the years, including herbs, blueberries, pollinator gardens, hops and corn. His pollinating flowers attract native birds and insects, including the Monarch butterflies that migrate through the Swannanoa Valley each year. He hosts an annual Monarch tagging event every year. 

The hops, which he began planting around 15 years ago, are a subtle nod to the history of the area.  

“There was a lot of liquor made up there in the past, so in a way I’m kind of carrying on a family business,” he said. “They used to say Walker Branch, which runs right near my house, made the best liquor in WNC because the water was so good.”

The Burnette family’s roots run deep on the land now occupied by the Burnett Reservoir and surrounding Asheville Watershed, as well as the Bee Tree Reservoir. Burnette’s ancestors settled the area over 200 years ago, and were one of approximately 50 families displaced in the early 20th century when the City of Asheville acquired the land, often by declaring eminent domain, for its water source. 

“My grandfather was the last person to live in the Watershed,” he said. “He lived in his dad’s house, and it was up near the dam. I got a big picture of it after they started clearing the land, and everything around it was just big equipment and raw dirt. There was this one piece of undisturbed land, and that’s where the house was.”

As he continued to farm his land like his forbearers have done for centuries, Burnette decided to explore the viability of hops in the mountains of WNC over 15 years ago. 

The Cascade hops grown on Van Burnette’s farm in the North Fork Valley were used by Lookout Brewing Co. to produce a pale ale that contains notes of honey suckle and apple. Photo courtesy of Van Burnette

“I originally received a grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund to grow a variety of hops,” he said. “It didn’t take long to learn they don’t grow here like they do up in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. We’re in the wrong latitude.” 

The yields are low, according to Burnette, and the labor to maintain the perennial plant is intensive. But, he had an idea that could help him make a profit on the limited crop. 

“I had to figure out some ingenious way to make a little money on this small harvest,” he said. “I started approaching area breweries about possible collaborations.”

He partnered with Pisgah Brewing Co. in 2004 to produce a limited release, but the additional process of drying the hops for traditional brews required far too much additional time and work. 

“That’s when I learned about wet hop beers, which use hops picked straight off the vine,” Burnette said. “They’re harvested and put into the boil within 24 hours.”

After taking a few years off from growing hops on his farm, Van Burnette had a stronger yield this year. Lookout Brewing Co. in Black Mountain used the Cascade hops to make Van’s Harvest Pale Ale, which was released on Aug. 12. Photo courtesy of Van Burnette

Lookout produced its first beer using hops from Burnette’s farm shortly after opening in 2013, with the last batch rolling out in 2015. This year, after tending to his neglected vines, he noticed the Cascade hops - the only variety he now grows - were thriving. 

“I’ve got around 15 plants, and if I’m lucky I get about a pound off each one,” he said. “This year was a good yield, so I called John Garcia, the owner of Lookout, and asked if he wanted to use them.”

The brewery produced around 300 gallons of Van’s Harvest Pale Ale, a light and refreshing 5.6% alcohol by volume beer with notes of honey suckle and apple. It’s available by the pint or in canned growlers in Lookout’s tap room while supplies last. 

“They really did a great job with this beer,” Burnette said. “It’s got a really fresh taste, and I’m proud that it’s a truly local product.”