When you walk in the doors of the underground nanobrewery you are entering a small community that owner Shawn Gatesman refers to as his village.

“It’s all what you want,” said Gatesman. That’s the motto of The Friendly Fermenter brewery.

Gatesman opened the brewery with the goal of creating an atmosphere where people feel comfortable to try what they like. He attributes the success of the brewery to the support he received from friends when he first began homebrewing in 2013. After many experimental batches, he knew he found his niche when friends tried his first “drinkable” beer and said “you made this?”

The Friendly Fermenter finally opened in February 2018. It was the result of the encouragement he received from the community of regulars grew through word of mouth, while he kept on trying new things with his brewing.

Whether you are a tourist passing through or a local visiting for the first time, every trip to The Friendly Fermenter starts with “ya ever been here before?”

Gatesman brews, on average, two new beers per week. His most popular beers are a honey double IPA called the Bees Knees, a blonde coffee stout called Brehfuss and an Irish multigrain called the Green Jacket. He considers these beers staples at The Friendly Fermenter.

Batches rotate often and he usually makes these beers three or four times per year. The rotation allows Gatesman to experiment with more flavors and gives visitors something new to try each time they visit. Coming back this week is a dragon fruit tart called Enter the Dragon. Gatesman posts upcoming beers on the Friendly Fermenter website that he updates semi-frequently.

The Friendly Fermenter was created to be a place where people could escape from the noise and connect the old-fashioned way. The Friendly Fermenter is his village and the people are his community.

“Everyone is welcome who is open and non judgemental.”