BRIGHT LIGHT BREWING Co

Bright Light Brewing

By Carolina Brew Scene Staff

f you find yourself in downtown

Fayetteville, knocking on a random warehouse door in the middle of the afternoon, you will learn that Bright Light Brewing Company is closed.

Tey do not open until 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, but Eddie Ketchum invites me to come in and sit on the couch while he gets the place ready for the evening. He is a friendly, averagedbuild veteran who has an immaculate emerald green Harley Davidson. Eddie loves his community. From the space he occupies to the neighboring companies down the street, Eddie has a story about all of them.

“No one stands alone in this town,” he says. Te line-up on the tap tonight proves it. A collaboration brew with Mash House is one that draws a lot of attention. Called the “Lighthouse Stout,” it is deceptive and delicious.

“We like to make beer that makes you think about it,” Eddie says as he serves a glass of the Lighthouse, an amber colored beer, and assures me it is a stout. Next he gives me a taster with a chocolatey opaque hue and tells me it is a Red.

Te collaborations do not stop

Iwith the beer. One of the co-founders of Bright Light worked with Dirtbag Ales, another veteran-owned brewery in the area. Te third partner and his wife designed the original taproom for the same brewery. All of the Bright Light Brewing owners are veterans and their desire to give back is evident and motivates a lot of their activities. In April, they hosted Te Lone Survivor Foundation, which “restores, empowers and renews hope for our wounded service members and their families through health, wellness and therapeutic support.”

64 | Carolina Brew Scene | Fall 2018

Carolina Brew Scene Military Issue

No one stands alone. Te community of patrons seems more like good friends than customers. Te brewery started under a bright light in one of the owner’s garages and it still has the real-feel of a garage door and concrete floors — industrial and homey at the same time.

“You can’t hurt anything around here,” Eddie says while leaning on the bar made with 200-year-old Heart-Pine.

Beyond the homely, garage look, the community gathers for that family environment.

“From your first steps to your 21st birthday, we got you,” Eddie says.

Te families that gather here nearly every night are all following the BLBC Facebook page for updates with food truck schedules, music events and new brews. Local business owners drop in to support the guys who support them. Veterans and active-duty personnel spend a good amount of time with their family enjoying Bright Light’s “Gateway IPA - Te 60 Watt IPA.”

“We have our staples, but we try to get truly broad with our experiments. We like to make beer that makes you think about it,” Eddie explains as he serves a lightly colored amber beer and calls it a stout. Tis collaboration with the Mash House is deceptive. Ten Eddie puts a chocolate opaque beer on the bar and calls it an Irish Red.

Te whole Bright Light Brewing experience is unique — American, full and welcoming.

Fall 2018 | Carolina Brew Scene | 65