HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - Past the cheerful demeanor and booming welcome emitting from across the taproom, Shawn Gatesman’s darting eyes wide with strain betray his thinly veiled exhaustion.
Each morning, Gatesman is up by 4 a.m. slinging back coffee and reading or working on the computer to enjoy the quiet at home before going into The Friendly Fermenter, where nearly seven hours of brewing or daunting piles of administrator duties await.
Gatesman’s days are long and his list of responsibilities even longer, but operating The Friendly Fermenter is his refuge and outlet, when he’s not running on nothing at 120 miles per hour.
“I built a business intended to bring people together and build camaraderie, and coronavirus has basically ripped that to shreds,” Gatesman said. “Honestly, with this location and the restrictions on COVID, if it wasn’t for the following I have, I don’t think I would have made it this far.”
Locals and patrons know Gatesman as the owner-operator of The Friendly Fermenter, but he is first and foremost a father and family man.
“From the beginning, this was done for my family,” he said. “Raising kids and being a family man is by far the hardest things I’ve done in my life, and I can’t imagine anything being more rewarding.”
To add to the challenge of running a business from a basement during the pandemic, Gatesman makes it a priority to rush back to his Linville home between breaks at least twice a day to check on his children as they navigate virtual learning. After the workday winds down, he dedicates himself to purging his home as the family transitions to a new residence. After the sun has sunk behind the horizon, Gatesman hunts for sleep - if he can find it - and then begins the tireless cycle once again.
PALE ALE BEGINNINGS
Growing up, Gatesman had an inkling he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and operate his own business as what he calls a “blue-collar entrepreneur,” but it wasn’t until 2014 that he tried his hand at homebrewing and became captivated by the creativity and independence of the hobby.
“People getting excited for my homebrew was like an addiction to me,” he said.
Three years ago, Gatesman found the perfect nook to establish his nanobrewery and homebrew shop at the corner of Mason and Market streets, affectionately referred to as “the beer shelter.”
Since then, Gatesman has created a name for himself in the craft beer world and developed a “village” of steadfast, loyal patrons. Beer drinkers visit The Friendly Fermenter to enjoy eccentric, artisan beers from within the downtown nanobrewery tucked into the basement. It’s easy to overlook from the road, but flavors such as “Thaing One On” made with Thai ginger and apricot tart are guaranteed to catch your attention.
Fueled by the desire to support his family and cultivate a humble, comfortable space to drink, converse and be merry - Gatesman said his vision of The Friendly Fermenter has always been about close relationships in close quarters - impossible amid concerns of COVID-19 contagion.
“It’s about a bunch of us getting in here and laughing until our ribs hurt. … That’s what it’s about, and it’s hard to do that now,” he said.
FRIENDLY MEMORIES
Noah “Preach” Yoder spent the better part of last year working behind the bar pouring pints and sharing infectious laughter with patrons. But apart from the jokes and fun, Yoder said his best memories were in the wake of hardship, made better at the bar.
“It was a Sunday afternoon, and I had my regular regulars at the bar. … This guy comes in alone and sits at the bar and he seemed like a normal dude, but I get to talking with him and find out he didn’t want to wait in the waiting room in the hospital because his son was getting surgery,” Yoder said. “It was so cool to see all of the regulars just include him, bring him into the inner circle, get his mind off things for a while but knew he was loved and things would be OK.”
Brenda Horrell and Jack Kearney of Dayton’s Thomas House consider Gatesman a business partner and friend, and both can sometimes be found working behind the bar helping when the taproom is short-staffed or hosting off-hour events.
Kearney said hanging out at the brewery always feels more like sharing a beer between good friends than ordering a round at any pretentious watering hole, but Horrell said Gatesman’s larger than life personality and excitement interacting with the community is what makes the establishment special.
“It’s Shawn and his poignant personality,” she said. “He handles being a business owner, a family man, a husband, a father. For me, those things are hard to adjust to … but he just goes and goes and goes and tries really hard not to let any of those responsibilities fall to the wayside.”
Under the ambient lighting in the taproom, Gatesman maintains an upbeat energy serving customers seated spaced out at table tops made by himself and his father, but there’s a subtle inflection of stress that cuts through his jolly voice.
Despite his passion to serve artisan brews, he said working through the pandemic and watching the ebb and flow of clients rush to support local businesses and then drift back into hiding again has caused him emotional distress he isn’t sure can be mended.
“I don’t even know how to go back to who I was mentally. I don’t know if the enthusiasm I ever have can be restored,” he said.
Whether coming in to distract a troubled mind, searching for advice from strangers or soaking in the local camaraderie, there’s a special style of community established between everyone who walks into the beer shelter. Yoder said it doesn’t matter if you come in alone or with friends - everyone is sharing and creating the experience together.
“You may only see each other in the bar, but you talk to each other and you know what everyone’s kids’ names are and where you work. It’s just different,” he said.
That style of connection and openness isn’t a coincidence or lucky twist of fate, Yoder said. It stems directly from the warmth and love Gatesman emanates.
“Shawn is just one of those guys where he walks into a room and everybody notices. You look at him and he’s smiling and welcoming and happy to be alive,” Yoder said. “He’s a big beer yeti who just cares for the people around him. When he asks how you’re doing, he genuinely wants to know, and that’s bled through the business.”
Once a month, the beer shelter doubles as the meeting place for Harrisonburg Homebrewers. Gatesman said the homebrew shop in The Friendly Fermenter saw an uptick in customers as most hobby shops have seen during the pandemic, but the 30% of revenue it accounted for at its peak is incomparable to the loss of drink sales because homebrewers are sporadic shoppers.
As the taproom manager at Brothers Craft Brewing and a member of the Friendly Foundation mug club, Josh Harold looks to Gatesman as a fellow brewer and collaborator, but he is also a decades-old friend. Harold said the taproom has a “come-as-you-are” atmosphere that remains successful in the face of hardship in equal parts because of Gatesman’s gracious kindness and brilliant brews.
“It’s a place so many call home because of the friendly, personal nature. … It really has people really loyal to his space even amid a pandemic, with the misfortune of not having space that’s COVID-friendly,” Harold said. “He’s constantly innovating and creating. … It keeps it super fresh, and it keeps it exciting.”
In the beer shelter, Gatesman is operating in a low-key tone, refusing to partake to the chaos and noise outside, but he said maintaining the operation is challenging, so he hopes people remember to support local businesses or be prepared to see them gone once the pandemic has subsided.
“This year has been really, really surreal,” Gatesman said. “Every day, we hear, ‘Man, it’s nice to come in here and get a pint,’ and I say, ‘Yeah, but it’ll feel better when I can shake your hand.’”
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