People from around the country have been coming in to assist, and it is a testament to the character of this region. One of the examples is seen in the brewing community, an industry that has a record of unique camaraderie. Craft brewers are a unique lot in that they understand what other breweries undertake, and there is a fraternal connection. While technically competitors, it really is more like a sports rivalry; you would prefer to win, but really the love of the game always rises to the top.

In the town of Woodfin, one of the craft brewers was particularly hard hit by Helene. The Zillicoah Beer Company has been operating since 2017 but was shut down on its anniversary in October. The brewery takes its name from the Cherokee for the French Broad River, alongside which the brewery had been built by brothers Jeremy and Jonathan Chassner and childhood friend Jonathan Parks.

Brewery 775: Zillicoah Beer. Woodfin, NC. Fav beer: Hickory Smoked Helles. Located on the French Broad River, if you want awesome views paired with phenomenal beer, this is your spot! The large, industrial building flows out to a massive outdoor space that bumps up to the water pic.twitter.com/68Tjjp6GRW

— Brewery Travels (@brewerytravels) October 29, 2021

Cruelly, it was that namesake waterway that devastated their business. As their region was assaulted by the storm the river crested its banks and Zillicoah was flooded out by six feet of surging water. Flushed away was the interior of the tap room, stock, supplies, and extensive amounts of their product. The in-house bottling and labeling assembly line was ruined. They retrieved from down river the massive oak casks used to process half a ton of locally grown grapes and another 1,600 pounds of peaches for some of their craft selections. 

The brewery had recently been expanding into the retail sector, and they estimate that $200,000 in packaged beer was lost. All told, they think at least half a million in damages has been realized. It has been six months since the devastation and the trio is possibly experiencing a fair amount of deja vu as they are once again building their dream brewery. This has been accomplished through one traditional method, crowdfunding, but also through collaborative efforts by a less expected source – their competitors.

Following the storm’s ravages, brewers in the state, as well as across the country, released special beers to raise revenues for those beermakers placed in limbo. Additionally, some brewers in the Asheville region have been dedicated to helping their Zillicoah neighbor. As Jeremy Chassner explains it, those locals have pledged a portion of their beer sales over the past month to go to the rebuilding effort.

This really is an amazing reality in the brewing community. Many local, competitive beer companies are banding together to help another get back to operations after a hurricane disaster gutted their enterprise.@FoxCarolinaNews pic.twitter.com/a7lt4uaRhp

— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) April 7, 2025

That is a rarity in the business world, but craft brewing has that vein of fraternity running through the industry. There is a strong feeling among companies to see all become successful. There is a realization that more participants and more choices for customers expand the marketplace and bring wider success. It is an encouraging sign of American character being served up.

The Zillicoah guys are now confident they can be back up and brewing soon, expecting to reopen its draft room to the public by summertime.