The Freefolk Brewery is owned by husband and wife, Jeff and Sarah Edwards. Freefolk is nestled in the heart of the New River Gorge and celebrates the Appalachian vibe and culture. Jeff began experimenting with fermentation in his Morgantown, WV backyard in 2014. He started with a 15-Gallon system that he cobbled together from a few garage sales. What started as a hobby soon progressed as he fell in love with the process of creating beer. After spending a lot of years in Morgantown raising their son Seth, Jeff and Sarah decided it was time for a change and moved to Fayetteville and opened the brewery in downtown Fayetteville. With the help of Freefolk’s co-founder, WV artist Jamie Lester, they filled the space with handcrafted steel features, wood, and concrete and covered the walls with painted murals. The original brewhouse was 3.5 bbl and some of the first brews were Moondog’s Blonde Ale, Trucker Speed IPA, and Orange Oswald SMaSH IPA. The Freefolk brand and team quickly grew and in the fall of 2022 they upgraded to a 20 bbl brewhouse. The production brewery found a second home in Hico, WV - 9 miles north of the original location. I had previously visited the Fayetteville location, which is now shuttered. So, I was excited to visit the Hico location and have been here a few times over the last couple years. During my first visit, there was a cryptid festival going on, and the entire space was opened to vendors, artist and food trucks. They had limited food and drinks, but I still enjoyed both. I was especially pleased to see a West Virginia pepperoni roll served with a side of marinara. These were cut on a bias and warm. Topped with parmesan. Tasty. I returned recently now that they have an on-site pizza shop: Ample Pizza. There were a handful of pizza options available: margherita, pepperoni, cherry tomato & ramp. I went with the fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese pizza. It had caramelized onions and a balsamic drizzle, as well. There was a ton of goat cheese and not quite enough fig. Overall, I enjoyed the pizza and would like to try some of the other options. Have you been? Grade: A