Hunter-Gatherer Brewery

Hunter-Gatherer Brewery has been brewing in Columbia since 1995, and the family-run business describes itself as the city’s oldest locally owned brewery. Founder Kevin Varner learned the trade at Hale’s Ales in Seattle, one of the country’s earliest microbreweries, and he has brewed every Hunter-Gatherer batch himself since day one. That training shows in a tap list built around English and American-style ales such as ESB, pale ale and stout, with IPAs, a hefeweizen, a lager and fruited sours also in the rotation. Since 2018 the brewery has operated from the historic Curtiss-Wright Hangar near downtown, an unusual home for a brewpub. The kitchen serves handmade pizzas, salads, sandwiches and shareable starters, and the bar also carries wine, spirits, local cider and non-alcoholic choices. The hangar space can be booked for private events.