Explore With a Pour

First-time brewery owners in Cornelius have history on their side

Lake Norman Currents | March 2020

By Aaron Garcia

With Lost Worlds Brewing, David Hamme wants to create a brewery that has the feel of "an explorers' club of yesteryear." Think globes, artifacts, maps with little flags stuck into them — the type of place where Indiana Jones and Marco Polo would tip a few back while listening to Hiram Brigham's tales of discovering Machu Picchu.

"For me, this is kind of a culmination of all these loves: history, travelling, adventure, treasure hunts and, of course, beer," says Hamme, who explains he's always had an interest in faraway places. Since hiking around South America after grad school, Hamme has travelled the world with his wife, Allison, and their kids.

"Exploring has always been a part of us," says Hamme. But make no mistake — Hamme wants Lost Worlds to be discovered for making really good beer.

An exploratory beer menu

To do so, the Hammes hired brewer David Gonzalez, whose 25-year resume includes a 10-year stint as Head Brewer at Charlotte's esteemed Rock Bottom Brewing — as well as a trunkload of competition medals. Gonzalez, known as "DG," has been tasked with applying Hamme's exploratory theme to a beer menu that includes six "basecamp" brews which will serve as Lost Worlds' standards. He'll also have a chance to develop seasonals and other specials in the brewery's gleaming stainless-steel fermenters. In all, he has an 80-barrel capacity to play with.

Gonzalez says he connected with Hamme over the idea of creating a menu that focused on being "sessionable," or brewed to have a lower Alcohol by Volume. You may spot the occasional creation with an ABV of 10% or higher like you'd see at other craft breweries, but the goal is for guests to sit, visit and be able to tell their stories, even after a few beers.

"I don't want to be known as the crazy beer person," says Gonzalez. "I want to be known for the consistency, and (for people to say) this beer is good and enjoyable."

Community engagement

To spark community engagement the brewery began announcing the six beers via social media leading up to its projected mid- to late-March opening. As of Feb. 11, the first two were Vista West Coast IPA (6.5 ABV) and Euchre Golden Ale (4.3-4.5 ABV). All six will come complete with a backstory tying it to the brewery's theme, says Sherri Johnson, who has headed up the digital marketing. As of early February, the effort had racked up roughly 1,300 Facebook followers and another 600 or so on Instagram — not bad for a brewery that hadn't even tapped its first keg.

"We're not just trying to get beer drinkers to come in here," says Johnson. "We're really trying to build a brand and the community that resonates with."