Good beer, family values found at Buck Bald Brewery

November 5, 2025

Jake Reuse serves up smiles and cold beer at Buck Bald Brewing in Copperhill.

Fannin Co. Development Authority

Brew a mixture of family values and good beer and you have Buck Bald Brewing’s recipe for success.

Patrick Keenan was a computer programmer and home brewer when his life started to change.

“You make beer at your house and pretty soon people start telling you how great it is,” he said.

It wasn’t long before he and his wife, Sylvie, were looking for a place to open a brewery. Walking through Copperhill, he couldn’t believe what he heard when she pointed to the run-down, abandoned gas station and said, “There’s your brewery.”

Buck Bald opened in 2018 with Patrick, Sylvie and a couple of friends helping brew beer. The Keenans’ daughter, Alex, was four years old. At five, she was washing glasses, making Buck Bald truly a family business.

And family is how the Keenans treat the community.

The brewery is open 364 days a year, including Christmas day and Thanksgiving day. On Thanksgiving, you’ll find a potluck meal. “There are a lot of people who don’t have anywhere else to go,” Patrick said.

Their drive to help the community only begins with staying open. There will be a fundraiser for a local charity taking place almost every weekend. Every year these include the Humane Society of Blue Ridge, Feed Fannin, the Combat Vets Motorcycle Association, Nam Knights, and Shepherd’s Men, to name a few. Copper Basin schools also benefit from the Keenans’ generosity.

Special beers are brewed for almost every fundraiser, with proceeds going to that organization.

“I want to help them out. I’ll do anything within my means,” said Patrick, who is also a former social worker and elementary school teacher.

Buck Bald also sponsors roadside cleanups of Mobile Road and Highway 68.

Good beer, family values, and a place to relax and enjoy a laugh have always been and promise to remain trademarks of Buck Bald’s success.

Join the residents and visitors who have already discovered this treasure to find out for yourself.