There’s only one place to try Hilton Head’s newest beer. Its name goes back a century
Are you a beenya or a comeya?
If you don’t know, then you’ve already answered the question.
A beenya is a Gullah word that means you’ve “been here,” and that you were likely born on the sea islands of the Lowcountry. Gullah-Geechee people have used the word to describe themselves for generations on Hilton Head Island.
It’s also the name of Hilton Head Brewing Company’s latest release: The Beenya Lager.
From a distance, it looks like it should be released in December.
It’s dark dark, and, based on looks alone, certainly not a brew you’d plan to haul to an outdoor cookout in the middle of the summer.
But it’s not what it seems.
The Beenya is, beyond all measures of appearance, a dark Czech lager. It’s easy to drink, and the name is older than Hilton Head Island itself (metaphorically, because the town was only established in 1983).
“It speaks to the Gullah culture that is ingrained here in the Lowcountry,” the company wrote in a Facebook post about the new beer.
Brewing Company owner and island native Juan Brantley named the beer the Beenya Lager to nestle it into Hilton Head Island’s history. At a time when Gullah Geechee people on the island are facing land loss and Gullah families are dealing with the realities of deciding whether to send their kids back to school in a pandemic, he hopes the beer will do some good.
His brewing company is partnering with the Hilton Head MLK Committee for Justice to provide free internet to local students for the fall semester. Proceeds from the Beenya beer’s sales will help bring wifi connectivity into island homes where children will be learning online, he said.
“I’m a local father of four. Internet is a very real need now more than ever for kids in virtual school. We are proud to support the Martin Luther King Jr. Justice Committee and their initiative of providing internet to all local kids,” he said.
The Beaufort County School District announced Aug. 4 that it would open with completely online classes on Sept. 8, canceling its previous plans for parents to choose in-person or online instruction due to the rising number of COVID cases in the county.
As of Aug. 4, the district had received approximately 15,215 registrations for the fall, more than half of the district’s approximately 22,000-student population. About 56% of registrations are for in-person learning, and about 44% were for virtual learning, per district spokeswoman Candace Bruder.
As a beenya himself, Brantley said it’s important to recognize the island’s history so its future generations don’t forget it.
That’s a little easier when it’s printed on a tap handle.
“Beenya speaks to the island’s Gullah heritage while giving back to local children,” he said.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 3:35 PM.
