What This ‘Outsider’ Learned in His New Home of Craft Beer

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By venturing outside traditional hospitality, Robert McEachern, the CEO of Denver Beer Co., has found a new home — and a seemingly thriving one — in the craft beer industry.

With a background rooted in hospitality and retail on the East Coast including nine years with Panera Bread, McEachern arrived in Denver two years ago to lead one of the city’s established breweries that was looking for growth avenues.

Despite not having prior experience in beer, McEachern quickly learned that craft brewing operates with a unique dynamic — one that emphasizes collaboration over competition.

“It’s been a constant learning situation, where I’m always learning new things and pushing myself to learn new things,” McEachern said. “I really didn’t work in the beer industry before this. But building organization and building a brand is kind of my strength.”

While McEachern has been building brands throughout his career, the cooperative spirit within the craft beer industry came as a surprise. Transitioning from high-pressure, competitive environments on the East Coast to the open, collaborative culture of brewing was an adjustment at first for the Boston-area native.

“Charlie [Berger], one of the founders, told me, ‘We are oversharers,’” McEachern recalled when he began. “At first, I was thinking, ‘Okay, you can tell me about your private life.’

“It didn’t really click until I experienced my first collab fest, where we were working with other breweries.”

The experience of breweries freely sharing trade secrets stood in stark contrast to McEachern’s past industries.

“I mean, there’s no secrets,” he said. “Coming from hospitality and retail, it was a bit strange at first. I’ll admit, I was leery of it until my leadership team suggested that maybe I needed to take a new look at this openness.”

That shift in mindset was pivotal. McEachern quickly realized that the collaborative approach wasn’t just a quirk of the industry — it was a fundamental element of craft beer’s success.

“Now, it’s part of what we do every day,” he told Brewer in a recent podcast.

The concept of “rising tides lifting all ships” plays out across the craft beer community, fostering a culture in which competitors become collaborators. Brewers regularly trade tips, swap equipment, and even team up to produce collaborative beers. This spirit helps newcomers like McEachern thrive, allowing them to focus on what they do best — building brands and developing experiences — while leaning on the expertise of others within the industry.

READ MORE: Crafting Controlled Growth: This Innovation Helps James Howdeshell at HOB Brewing

It can also be a lesson to brewery owners across the country to look outside their craft beer bubble to find capable managers who can help build a company farther than what could be expected.

“Some of these industries, some of these segments, probably could learn a little bit from this mentality,” McEachern said when it came to those outside of craft beer as well to learn a lesson on working together to better other industries. “It’s a fascinating dynamic, and I think it’s why we see so much success here.”

McEachern’s transition into craft beer coincides with Denver Beer’s plans to open a new brewery concept, Formation Brewing, in Phoenix next year. The venture reflects both a commitment to innovation and a desire to establish roots beyond Colorado. Formation will bring new flavors — like Prickly Pear Sours and Hazy IPAs — to Phoenix drinkers, with a taproom designed to offer a vibrant food program, possibly including Detroit-style pizza.

“Our goal is to deliver a unique taproom experience, really focusing on events and food alongside the beer,” McEachern said.

The Phoenix location will aim for full distribution across the metro area after the taproom opens while establishing a new connection to consumers first across the bar.

More from McEachern in this episode of The Brewer Magazine Podcast:

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