On June 28, 2013, Brewer Magazine launched online with a press release posted for Samuel Adams (“The Return of the Samuel Adam Brewlywed Ale”). In the Winter of 2014, Against the Grain was the first cover story written for The Brewer Magazine print edition.
Now, with 50 issues “put to bed” (a newspaper term that both president Tyler Montgomery and Executive Editor Jon Sicotte use since it was their background prior to starting Brewer) the staff took some time to catch up with former cover feature subjects and how business has changed for them since.
Avery — Adam Avery (Issue No. 8, May/June 2016)
Being a craft beer pioneer by opening in the early 1990s, Boulder, Colorado’s Avery Brewing was a must to share insights from as Brewer launched. Speaking to Adam Avery right after the opening of the company’s latest expansion in early 2016, Avery spoke of the $30M investment he and his father Larry made and how the brand had grown in its first 20 years.
In late 2017, it was reported that Spain’s Mahou San Miguel would purchase 30% ownership of the company. Over the next few years, Mahou and Founders Brewing purchased an additional 60% more of the company. In January, 2023, Mahou formally integrated the companies together into Mahou USA.
This year, the company is ready to celebrate its 30th anniversary by hosting an Invitational Beer Festival in late July. Additionally, the brewery will release an Anniversary Barrel-Aged Strong Ale, which is a blend of several styles and brewing techniques, representing the culmination of 30 years of brewing experience.
“We are so grateful to everyone who has made our journey possible,” Avery said in a release. “As we celebrate this milestone, we’re more committed than ever to pushing the boundaries of brewing and creating exceptional beers. Here’s to the next 30 years of brewing the best damn beer around, and to all the good times that come with it.”
READ MORE: Avery Brewing – Adam Avery, Founder & Owner
Sun King — Clay Robinson 7 Dave Colt (Issue No. 16, November/December 2017)
We entitled the headline interview with Sun King co-founders Dave Colt and Clay Robinson with the words “growth engine” attached. Starting with thoughts of being the dominant force inside the borders of Indiana when Sun King opened in 2009, the duo shared with Brewer in the summer of 2017 that they had changed their tune.
Instead, Colt and Robinson’s team had begun looking outside of the state for small territory growth by setting up distribution to Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky. It helped supplement what the Indianapolis-based brewery had been doing for then eight years as they helped raise the cap of production allowed through new state laws to more that 30,000 barrels.
Now, Sun King sports its original location along with five others in the state (one being a distillery) and the newest edition is an entire production brewery that opened in July 2022 in Sarasota, Florida.
READ MORE: THE GROWTH ENGINE: Sun King Brewing Challenges State Laws to Grow Across Indiana Borders
Tampa Bay Brewing Co. — David Doble (Issue No. 31, March/April 2020)
When we caught up with co-owner David Doble in late 2019, the brewery was making major changes to get back to being known as a brewery first.
Changing the branding from Tampa Bay Brewing Co. to TBBC while giving it a new look along with thoughts on expanding beyond the state was on his mind, trying to shed the mentality that it was a great restaurant that also made beer to a great beer company that also has a brewpub.
“My end goal is only to be a Florida brand,” he said. The brewery just launched a new 7% ABV IPA, Coral Head, and Doble expects to finish between 17-20,000 barrels this year with more than 99% staying in state.
“For the past four years, I’ve actually pursued margin growth over volume gone,” Doble said. “My focal point has been more on-site sales, and also beer to-go. And what that’s done is it created a lot of strength on the wholesale side.
“We sell our beer for a very fair price, but I’m not going for the ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘I’ll give you this if you put our beers on tap’. So what that has done is really maintain the value and integrity. And since I’m not investing in volume growth every year, our debt has become less and less and our strength becomes more so I really haven’t had to change much.”
READ MORE: The Reinvention of TBBC
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