What a year! If we had to pick one word to sum up the year it would be: Community.
While we embarked on some new brewing adventures like making our beer available to be delivered to your front door as well as in Sweden (For real! Right now!), we also hit major benchmarks of hosting over 100 live music performances by local artists (not counting piano bar, open mic, and karaoke), and facilitating support for over 20 local and regional non-profit organizations. And since it was our 10th birthday year, there was a lot to celebrate.
Here are our top 10 moments of our 10th anniversary year.
We partnered with our friends at PEAK Radio and again this year served as sponsor and host for the Bacon & Brew 4-Miler and Baconfest at Kampfires and The Pit. Ode to all things bacon, we crafted a signature maple bacon brown ale (called “Schmoke & a Pancake”) and even offered up bacon shakes (called “Bacon Me Crazy”) at Scoops Ice Cream Shop. Between the fun run and the festival, we helped to raise over $21,000 for the Gathering Place.
We helped our friends at Harris Hill Ski Jump celebrate their 100th anniversary by serving up a custom brew, an American-styled Red Ale called the “HH Hunski,” in a special gold commemorative cup. We will be back in the action for the 2023 event on February 18. Get your tickets now!
We sponsored the first Brattleboro Riverfest raising awareness about our precious waterways and benefiting the good work of the Connecticut River Conservancy. The event boasted a boat-load of boat races,water and outdoor recreation opportunities, and art activities as well as a kick-butt viewing party at The Station.We even participated in the Lampey Business Challenge (and placed 3rd -ish)!
We were humbled to host a pub sing that mourned the loss of our fallen friend and fellow brewer Ray McNeill the day after a fire claimed both McNeill’s Brewery and Ray, who was a big proponent of pub singing.
For the last few months, we’ve been honored to host a group of pub singers that have carried on this proud Brattleboro tradition. While we sorely miss Ray, we know that he will be remembered through this community of song. Our next pub sing is on January 7 and everyone is welcome.
Returning to our roots for our 10th Anniversary, we embraced our spirit of adventure, the great outdoors, train travel, and great beer to makeover our brand, cans, and the Station. With a nod to the golden age of rail travel and posters created in the early 20th century to encourage visits to our national parks, our new identity is a fresh take on brewing up adventure one beer at a time.
We had a blast being back at the Vermont Brewers Festival in Burlington in July. It was one of the first opportunities to show off our new brand and Amy even got some airtime on local news. Check out the full story.
SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience is the Brewers Association’s highest profile event with over 400 breweries competing to be included in this posh Washington, DC showcase. We brought three of our favorite beers that were paired with bites from award-winning chefs and had crazy fun. It wasn’t all play though. While we were there, we were among only 15 breweries invited to pour for a legislative reception at the Library of Congress. We got busy adulting and looked the part, too, if we don’t say so ourselves.
Noted as “Best in New Food and Beverage Packaging” by Packaging Digest, our new 100% recyclable labels with peel-off stickers have caused a stir in brewing, food & beverage, packaging, marketing, lifestyle trends, and sustainability circles around the world. To date, our sticker story has been featured by over 300 media outlets nationally and internationally.
We were named Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurs of the Year! What an honor to be recognized for our vision and willingness to take the risk to open four businesses here over the last decade (one of them smack dab in the middle of the pandemic). But we especially loved being recognized for our “heartfelt love of our town.”
The best thing about 2022, amidst so many amazing things (see above), was to throw an epic 10th anniversary party with live music, cake, fireworks, and, of course, a signature Amber Lager “Ten Year Beer.” But most importantly, we got to celebrate it with all of YOU who have made our businesses such a success over the last decade.
THANK YOU for being on this adventure with us and cheers to an even more epic 2023!