Full disclosure, I’m a 20-year Navy veteran. In studying breweries, and meeting with their owners, it became clear that a huge number of those brewery owners had also served time in the armed forces, in fact, a much larger number than you would expect statistically.

I love Service Brewing, Fair Winds and many others who truly do a great job of incorporating their service background into the identity of the brewery, but we wanted to take it a step further to help shine some light on the men and women who you might not have realized spent time serving before their brewing days. This is attempt to help you see how many there are, and profile a handful. You will see some common threads emerge.

(READ: Veteran-Owned Service Brewing in Savannah, GA)

The Bold Mariner Brewing Co.

Founders:  Michael Stacks and Jared Tuxill, Navy
Location: Norfolk, VA
Nearby Navy Facilities:
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Air Station Norfolk
Naval Air Station Oceana
CINCLANTFLT
Portsmouth Naval Hospital
Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
Dam Neck Fleet Training Center
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

News flash, sailors like beer. So much so, that Michael has been a home brewer since going on active duty nearly 20 years ago. The idea of opening a brewery grew out of so many shipmates enjoying his home brew. Michael and Jared decided Norfolk needed a craft brewery, and opened Bold Mariner while still on active duty. They still serve today. If you’ve heard of Bold Mariner, it may be because of their Unicorn Beer from last spring. It got a LOT of attention. The thing is they release an experimental beer every Thursday! Stop in and try one.

Military Lesson: If it needs doing, do it.

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Spencer Devon Brewing

Founder: Shawn Phillips, Marine Corps
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Nearby Marine Facility:
Marine Corps Base Quantico

Shawn is a retired Marine Corps Logistics Officer. He enlisted in the Marines to get involved in facility and club management. 24 years later, he decided it was time to go run his own place. Sure, Marines at Quantico might know Spencer Devon is owned by a former Marine, but most of his Fredericksburg customers probably don’t. Shawn’s look is pure brewer now, and the Spencer Devon branding does not reveal a military heritage. Instead, it’s a full-service brewpub with an expansive menu that fits very neatly into its suburban DC setting. Shawn was so committed to the Marines that he did tours as a Drill Instructor and Series Commander at Parris Island. Now he’s committed to a new group of customers.

Military Lesson: Give them your best.

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Launch Pad Brewery

Founders: David Levesque and Henry Rusch, Air Force
Location: Aurora, CO
Nearby Air Force Facility:
Buckley AFB

Launch Pad embraces the theme of missiles and space launch vehicles. In fact, they show live launches in the taproom, and will change their hours to cover a launch. SpaceX Falcon Heavy would have been a good one to enjoy over a beer. That branding choice isn’t surprising since David and Henry both did their last active duty tours at Buckley Air Force Base and both have space and missile backgrounds. Their “location has been a gold mine” says David. It probably doesn’t hurt the beer is awesome. So awesome that their Peacekeeper recently took home a Bronze medal at this year’s World Beer Cup. When you visit, be sure to check out the special release bombers in the cooler. David got exposed to the world of craft beer when he was stationed at Buckley. That made him a homebrewer, and that led to a brewery. Demand is so high for their beer that they are currently going through an expansion to meet the need.

Military Lesson: Give them what they want.

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Rip Rap Brewing

Founder: Liam Bell, Coast Guard
Location: Norfolk, VA
Nearby Coast Guard Facilities:
CG Sector Hampton Roads
CG Base Portsmouth
CG Station Little Creek

Did we say that sailors like beer? Liam Bell was exposed to home brewing while at the Coast Guard Academy, but wasn’t able to start home brewing himself until he got into his first shore tour in the Hampton Roads area. Not unlike other start-up breweries, Rip Rap was born out of the encouragement of friends and a desire to be a maker. While certainly nautically themed, Rip Rap isn’t overtly Coast Guard. Ever the entrepreneur, Bell fashioned most of the brew house out of random equipment found at auctions.

Military Lesson: Make it work.

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Southern Pines Brewing

Founders: Micah Niebauer and Jason Ginos, Army
Location: Southern Pines, NC
Nearby Army Facility:
Fort Bragg

Have you seen 12 Strong yet? If so, then you have an understanding of the community that Micah and Jason come from.  Army Special Forces are a pretty unique group.  They infiltrate, they blend in, they become part of the environment, then accomplish the mission.  When they had reached a part of their careers where they were facing staff and instructor tours, they decided they liked the entrepreneurial spirit of being operators more. So, they got out.  They decided they liked beer and Southern Pines needed a craft brewery. Neither had brewing experience. Jason had business experience so he got tagged as CFO. That meant Micah had to learn to be a brewer.  An online course at Seibel, an onsite course at White Labs, and months of very long brew days in a garage, and they were ready to go live.  Southern Pines does doesn’t look like a military-themed brewery, but that’s because they’ve become part of the environment.

While we only showcased five veteran-owned breweries above, there are plenty more. Below is a compilation of the veteran-owned breweries that we know of, but please let us know if we’re missing any. Veterans are an entrepreneurial lot, and they like beer, and now you know where that leads.

 

14th Star Brewing	www.14thstarbrewing.com	St. Albans	VT
1st Republic Brewing	http://www.1strepublicbrewingco.com/	Burlington	VT
2 Silos Brewing	http://2silosbrewing.com/	Manassas	VA
3rd Rock Brewing	https://www.3rockbrew.com/	Trenton	NC
5×5 Brewing	http://www.5x5brewing.com/	Mission	TX
Aiken Brewing Company	http://www.aikenbrewingcompany.com/	Aiken	SC
Alameda Island Brewing	http://alamedaislandbrewingcompany.com/	Alameda	CA
Backward Flag Brewing	https://www.backwardflagbrewing.com/	Forked River	NJ
Barnett & Son Brewing	www.barnettandsonbrewing.com	Parker	CO
Barrels & Bottles Brewery	http://www.barrelsbottles.com/	Golden	CO
Bayou Teche Brewing	https://bayoutechebrewing.com/	Arnaudville	LA
Bear Roots Brewing	http://bearrootsbrewing.com/	Vista	CA
BearWaters Brewing Company	http://bearwatersbrewing.com/	Waynesville	NC
Big Bend Brewing	http://bigbendbrewing.com/	Alpine	TX
Big Frog Brewing	http://www.bigfrogbrewery.com/	Chattanooga	TN
Big Ugly Brewery	http://biguglybrewing.com/	Chesapeake	VA
Blacksite Brewing	https://blacksitebrewco.weebly.com/	San Antonio	TX
Blue Spruce Brewing	https://www.bluesprucebrewing.com/	Centennial	CO
Brass Brewing Company	https://www.brassbrewing.com/	Colorado Springs	CO
Bravery Brewing Company	http://braverybrewing.com/	Lancaster	CA
Brothers Craft Brewing	https://www.brotherscraftbrewing.com/	Harrisonburg	VA
Buffalo Mountain Brewing	https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloMountainBrewingCompany/	Floyd	VA
Chain-O-Lakes Brewing	https://chainolakesbrewing.com/	McHenry	IL
Collision Brewing	https://collisionbrewco.com/	Longmont	CO
Decipher Brewing	@decipherbrewing	Charlottesville	VA
Dog Tag Brewing	https://www.dogtagbrewing.org/	BOZEMAN	MT
Dragon Hops Brewing	https://www.facebook.com/DRAGONHOPS/	Purcellville	VA
Eluvium Brewing	http://eluviumbrewing.com/	Weaverville	NC
Fainting Goat Brewing	http://www.faintinggoatbeer.com/	Fuquay Varina	NC
Fair Winds Brewing	http://www.fairwindsbrewing.com/	Lorton	VA
Freak’N Brewing	http://freaknbrew.com/	Peoria	AZ
Frog Level Brewing	http://www.froglevelbrewing.com/	Waynesville	NC
Frolic Brewing	https://www.frolicbrewing.com/	Westminster	CO
Full Tilt Brewing	http://www.fulltiltbrewing.com/	Baltimore	MD
Goat Patch Brewing	https://www.goatpatchbrewing.com/	Colorado Springs	CO
Golden Coast Mead	https://www.goldencoastmead.com/	Oceanside	CA
Greenbrier Valley Brewing	http://www.gvbeer.com/	Maxwelton	WV
Growling Bear Brewing	http://growlingbearbrewing.com/GBB-N4/Home.aspx	Woodbridge	VA
Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing	https://www.hellnblazesbrewing.com/	Melbourne	FL
Heritage Brewing	https://heritagebrewing.com/age-check/?intended=%2F	Manassas	VA
Honor Brewing Company	http://www.honorbrewing.com/	Chantilly	VA
Iron Bird Brewing	http://www.ironbirdbrewing.com/	Colorado Springs	CO
Jaks Brewing Company	http://jaksbrewing.com/	Falcon	CO
JDub’s Brewing	http://www.jdubsbrewing.com/	Sarasota	FL
Launchpad Brewery	http://www.launchpadbrewery.com/	Aurora	CO
Left Hand Brewing	http://lefthandbrewing.com/	Longmont	CO
Loaded Question Brewing	https://www.loadedquestionbrewing.com/	Portsmouth	NH
Locavore Beer Works	http://www.locavorebeerworks.com/	Littleton	CO
NavVet Brewery	https://www.facebook.com/NavVetNanoBrewery/	Huntsville	OH
Odd Otter Brewing	https://oddotterbrewing.com/	Tacoma	WA
Outer Range Brewing	https://www.outerrange.com//	Frisco	CO
Peak to Peak Tap and Brew	http://peakbrews.com/	Aurora	CO
Pegasus City Brewery	https://www.pegasuscitybrewery.com/	Dallas	TX
Pikes Peak Brewing	https://pikespeakbrewing.com/	Monument	CO
Protector Brewery	https://protectorbrewery.com/	San Diego	CA
Railhouse Brewery	https://www.railhousebrewery.com/	Aberdeen	NC
Reaver Beach Brewing	http://www.reaverbeach.com/	Virgina Beach	VA
Red Leg Brewing	http://www.redlegbrewing.com/	Colorado Springs	CO
Rip Rap Brewing	http://www.riprapbrewing.com/	Norfolk	VA
Riverwatch Brewery	http://www.riverwatchbrewery.com/	Augusta	GA
RJ Rockers Brewing	http://www.rjrockers.com/	Spartanburg	SC
Rocket Frog Brewing	https://rocket-frog-brewing-co.mycloveronline.com/	Sterling	VA
Schubros Brewery	http://www.schubrosbrewery.com/	San Ramon	CA
Service Brewing	http://servicebrewing.com/	Savannah	GA
Slow Boat Brewery	http://www.slowboatbrewco.com/	Beijing	China
Smitty’s Brewing	http://smittysbrewing.com/	Bremerton	WA
Southern Pines Brewing	http://www.southernpinesbrewing.com/	Southern Pines	NC
Sparge Brewing	https://www.spargebrew.com/	Wellington	CO
Spencer Devon Brewing	https://www.spencerdevonbrewing.com/	Fredericksburg	VA
Talisman Brewing Company	https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/	Ogden	UT
Tattered Flag Brewery	https://tatteredflagbsw.com/	Middletown	PA
The Actual Brewing Company	https://www.actualbrewing.com/	Columbus	OH
The Bold Mariner Brewing Co.	http://www.boldmariner.com/	Norfolk	VA
The Explorium Brewpub	https://exploriumbrew.com/	Greendale	WI
Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery	http://www.thetopofthehill.com/	Chapel Hill	NC
Toppling Goliath Brewing	https://www.tgbrews.com/	Decorah	IA
Vagabond Brewing	http://www.vagabondbrewing.com/	Salem	OR
Vail Brewing	http://www.vailbrewingco.com/	Vail	CO
Veteran Brothers Brewing	http://www.veteranbrosbrewing.com/	Johnstown	CO
Veterans United Craft Brewery	https://www.vubrew.com/	Jacksonville	FL
WAORGANY Brewing	http://waorgany.com/	Evans Mills	NY
Warfighter Brewing	http://www.warfighterbeer.com/	Culver City	CA
Wicked Barley Brewing	http://www.wickedbarley.com/	Saint Johns	FL
Wild Blue Yonder Brewing	https://wildblueyonderbrewing.com/	Castle Rock	CO
Young Veterans Brewing	http://yvbc.com/	Virginia Beach	VA
Zebulon Artisan Ales	http://www.zebulonbrewing.com/	Weaverville	NC

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