#killerteam

Two years. I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they are surprised it’s only been two years. For us, it feels a lot longer! Especially given the amount of time we spent planning, looking for a building, finding the right people, etc. before our official launch in March 2016. But, what a two years it has been!

We’ve busted our butts to pump out some great beer and grow as a company in every way imaginable. We’ve invested every dime we’ve made back in to making more beer, improving our taproom experience and improving our beer quality. We’ve also cemented who we are as a company and where we want to take things – defined in our mission, vision and core values.

Year Two Stats

Beer packaged: 6,000 barrels

Number of employees (full+part-time): 27

Amount of money and product donated to community organizations: $29,000

Distribution markets: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Northshore, Houma, Lafayette

Festival sponsorships: Bayou Booglaoo, Hogs for the Cause, Fete Francaise, YEP Fest, Chili in the Channel, Moonlight Market and many others

Community sponsorships: Big Easy Rollergirls, Urban South Bicycle Racing Team, New Orleans Disc Association, Community Records, United Bakery Records and many more

Voted #1 Taproom Experience by the Church of the Sacred Brew

Voted #3 Best Local Brewery in Gambit’s Best of New Orleans

Voted best crawfish in New Orleans by my Uncle Carl

National Beer Awards

U.S. Open Beer Championships – Gold Medal for 2nd Set Pilsner

Beer Army Beer Wars – Gold Medal for Charming Wit

Beer Army Beer Wars – Gold Medal for Ca Phe

Some folks have asked how we’ve done it. I think we can boil it down to some key principles:

Incredible partners. Our distributors and retailers have embraced local craft beer, and we’ve worked hand-in-hand to prove to folks that you don’t need to look far to find great product.

Receptive customers. The craft beer community in Louisiana is strong and growing. That’s what we love most about this endeavor - the chance to put delicious beer for every occasion in the hands of all types of folks.

Killer team. You can’t run this hard and this fast without exceptional people. From our taproom staff all the way to our brewers - we have kind, hard-working and passionate people.

Great beer. Our mission and vision include the ambition to make world-class beer and become one of the South’s most respected breweries. When something works, we run with it. When something doesn’t, we fix it.

Year Ahead

We are at 100% max capacity, and we can’t make enough beer to satisfy the market. So we’re putting a plan together to address this challenge and opportunity. We’re working on a significant cellar expansion along with the installation of a centrifuge and new/faster/better canning line. These improvements will put us on a strong trajectory to continue growing. You’ll also see a deeper focus on Louisiana growth. We still think there’s big potential here, and before we launch distribution anywhere else, we want to make certain that our own backyard has access to as much of our beer as they can handle.

We’re also finally installing a 7-barrel pilot system that will allow us to continue pumping out cutting-edge beers. Expect a regular pipeline of collaborations, hazy IPAs, fruited sours and traditional German and Belgian expressions. The system is decoction-capable, so we’ll get to take brewing back to its roots with those styles.