Meet Braxton Brewing: a family-run brewery founded in Covington, KY by two brothers, Evan and Jacob Rouse, their father, Greg Rouse, and one insanely experienced brewmaster, Richard Dubé.
Conceived in a garage, Braxton Brewing was born out of the simple desire to make great beer for a local marketplace. But anyone who has the chance to spend even a few hours with the Braxton founders will notice one common trait: all four partners are deeply passionate about the business of beer and share an entrepreneurial obsession that not only bonds them together, but drives them each to learn more about their craft.
It was that desire to perfect every facet of their business that helped the company emerge victorious at our Startup Brewery Challenge, held in June, and it’s a defining characteristic of what continues to drive them today.
Behind Brewmaster Richard Dubé — who has more than 34 years of brewing experience at companies like Molson, Labatt and Boston Beer — Braxton impressed our Startup Brewery Challenge judges and earned an all-expenses paid trip to Portland, Ore. to brew with, and learn from, the team at Craft Brew Alliance.
Brewbound followed the Braxton team to the Pacific Northwest, to document, on film, what it’s like for a group of scrappy startup brewers to be granted an all-access pass inside one of the country’s largest craft beer outfits.
In episode 001 of Brewbound’s new documentary series, viewers will be introduced to the Braxton crew and get a taste of the intense, three-day learning experience awarded to winners of the Startup Brewery Challenge.
This is Learning Curve 001.