December 9, 2025 • 15 mins
Our special guest is Sam Calagione, founder and CEO of Dogfish Head. 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the company. Sam discusses DH’s origin, merger with Boston Beer (Samuel Adams) and goals for the future.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Beverage Chronicles, the show where every poor tells
a story. I'm Gary montrusso my co host Michelle Lamb
is off this week. Each episode we bring you the
latest beverage news from around the corner and around the globe.
And whether we're talking about beer, wine, spirits, coffee, or
the nearest zero proof trends, we're here to keep you informed.
(00:30):
We're not just about the headlines. We're here to help
you make smarter choices, from insider buying tips to budget
friendly recommendations and seasonal must dries. Our goal here at
Beverage Chronicles is to guide you through the ever growing
world of drinks with confidence and curiosity. So settle in,
(00:52):
raise a glass, and join us as we explore the stories,
the people, and the flavors shaping today's beverage landscape. This
is Beverage Chronicles. Let's get started. And for me, I
love this particular episode because I was able to catch
up with a friend of gosh i'd say about thirty years,
a friend in the industry who who was a big
(01:14):
help in getting my career. My second career is what
this has started. So I hope you enjoy this segment
just as much as I did in recording it all
right and on beverage chronicles. I have a very very
special guest today, But before I introduce him, I do
want to say something that may embarrass him a little bit.
I met this man in the mid nineties, i'd say
(01:34):
around ninety five or ninety six, and reviewing beers. Critiquing
beers was brand new to me. I started doing that
in nineteen ninety three, writing for a local newspaper that
was probably read by dozens, I would imagine. And so
I met him and talked to him about what I
was doing, and I guess I don't think you realized it,
but he took me under his wing, and he gave
me some advice. He mentioned certain people that I should
(01:56):
be meeting, certain things I should be doing and should
not be doing, kind of kind of mentored me. And
I never mentioned that to him until now. And I
know he doesn't remember this because it's thirty years ago,
but I do want to tell him that I appreciate him,
first of all, as a professional, but more importantly as
a friend, and he's been that for me for thirty years.
When my book was published, I guess it was in
(02:17):
twenty ten, I asked him if he would write a
little dedication to it, and he did and it was
beautiful and I greatly appreciate it. This man's name is
Sam Kala Joan, who founded an iconic brewery called Dogfish Head.
I believe in ninety five. Is that correct, Sam, Holy correct.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
It's great to be here with you. Gary was that
first time we met. It was Philadelphia, it.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Was in Delaware. It was in Delaware, but we and
we talked and I told you what I was doing,
and you said, you know, these are some of the
steps you should take if you want to grow your brand.
And I listened to you, and I haven't mentioned that
to you in thirty years, but it meant a lot
to me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
And I probably appreciate my heart. And look at us,
we're both still here doing it that we love to do, evangelism,
evangelizing for great beer. So thanks for all your help
putting craft beer on the map in America.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Well, you've been I said, I think what's probably more
important to me is the fact that you've been a
friend to me. Obviously, you're putting out good product. I'm
never without Dogfish had products in my house. It's been
that way for thirty years, but I value our friendship
more than anything else.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
All right, thank you, and if we'll get started again.
We changed it the dog free she had started in
ninety five. It's thirty years. What motivated you to launch
at the time was one of America's smallest breweries And
did you ever imagine that the craft beer movement would
grow to what it is today? That's a two part
question for.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
You, right well, I mean, like for your listener's context,
when we opened, we were literally the smallest brewery at
that time in nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
We were the.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
First brewery to open in the first state, being Delaware,
since before prohibition. But for context, back in that year
of ninety five, there was only six hundred breweries in America,
And of course flash forward to today, there's over ten
thousand breweries in America and we're no longer the smallest.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I think we're like about.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Top thirty craft brewery brand. So it's been a wonderful, long,
strange trip. And to answer your first part of your question, we.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Never thought we would get this big.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Like I started, like with a ten gallon batch system
in the whole right restaurant, and I always wanted to
sell our beer coast to coast, but my imagination was
more around someday, maybe we'll sell five thousand barrels of beer.
And you know, that was my big, big, as big
as I could dream. And now we sell about two
hundred thousand cases or two hundred thousand barrels of beer,
(04:39):
and many many tens of thousands of cases of canned
cocktails and full proof spirit. So it's been as a
grateful dead one says, it's been a long, strange trip,
and I've enjoyed the ride.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
All right, let's let's move on. You've been known Dogfishead,
has been known for using unconventional ingredients, and you've been
a culinary inspiration in beer the process of coming up
with these unique recipes, How did you decide what new
ideas would make it to these brew kettles?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Well, we really you know, I'm a recovering English major
and one of my favorite authors was Ralph Waldo Emerson
and the Transcendentalists in general. But there's this quote from
him that's written large painted on every one of our
dog Fish buildings. It has really been the rallying cry
since we opened I won't read the I won't you know, say.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
The whole quote.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
But at the center of this is this concept of
going on an exploration of goodness and not following the
status quo. And so for us, knowing that we were
the smallest between the country, we didn't have much I
was twenty four years old when I wrote the business plan, Maria,
and I opened it when I was twenty five, So
I knew to stand out being that small that under
finance we couldn't afford ads in national publications. To get
(05:49):
onto the national radar, we had to make really compelling, unique,
you know, newsworthy frankly recipes. And that's what we sought
to do, is we looked where the was white space
and said, we're not going to brew traditional, you know,
European beer styles like most of the first gen craft brewers.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Instead, we're gonna look at the.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Global culinary landscape for ideas of weaving culinary ingredients from
around the globe into beer styles.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
In a way that's never been done before.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
And we still do that today with just as much
passion and technical prowess as we did when we were
a tiny little brewery.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Absolutely, and you've, as you mentioned you've expanded far beyond beer.
I had walked into a package good store, which I
did a couple of days ago, and I'm seeing so
many other beverages under the dogfish Head brand. And your
brand includes restaurants, distillery, clothing, a motel, so you're a
lifestyle brand. Did you predict that shift? Did you see
(06:47):
that happening? It's just part of the evolutionary process.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, I mean, we don't use that language a lot,
but I'm comfortable with that because, you know, I think
of you know, we're in the hospitality business, and even
though most of what we're selling is packaged you know,
versions of our recipes like cans of beer, bottles of liquor,
it really is still hospitality trying to bring joy to
people's lives. So very early in our journey, we more
(07:13):
from having you know, a rallying cry be off center
beer for off centered people, to be off centered goodness
for off centered people. So taking you know, nomenclature from
that Emerson quote, that exploration of goodness I mentioned, and
making that our rally and cry to say we're not
just about beer or about off center goodness, and that gives.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Us the luxury to id eight.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
You know, creative concepts, whether they be in the event space,
the hotel space, the distilled spirit space, the beer space,
the food recipe space. Mariah and myself, our head chefs,
are heading up to the James Beard House next week.
We're very proud of one of James Beer Award and
we're doing a whole James Beard themed dinner all around
Grateful Dead inspired dishes like you might find in a
(07:59):
part a lot like you did at the Spectrum at
the Spectrum fifty years ago, and bringing them into a
food pairing and beer pairing environment. So that's an event
that's very off centered. So our center doesn't just mean beer,
it means so much more to.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Us, absolutely, And speaking of that, either you always have
been a risk taker in what you're doing, and how
does risk take and creative risk taking, how do you
balance that with a sustainable competitive business, especially after the
merger with Boston Beer.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Yeah, so great question. I think what we've learned.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
You know, pre and post merger, gladly talked about the
merging with Boston Beer, but even pre or post merger
and Jim Cook, you know that who's the founder of
am Adams, feels the same way we you know, sell
ninety nine point four percent of the beverages we make
through the three tier system, through distributors, through retailers. But
we love our little tiny R and D breweries in Boston.
(08:54):
In Delaware, we own Angry Orchards, have a beautiful little
R and D cider making company along the Hudson in
New York. So the key I think to taking risks
is taking smart risks, and by that I mean we
use our smaller brewing systems and the interface with our
customers coming directly in our tap rooms, our restaurants, our bars,
our hotels, and that's where.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
We do the really big risk taking brewing.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Things that are so far outside of stylistic guidelines are using,
you know, ingredients that have never been used in beer before,
like monk fruit and black lines, and we test them
on a really small scale and we build excitement for them.
We own our marketing language around the responsor of the
people that try them in the facilities that we own,
and then we iterate on that and then that ends
(09:39):
up being the best of the best of those Lardy batches.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Is what we roll out nationally.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
So we don't take a risk on a unique concept
until We've really tested it in small batches in our
own facilities, much like a farm league of a professional
sports team, as a place to nurture promising, you know,
young athletes before they have the pressure of the world
in their shoulders and.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Moving on those lies. Collaborations have been important to you.
They've been vital to you, and that in the collaboration
we talked about the Grateful Dead we'll get into that again,
but also charities. I know this is such important, it's
such an importance to you. So we talked about the
Grateful Dead and their REX Foundation. Why do these collaborations
matter to you? Why is this important to your profile?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Well, I mean we've.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Always said, and granted, like most small startups there years
that we really struggle to just be profitable and sustainable.
In the first few years we just sent our noses
to the grindstone to get to profitability. But once we
got to profitability, you know, we've always believed in the
good comment that comes with focusing on you know, the
positive energy around collaboration, instead of the negative energy that
(10:44):
comes with focusing on competition. There's obviously always going to
be competition, and when you're David amongolias, as every craft
brewer is.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Uh, there's a lot.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
To look at for bigger competitors, but that takes you
off your own game if you're just always responding or
reflective or off of what the bigger guys are doing.
So we really don't spend much energy looking at what
bigger breweries do.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Instead, we look at brands that inspire.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Us, whether they're from our own industry and brands, bands, artists,
or they're from some other industry and we reach out
to them or sometimes they reach out to us and
we agree to do these collaborations, and it's really all
about giving back to the communities that excite us and
sustain us. So, you know, being music fans, it's obviously
exciting when we get to learn from the Flaming Lips
(11:33):
their creative process they're grateful dead or Miles Davis's family
telling us about his But you also mentioned the charitable
component and that, you know, Mariah deserves a lot of
credit for getting that off the ground. Once we were profitable,
we both said, all right, what are the best ways
we can get back to our community that's given us
the opportunity to grow sustainable business. So, you know, we've
(11:55):
got this. This weekend, we have our Analog of Go
Go Beer, a music fest. The will be all these
indie record stores down at our brewery and serving all
these beers and cocktails. But we've partnered with the biggest
sort of local arts initiative group and they're going to
create an installation at that festival and be beneficiaries of
the Analog Beer Festival. So it's a chance to show
(12:17):
off our own creativity, but also to shine a spotlight
on the amazing artists that are in our community and
very symbiotic in that in that.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Regard, absolutely amazing. I say, as we mentioned earlier, this
is year thirty or thirtieth anniversary. Did you ever think
it would get to this point.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Yeah, you know, because Garret, I never thought I'd be
able to work for anyone else. So I think I
always I think, I always hope this would be the
only job I've ever had. And so I'm very lucky
because I don't think I am employable because my resume
would essentially read he only did one jobs. So that
part of it has been really rewarding that I haven't
(12:55):
had a pivot in a career. But going back to
the fact that you know back you raise a question
that the topic of our merger with Boston Beer that
was about six or seven years ago, and you know,
we saw that moment. You mentioned Dogfish has long been
doing stuff outside of beer. That's true, and it's the
same with the Boston Beer Company. You know, the number
(13:15):
one cider in America, the Angry Orchard, number one FMB
with Twisted Tea, and Jim and I became great friends
right around when we opened our distillery, which is about
twenty five years ago, and we were both trying to
breath the strongest beer in the world.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
We became great friends. We collaborated a beer and.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
We just went to each other's facilities and saw that
our people were very similar.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
They love to have fun, but they love to compete.
We take what we do seriously.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
We don't take ourselves too seriously, and we had really
complimentary portfolio.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
So we decided that.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Merger about six and a half years ago. We're so
glad we did. As you know, craft beer is not
growing right now, but Dogfish as a brand is, so
it's our sun Cruiser brand, so it's our Angry Orchard brand,
and as you know, younger drinkers are less, you know,
so loyal to a single you know, beverage segment, much
less a single brand.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
They're way more promiscuous.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And so Dogfish always had a broad portfolio from spirits
to beers to cocktails. Well, now in our merger, we
have loggers, we have IPAs, we have t's, we have beer,
we have ciers. So it's wonderful to be in this
company that's got something for everyone at a moment when
younger drinkers are expecting to be surprised by something they've
(14:28):
never had before.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
So what you heard was most of the interview with
Sam Kala John. Unfortunately, because if time considerations, we had
to shorten it. But if you want to hear the
entire interview, just go to our website at www. Beverage
Chronicles dot com. So that's it for this week. Gary
Montroso here saying we'll be back next week with another
(14:51):
brand new episode take care of You One
Welcome to Beverage Chronicles, the show where every poor tells
a story. I'm Gary montrusso my co host Michelle Lamb
is off this week. Each episode we bring you the
latest beverage news from around the corner and around the globe.
And whether we're talking about beer, wine, spirits, coffee, or
the nearest zero proof trends, we're here to keep you informed.
(00:30):
We're not just about the headlines. We're here to help
you make smarter choices, from insider buying tips to budget
friendly recommendations and seasonal must dries. Our goal here at
Beverage Chronicles is to guide you through the ever growing
world of drinks with confidence and curiosity. So settle in,
(00:52):
raise a glass, and join us as we explore the stories,
the people, and the flavors shaping today's beverage landscape. This
is Beverage Chronicles. Let's get started. And for me, I
love this particular episode because I was able to catch
up with a friend of gosh i'd say about thirty years,
a friend in the industry who who was a big
(01:14):
help in getting my career. My second career is what
this has started. So I hope you enjoy this segment
just as much as I did in recording it all
right and on beverage chronicles. I have a very very
special guest today, But before I introduce him, I do
want to say something that may embarrass him a little bit.
I met this man in the mid nineties, i'd say
(01:34):
around ninety five or ninety six, and reviewing beers. Critiquing
beers was brand new to me. I started doing that
in nineteen ninety three, writing for a local newspaper that
was probably read by dozens, I would imagine. And so
I met him and talked to him about what I
was doing, and I guess I don't think you realized it,
but he took me under his wing, and he gave
me some advice. He mentioned certain people that I should
(01:56):
be meeting, certain things I should be doing and should
not be doing, kind of kind of mentored me. And
I never mentioned that to him until now. And I
know he doesn't remember this because it's thirty years ago,
but I do want to tell him that I appreciate him,
first of all, as a professional, but more importantly as
a friend, and he's been that for me for thirty years.
When my book was published, I guess it was in
(02:17):
twenty ten, I asked him if he would write a
little dedication to it, and he did and it was
beautiful and I greatly appreciate it. This man's name is
Sam Kala Joan, who founded an iconic brewery called Dogfish Head.
I believe in ninety five. Is that correct, Sam, Holy correct.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
It's great to be here with you. Gary was that
first time we met. It was Philadelphia, it.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Was in Delaware. It was in Delaware, but we and
we talked and I told you what I was doing,
and you said, you know, these are some of the
steps you should take if you want to grow your brand.
And I listened to you, and I haven't mentioned that
to you in thirty years, but it meant a lot
to me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
And I probably appreciate my heart. And look at us,
we're both still here doing it that we love to do, evangelism,
evangelizing for great beer. So thanks for all your help
putting craft beer on the map in America.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Well, you've been I said, I think what's probably more
important to me is the fact that you've been a
friend to me. Obviously, you're putting out good product. I'm
never without Dogfish had products in my house. It's been
that way for thirty years, but I value our friendship
more than anything else.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
All right, thank you, and if we'll get started again.
We changed it the dog free she had started in
ninety five. It's thirty years. What motivated you to launch
at the time was one of America's smallest breweries And
did you ever imagine that the craft beer movement would
grow to what it is today? That's a two part
question for.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
You, right well, I mean, like for your listener's context,
when we opened, we were literally the smallest brewery at
that time in nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
We were the.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
First brewery to open in the first state, being Delaware,
since before prohibition. But for context, back in that year
of ninety five, there was only six hundred breweries in America,
And of course flash forward to today, there's over ten
thousand breweries in America and we're no longer the smallest.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I think we're like about.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Top thirty craft brewery brand. So it's been a wonderful, long,
strange trip. And to answer your first part of your question, we.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Never thought we would get this big.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Like I started, like with a ten gallon batch system
in the whole right restaurant, and I always wanted to
sell our beer coast to coast, but my imagination was
more around someday, maybe we'll sell five thousand barrels of beer.
And you know, that was my big, big, as big
as I could dream. And now we sell about two
hundred thousand cases or two hundred thousand barrels of beer,
(04:39):
and many many tens of thousands of cases of canned
cocktails and full proof spirit. So it's been as a
grateful dead one says, it's been a long, strange trip,
and I've enjoyed the ride.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
All right, let's let's move on. You've been known Dogfishead,
has been known for using unconventional ingredients, and you've been
a culinary inspiration in beer the process of coming up
with these unique recipes, How did you decide what new
ideas would make it to these brew kettles?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Well, we really you know, I'm a recovering English major
and one of my favorite authors was Ralph Waldo Emerson
and the Transcendentalists in general. But there's this quote from
him that's written large painted on every one of our
dog Fish buildings. It has really been the rallying cry
since we opened I won't read the I won't you know, say.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
The whole quote.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
But at the center of this is this concept of
going on an exploration of goodness and not following the
status quo. And so for us, knowing that we were
the smallest between the country, we didn't have much I
was twenty four years old when I wrote the business plan, Maria,
and I opened it when I was twenty five, So
I knew to stand out being that small that under
finance we couldn't afford ads in national publications. To get
(05:49):
onto the national radar, we had to make really compelling, unique,
you know, newsworthy frankly recipes. And that's what we sought
to do, is we looked where the was white space
and said, we're not going to brew traditional, you know,
European beer styles like most of the first gen craft brewers.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Instead, we're gonna look at the.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Global culinary landscape for ideas of weaving culinary ingredients from
around the globe into beer styles.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
In a way that's never been done before.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
And we still do that today with just as much
passion and technical prowess as we did when we were
a tiny little brewery.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Absolutely, and you've, as you mentioned you've expanded far beyond beer.
I had walked into a package good store, which I
did a couple of days ago, and I'm seeing so
many other beverages under the dogfish Head brand. And your
brand includes restaurants, distillery, clothing, a motel, so you're a
lifestyle brand. Did you predict that shift? Did you see
(06:47):
that happening? It's just part of the evolutionary process.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, I mean, we don't use that language a lot,
but I'm comfortable with that because, you know, I think
of you know, we're in the hospitality business, and even
though most of what we're selling is packaged you know,
versions of our recipes like cans of beer, bottles of liquor,
it really is still hospitality trying to bring joy to
people's lives. So very early in our journey, we more
(07:13):
from having you know, a rallying cry be off center
beer for off centered people, to be off centered goodness
for off centered people. So taking you know, nomenclature from
that Emerson quote, that exploration of goodness I mentioned, and
making that our rally and cry to say we're not
just about beer or about off center goodness, and that gives.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Us the luxury to id eight.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
You know, creative concepts, whether they be in the event space,
the hotel space, the distilled spirit space, the beer space,
the food recipe space. Mariah and myself, our head chefs,
are heading up to the James Beard House next week.
We're very proud of one of James Beer Award and
we're doing a whole James Beard themed dinner all around
Grateful Dead inspired dishes like you might find in a
(07:59):
part a lot like you did at the Spectrum at
the Spectrum fifty years ago, and bringing them into a
food pairing and beer pairing environment. So that's an event
that's very off centered. So our center doesn't just mean beer,
it means so much more to.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Us, absolutely, And speaking of that, either you always have
been a risk taker in what you're doing, and how
does risk take and creative risk taking, how do you
balance that with a sustainable competitive business, especially after the
merger with Boston Beer.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Yeah, so great question. I think what we've learned.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
You know, pre and post merger, gladly talked about the
merging with Boston Beer, but even pre or post merger
and Jim Cook, you know that who's the founder of
am Adams, feels the same way we you know, sell
ninety nine point four percent of the beverages we make
through the three tier system, through distributors, through retailers. But
we love our little tiny R and D breweries in Boston.
(08:54):
In Delaware, we own Angry Orchards, have a beautiful little
R and D cider making company along the Hudson in
New York. So the key I think to taking risks
is taking smart risks, and by that I mean we
use our smaller brewing systems and the interface with our
customers coming directly in our tap rooms, our restaurants, our bars,
our hotels, and that's where.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
We do the really big risk taking brewing.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Things that are so far outside of stylistic guidelines are using,
you know, ingredients that have never been used in beer before,
like monk fruit and black lines, and we test them
on a really small scale and we build excitement for them.
We own our marketing language around the responsor of the
people that try them in the facilities that we own,
and then we iterate on that and then that ends
(09:39):
up being the best of the best of those Lardy batches.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Is what we roll out nationally.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
So we don't take a risk on a unique concept
until We've really tested it in small batches in our
own facilities, much like a farm league of a professional
sports team, as a place to nurture promising, you know,
young athletes before they have the pressure of the world
in their shoulders and.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Moving on those lies. Collaborations have been important to you.
They've been vital to you, and that in the collaboration
we talked about the Grateful Dead we'll get into that again,
but also charities. I know this is such important, it's
such an importance to you. So we talked about the
Grateful Dead and their REX Foundation. Why do these collaborations
matter to you? Why is this important to your profile?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Well, I mean we've.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Always said, and granted, like most small startups there years
that we really struggle to just be profitable and sustainable.
In the first few years we just sent our noses
to the grindstone to get to profitability. But once we
got to profitability, you know, we've always believed in the
good comment that comes with focusing on you know, the
positive energy around collaboration, instead of the negative energy that
(10:44):
comes with focusing on competition. There's obviously always going to
be competition, and when you're David amongolias, as every craft
brewer is.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Uh, there's a lot.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
To look at for bigger competitors, but that takes you
off your own game if you're just always responding or
reflective or off of what the bigger guys are doing.
So we really don't spend much energy looking at what
bigger breweries do.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Instead, we look at brands that inspire.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Us, whether they're from our own industry and brands, bands, artists,
or they're from some other industry and we reach out
to them or sometimes they reach out to us and
we agree to do these collaborations, and it's really all
about giving back to the communities that excite us and
sustain us. So, you know, being music fans, it's obviously
exciting when we get to learn from the Flaming Lips
(11:33):
their creative process they're grateful dead or Miles Davis's family
telling us about his But you also mentioned the charitable
component and that, you know, Mariah deserves a lot of
credit for getting that off the ground. Once we were profitable,
we both said, all right, what are the best ways
we can get back to our community that's given us
the opportunity to grow sustainable business. So, you know, we've
(11:55):
got this. This weekend, we have our Analog of Go
Go Beer, a music fest. The will be all these
indie record stores down at our brewery and serving all
these beers and cocktails. But we've partnered with the biggest
sort of local arts initiative group and they're going to
create an installation at that festival and be beneficiaries of
the Analog Beer Festival. So it's a chance to show
(12:17):
off our own creativity, but also to shine a spotlight
on the amazing artists that are in our community and
very symbiotic in that in that.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Regard, absolutely amazing. I say, as we mentioned earlier, this
is year thirty or thirtieth anniversary. Did you ever think
it would get to this point.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Yeah, you know, because Garret, I never thought I'd be
able to work for anyone else. So I think I
always I think, I always hope this would be the
only job I've ever had. And so I'm very lucky
because I don't think I am employable because my resume
would essentially read he only did one jobs. So that
part of it has been really rewarding that I haven't
(12:55):
had a pivot in a career. But going back to
the fact that you know back you raise a question
that the topic of our merger with Boston Beer that
was about six or seven years ago, and you know,
we saw that moment. You mentioned Dogfish has long been
doing stuff outside of beer. That's true, and it's the
same with the Boston Beer Company. You know, the number
(13:15):
one cider in America, the Angry Orchard, number one FMB
with Twisted Tea, and Jim and I became great friends
right around when we opened our distillery, which is about
twenty five years ago, and we were both trying to
breath the strongest beer in the world.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
We became great friends. We collaborated a beer and.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
We just went to each other's facilities and saw that
our people were very similar.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
They love to have fun, but they love to compete.
We take what we do seriously.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
We don't take ourselves too seriously, and we had really
complimentary portfolio.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
So we decided that.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Merger about six and a half years ago. We're so
glad we did. As you know, craft beer is not
growing right now, but Dogfish as a brand is, so
it's our sun Cruiser brand, so it's our Angry Orchard brand,
and as you know, younger drinkers are less, you know,
so loyal to a single you know, beverage segment, much
less a single brand.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
They're way more promiscuous.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And so Dogfish always had a broad portfolio from spirits
to beers to cocktails. Well, now in our merger, we
have loggers, we have IPAs, we have t's, we have beer,
we have ciers. So it's wonderful to be in this
company that's got something for everyone at a moment when
younger drinkers are expecting to be surprised by something they've
(14:28):
never had before.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
So what you heard was most of the interview with
Sam Kala John. Unfortunately, because if time considerations, we had
to shorten it. But if you want to hear the
entire interview, just go to our website at www. Beverage
Chronicles dot com. So that's it for this week. Gary
Montroso here saying we'll be back next week with another
(14:51):
brand new episode take care of You One
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