History

Angie, Larry, Adam and Ellie

Incorporated in September 1993, Avery Brewing Company is the culmination of several years of homebrewing experimentation by Adam Avery, President/Brewmaster, to perfect the recipes for Redpoint Amber Ale, Ellie's Brown Ale, and Out of Bounds Stout. Production and sale of these three flagship beers began utilizing a 7 barrel brewhouse and 7 barrel Gundy tanks as fermenters and bright tanks. Out of Bounds Stout won a gold medal in 1994 in the category of dry stouts at the largest beer tasting event in North America, the Great American Beer Festival, held annually in Denver.

In 1995, as production increased, the 7 bbl Gundy tanks were replaced with four 30 bbl tanks and the DE filter size was increased. A Meheen bottling machine was added along with a labeling machine for our 22 oz. bottles. In June, 14'er ESB (Extra Special Bitter) was created. 14'er ESB is named for the 54 Colorado peaks that rise above 14,000 feet in elevation.

Six-packs became available in 1996 with the purchase of a Meheen 12 oz. bottling machine. Also, the first batch of Avery IPA (India Pale Ale) was brewed. Sales of Avery IPA have grown to the point that it has replaced Ellie's Brown as our best selling beer. Hopheads Unite!

Three 80 bbl unitanks were added in 1997. The size of the brewery was doubled, from 2,500 sq. ft. to 5,000 sq. ft. Old Jubilation Ale, an English Strong Ale, was released as our holiday seasonal in October 1997.

In January 1999, New World Porter was introduced as our spring seasonal, closely followed in March by Hog Heaven, an aggresively dry-hopped Barleywine that helped breed a new genre of over-the-top, hoppy beers in American brewing.

Steadily increasing sales necessitated the replacement of our 7 bbl brewhouse with a 40 bbl JV Northwest brewhouse in 2000. This also required the addition of a boiler. The Reverend, a Belgian-style Quadrupel Ale, was ordained in December 2000. About this same time a 50,000 lb. grain silo was installed.

An 80 bbl unitank was added in 2002, allowing us to produce 4,000 bbl/yr. Early in the year, Salvation, a Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale, saw the light. January 2003 saw the coronation of The Czar, a Russian Imperial Stout. If the initial reviews on ratebeer.com are any indication, he'll be in power for many years!

Two 120 bbl unitanks were installed in September, 2003, which doubles our capacity to 8,000 bbl/yr. Our 10th Anniversary Ale, which is an Imperial IPA named Ten, was brewed in the summer. An authentic (Curacao orange peel and coriander!) Belgian Wheat, aka White, called White Rascal, was added to our year round line-up as well. To end the year 2003, we added 2,000 sq. ft. of cold storage to aid in the distribution of our fine products across the country.

2006 saw the installation of two 240bbl outdoor fermentation tanks and the replacement of our two Meheen bottling machines with a custom built, Italian designed bottling line capable of running at speeds up to 115 bottles per minute. These capital improvements--along with increasing the staff to a total of 15 full-time employees--have enabled the brewery to expand our production to 13,000 barrels per year, with distribution in over 30 states and parts of Europe. While we continue to expand capacity and distribution each year, our true passion continues to be the crafting of aggressive, flavorful beers that challenge both styles and pallates.