I joined The Bruery as employee number two. Craft beer at the time was tiny. The category we now think of as "craft" barely existed outside of a few regional pockets. We weren't fighting for shelf space. We were fighting to explain what the hell craft beer even was, why a bottle cost what it cost, and why anyone should care.
The big idea: sell direct, sell membership.
Our founder had a hunch that the people who would eventually fall in love with craft beer wouldn't just buy it. They'd join it. So we launched the Reserve Society, an annual membership where superfans paid up front for twelve large-format, members-only beers, plus first access to limited releases, tasting room privileges, and invitations to events. Think of it as a wine club for people who'd rather drink barrel-aged stout.
At the time, almost no one in the beer industry was doing membership. Distribution agreements made it legally complicated, fulfillment was a logistical nightmare, and the conventional wisdom said craft beer drinkers wanted variety, not commitment. The conventional wisdom was wrong.
Then we added Black Tuesday.
Every year, on the last Tuesday of October, we released a single beer. A bourbon-barrel-aged imperial stout called Black Tuesday. One day a year. Limited bottles. Members got first dibs.
It became a pilgrimage. People flew in. Lines wrapped around the building. The beer was ranked #3 in the world on RateBeer for multiple years running. Each release sold out within hours and generated over $500,000 in single-day revenue.
"Each release sells out in a single day, driving over $500,000 in revenue."
What I'd say about my role.
I was part of this from day one. We were a tiny team, fewer than ten people, and the Reserve Society started about as scrappy as a business can start. Paper signup forms. No tech, no platform. Just entrepreneurial hustle and a hunch that people would pay up front for something special. It grew from there into something truly magical.
The founder set the direction, and we built it together. I owned brand and marketing for every release, ran the email and content programs, shaped the structure and member experience of the Society itself, and helped keep the wholesale business growing alongside the membership side. Over eight years I had a hand in nearly every campaign that went out the door.
The Reserve Society became the largest direct-to-consumer solution in the entire beer industry. It expanded into a multi-tier platform with bi-coastal distribution hubs, generated millions in annual revenue, helped the company hit top-of-market production margins, and ultimately set the stage for The Bruery's acquisition. None of that is mine alone. But I was one of the people who put it all together, from inception through execution.