290: Jason Spaulding of Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf is Getting Comfortable With Less

Jason Spaulding, cofounder of Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf Brewery, has been around the block. He cofounded his first brewery, New Holland, in the mid-90’s, and after exiting that brewery and spending time away from the brewing industry, launched Brewery Vivant with his wife Kris about twelve years ago. Operating a brewery with a niche focus comes with benefits as well as challenges, but Vivant has always focused on beer, food, and hospitality with a particular bit of Wallonian-like flair. Their take on Belgian-style beers is a bit more earthy and a touch more subdued than the American norm, but their audience has followed along.

There’s a temptation in every business to chase growth, no matter the cost, and Brewery Vivant followed the same book that everyone followed through the early 2010’s. They put beer into grocery stores through distributors, and when distributors told them which beers to make more of, or make less of, they had no choice but to listen. Rather than dilute the Brewery Vivant brand with styles that didn’t feel germane, they launched a second brewpub out in the ‘burbs (Broad Leaf) dedicated to progressive styles like hazy IPA and fruited kettle sours. Then, through COVID, the bottom all but dropped out. They made it through, but the broader conditions were an existence-level threat.

Now, the Spauldings are rethinking why, and how, they make beer. The larger 60bbl tanks that required three turns on their 20bbl brewhouse, have gone and are being replaced by a pair of 20bbl tanks. Rather than feeding the distribution beast, they’re refocusing on making the beer their customers want in the quantity they want it, and packaging any extra that isn’t earmarked for their own locations. It’s been a tough to scale back the earlier aspirations, but the health of the business requires it, and the ability to be dynamic and creative at this smaller scale is creating a new excitement.

This isn’t a typical episode of the podcast, more business than brewing, but it’s honest look at how this long-time craft brewer is taking on the challenge of the beer business, now.

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