Zephyr Brewing goes crowdfunding route to jumpstart operations

Studies show that every single group of friends, at some point in time, talks seriously about trying to open their own bar. Many never get past that “No, seriously, dude, we should do this,” stage, but childhood friends Brian Wood, Tyler Shuey and Rich Wisniewski are among the few following through.

Their brain child, Zephyr Brewing Co., is the newest local brewery to join the craft beer neighborhood in the RiNo district of Denver. Wood and Shuey, engineers educated at the University of Colorado and long-time homebrewers, will head up the brewing operations, while Wisniewski, a bar manager, will be running the front of the house.

Zephyr Brewing Co. is one of the growing list of brewers going the crowdfunding route to help turn their dreams into reality. The Zephyr team is using CrowdBrewed to launch its campaign, which is a donation/reward crowdfunding platform for craft brewers and industry affiliates who want to raise money for their breweries, to add new beers to their catalog, pitch a product and to spread the word to the “crowd.” Zephyr is right now at 7 percent of its $15,000 goal.

CrowdBrewed broke records with its previous campaigns, raising double the intended amount for J Wakefield Brewing Co. at nearly $112,000. CrowdBrewed is optimistic that Zephyr Brewing Co. will receive the same public excitement for their brewing dreams.

Zephyr Brewing Co.’s rewards for those chipping in include: a Zephyr pint glass, a sticker, a magnet and a free pint for $20; a limited edition T-shirt and a free pint of beer every day for an entire year for $300; and, for larger contributors, the company is giving the option to have their very own beer on tap in Denver, as the buyer and a friend can join Zephyr Brewing Co. on a brew day to participate in a 7-barrel brew. Beer enthusiasts better get ready.

Any other breweries, or prospective breweries, going the crowdfunding route? We are starting to work on a feature looking at the strategy and would love to hear about your experiences. Email us at [email protected].