Producer: 14th Star Brewing Co.
Location: St. Albans, VT
Found at the Littleton Co-op: Maple Breakfast Stout
Website: 14thstarbrewing.com
Many entrepreneurs have stories of their ideas starting on cocktail napkins or scraps of paper; a burst of inspiration that needed to be written down at the kitchen counter, at the bar, or wherever they happened to be at that time. For Steve Gagner and Matt Kehaya, the idea went on the back of a notebook on the battlefields of Afghanistan. While on their second deployment together, the longtime friends used downtime to plan for life after the military, ultimately recognizing the community that is created around beer, and the relaxing atmosphere it can create to balance the pressures of military life. While 14th Star Brewing takes its name from Vermont – playing on the state being the 14th to join the Union– it gives back locally tenfold. Since the beginning it was never just about beer. The co-founders say “we wanted to ensure the brewery is used as a mechanism to make our communities a better place. Not just our local community, but our veterans communities.”
When co-founder Steve began homebrewing, he was simply trying to copy existing craft brews he admired. Fast-forward and now not only is he a Vermont Small Business Person of the Year award winner, 14th Star Brewing Co. is producing world-class, worldwide recognized craft beer worth copying by the next up-and-comer.
Status of product availability at the Littleton Co-op, and labeling of producers (such as local, Black-Owned Business, NH-made, etc) and product status or ingredients (gluten-free, vegan, etc) is based on available information at time of publication. The food world is an ever-changing landscape and information presented here may not reflect the most up-to-date information available.
