Avid beer lover and previous software developer Philip Brandes has, what many would call, a well-reasoned philosophy on beer: you should drink them fast and you drink them cold.
Anyone who’s ever had a beer can agree. Yet, around 2014, Brandes noticed many breweries were amping-up their alcohol content and creating boozier and boozier brews. Beers were quickly turning into cocktails, and no longer could you enjoy a few after a long day.
“You’re drunk after a sip or two,” Brandes said. “Unfortunately, my friend who really loved craft beer developed a problem and got to a place where his family gave him an ultimatum- it was them or the beer.”
Brandes saw an opportunity to help his friend and simultaneously saw a trend in younger drinkers that shied away from heavy intoxication. Millennials and Zillenials are experienced based people who don’t want to be stuck in bed nursing a hangover the day after a party, Brandes reasoned.
So, Philip ditched his job as a software developer, learned home-brewing from a friend, and spent the next year developing the best tasting non-alcoholic beer the market has ever seen.
Then, in 2015, Brandes founded Bravus Brewing Company, a name derived from combining the words “brave” and “us.”
“Our process has been our biggest success,” Brandes said. “Instead of taking out the alcohol, which is how most producers do it, we simply don't create a the alcohol in the first place. This delivers all the flavor and aromas that come with delicious craft beer."
The result? Brandes says he hasn’t been able to ever make enough of this stuff.
Brandes hopes to expand to international markets one day, as well as produce other great tasting products in the non-alcoholic space. In the meantime, Philip and the Bravus team hope to continue brewing their way to the top of the non-alcoholic beer category and providing their customers with life-changing NA craft brews.
