Sierra Nevada: Ken Grossman

Ken Grossman is a very popular man in Chico. Why is that? If you have never heard of him, in 1979, Ken Grossman began building a small brewery in the town of Chico, California. His goal was to brew exceptional ales and lagers. The following is some more information about Ken and how he has got to where he is today.

According to him, Ken’s passion for brewing began when a friend showed him the basics of home brewing. Using homemade equipment, Ken began brewing five-gallon batches of beer on his own in his own home, and soon became a skilled home brewer. In 1976, after studying chemistry and physics at Butte Community College and California State University at Chico, Ken opened his own business, The Home Brew Shop. He supplied Chico’s home-brewing community with equipment, materials, and advice, but had a dream of opening his own brewery one day.

Two years later, Ken was ready to make the dream a reality. Ken and co-founder Paul Camusi created a brewery together from dairy tanks, a soft-drink bottler, and equipment salvaged from outdated breweries. Though the equipment was secondhand, they created a first-rate microbrewery. The ingredients were premium, including the copious quantities of hops that would become the brewery’s trademark. An avid backpacker, Ken named the new company for his favorite hiking grounds—the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

Today, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is considered the premier craft brewery in the United States. And the beer you may ask? Critics proclaim it “Among the best brewed anywhere in the world.”  To this day, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. remains true to its roots. Ken is still personally involved in every aspect of brewery operation. Ken talked about quality control and how it is very important in their business. He is careful to maintain the quality of his product. I think that is why it is such a popular beer and with a good reputation. He also mentioned how  the company has grown considerably. He shared financial numbers and production rates that Sierra nevada produces compared to when they first started and it was antonishing. He discussed the brewery itself as well, showing us how much they produce. The last and most interesting point I thought was interesting was reducing emissions from his factory and reducing their carbon footprint here on earth. Ken was concerned about his impact on the environment which we often do not hear enough. I thought this was very interesting.

After sitting and listening to Ken and his story, I thought it was very inspirational how he had made his passion into such a success.  He had expanded his knowledge further through attending school and had made his dream come true. I did some research before hand to get some background information on him to get a better idea of what to expect, but it was a lot better to hear it from him and his perspectives.  I believe that this man’s story shows that if you are passionate about something, it can take you anywhere you would like it to.