# Sierra Nevada Brewing Company: Ken Grossman

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2020-03-30
- Length: 1h 06m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman

## Summary

Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, recounts building America's third-largest craft brewery from scratch in the late 1970s with partner Paul Camuzzi. Grossman details sourcing scrap dairy tanks and welding equipment himself, securing $50,000 through family loans, and obsessively refining the recipe for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to achieve consistency and a distinct hop profile. He explains the company's early distribution strategy of selling individual bottles to bypass draft tap limitations, navigating co-founder friction, and leveraging debt to buy out Camuzzi while avoiding venture capital to maintain independence.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=0) Introduction: Ken Grossman and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
- [5:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=351) Early Brewing and Homebrewing Origins
- [21:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=1318) Inspiration from Anchor and New Albion Breweries
- [25:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=1525) Raising Capital and Building Equipment from Scrap
- [39:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=2346) Refining Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Consistency
- [46:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=2775) Early Distribution and Bottle Sales Strategy
- [54:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=3263) Scaling Production and Buying Out Co-founder Paul Camuzzi
- [1:04:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-30-sierra-nevada-brewing-company-ken-grossman#t=3890) Long-term Success and Industry Challenges

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (company)
- Anchor Brewery (company)
- New Albion (company)
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (product)
- Cascade (material)
- UC Davis (company)
- San Francisco Chronicle (company)
- Grateful Dead (company)

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