Space-themed SLO County brewery is making some of best ales in US: ‘Brewing at its peak’
A small brewery in San Luis Obispo County is quietly producing some of the best beers in the United States.
Apogee Brewing Co. in Grover Beach is run by a team of former aerospace engineers who use math to create quality craft beers.
The brewery at 191 South Oak Park Blvd. opened its doors in early 2022.
From the beginning, the goal has been to introduce the community to stellar beer styles from around the world.
“We have American beers. We have a lot of European beers. We have Belgian beers,” said Everett Henderson, Apogee Brewing’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer. “That’s what we wanted to be. We want people to enjoy a variety of beers and get back to what beer is supposed to be.”
Henderson and his partners named their brewery Apogee, after the scientific term for the highest achievable point in orbit, to showcase where its brews are heading, according to CEO and head brewer Jeff Claxton.
How aerospace engineers became craft beer brewers
Even though Apogee Brewing launched less than three years ago, the brewers behind it have been tweaking their beer recipes for decades.
Claxton vividly recalled trying the beer that changed his career trajectory.
He was on a ski trip in Europe in the early 1980s when he was handed a Belgian tripel, a style of beer known for its pale gold coloring and dry, strong ale taste. Claxton was stunned by the flavor.
He searched for similar beers in the United States but failed to find anything as tasty as what he had sampled abroad.
After years of disappointment, Claxton decided to start brewing his own Belgian-style beer in the back of his garage.
“I made my first Belgian triple in 1994 for my first wedding,” Claxton said. “I thought it sucked, but everybody said, ‘This is the best beer I’ve ever had.’ ”
During the day, he worked as an aerospace engineer at what is now Vandenberg Space Force Base. At night and on the weekends, he and his coworkers crafted unique brews at home.
When did brewery open in SLO County?
Claxton was two years away from retirement when he learned of a business closing in his backyard.
Bittersweet Brewing in Grover Beach was looking to sell.
Claxton and his homebrew buddies were frequent customers of the establishment, and the opportunity meant they could finally bring their Belgian-style beers to the public.
Claxton, Henderson and five other partners made the leap and opened Apogee Brewing in January 2022.
Nearly three years in, the brewery touts a host of Belgian-style beers and India pales ales, as well as several seasonal brews.
Inside, Claxton and his partners have combined their interests into a quirky aesthetic — paintings of rocket ships decorate the walls, along with depictions of the beermaking process. A door to the bathroom looks like the TARDIS, the time-traveling spacecraft from “Doctor Who.”
According to Claxton and Henderson, the community has happily backed the micro-brewery.
On Monday nights, Apogee Brewery is typically a packed house where locals sip on brews and a range of vinyl albums are played in the background, Claxton said.
“They’re the heart and soul of the brewery,” Henderson said. “Our customers mean everything to us, and they’re the backbone of the brewery.”
Apogee Brewing sets sights on Academy Awards of beer
In October, Apogee Brewing entered the Great American Beer Festival in Denver for its third year in a row.
In the brewery world, the nationwide competition is heralded as the Academy Awards of craft beer.
“(Medals) are recognized around the world as symbols of brewing excellence,” the festival website said.
This year, the festival featured more than 9,000 beers and ciders from all 50 states.
Apogee Brewing previously won a bronze medal for its beer Space Cadet in 2022 and a bronze medal for Hubble Dubbel in 2023.
This time around, everyone was focused on taking home the big prize: Brewery of the Year.
“We did everything that we could,” Claxton said. “We bought top ingredients. We had a consultant.”
How Grover Beach business won Brewery of the Year
According to Apogee Brewing, three Cs are vital to crafting the best beers — consistency, cohesion and cleanliness.
Claxton said he put his advanced Stanford University mathematics degree to good use by developing a massive spreadsheet to ensure the brewery’s recipes were consistent across every barrel.
The team was also dedicated to maintaining an environment of extreme cleanliness and cohesion to make the best beer possible, Henderson said.
“We brew very well together. I think that’s an intangible,” Claxton said. “I go to a lot of breweries, and I don’t see that kind of teamwork attitude.”
That teamwork paid off.
In October, Apogee Brewing won bronze medals for three of its beers — Monks in Space, Aurora and Monks on the Moon — and a gold medal for a different brew, Lucy Loves Rye.
That wasn’t all. Apogee Brewing was named Brewery of the Year in the category of breweries producing 0 to 250 barrels per year.
Claxton and his partners were absolutely thrilled.
The brewery’s mission has always been “brewing at its peak,” Claxton said, and the Brewery of the Year title was the recognition they were seeking.
The awards don’t come with a cash prize, but they are amazing honors, Henderson said.
What’s next for Apogee Brewing?
“I’d like to make enough beer to meet our demand,” Claxton said.
In the future, that might entail notching up production, he said.
At the moment, Apogee Brewing doesn’t distribute its products commercially, but that could change if the business gains a bigger brewing space.
However, Henderson said the brewery’s original Grover Beach location will remain in place no matter what expansions may occur in the future.
“In rocket terms, we haven’t hit apogee yet,” Claxton said.
How to visit award-winning local brewery
Apogee Brewing is at 191 S. Oak Park Blvd. in Grover Beach.
The brewery is open from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and 4 to 8 p.m. Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday, it’s open from 4 to 8 p.m.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
