Todd Usry of Breckenridge Brewery

“We have a very dynamic R&D team comprised of pub and packaging brewers, quality control, and sales & marketing team members,” said Usry. “That diverse group of contributors brings recipe and style ideas from a lot of different angles. We use our (original) pub in Breckenridge as our ground zero R&D lab, and then we bring qualifying ideas to Littleton to share in our Mountain Series, Brewery Lane series, and Small Batch line.”

An alignment with The High End will boost creativity, said Usry, because collaboration with the division’s other brewing operations is now built into the process.

“I will sit on the craft advisory board with principals from all those breweries and I’m psyched about that,” he said. “I think that will be good for our brewery and challenging for me in the next phase of my career. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with Anheuser-Busch. Say what you will about Anheuser-Busch, there are decades and decades of research when it comes to quality and when it comes to everything from malt to carbonation. Never have I had these kinds of resources at my fingertips. Again, I’m very excited about that opportunity.”

It will be a challenge for the former delivery man who learned how to brew on the job. “What they expect of me is probably a lot. I’m sure it’s a lot. It’s not different from what I’ve been doing all these years. We’re going to grow. There’s going to be pains. We’re going to grow faster than we could have done without the help. I’m going to have to up my game to keep up with that. That’s going to be adding tanks, construction, adding warehouse space, working with new wholesalers, I’m sure, as we kind of align our footprint.”

It might have been easier to take the money and walk away, find a job at another independent brewery or join one of the new “craft conglomerates” designed to create more size in order to do battle with the macro brewers. Or, instead of driving a Ford Explorer to work every day, Usry might have found a snazzy new car or pick-up truck and headed to the Daytona 500 and other NASCAR events at his leisure. But that’s just not Usry’s style.

For one thing, he doesn’t believe The High End division will lead to the end of independent craft brewing. “The High End enjoys obvious distribution and logistical benefits that come from being a part of the world’s largest brewer,” he said. “This allows The High End to put craft beer in more consumer hands than ever before. New consumers experiencing craft beer – owned by The High End or otherwise – will continue to seek out craft beer in their local markets and beyond.”

Like most brewers, Usry likes the idea of creating, brewing and selling more beer. “It’s not like I get to kick back now and reap the benefits,” he said. “Our whole team is going to have to ratchet it up a bit, but not in terms of 'walk between these lines.' They don’t want us to do that. They want us to wiggle around the lines as we’ve been doing at Breckenridge.”