14th Star Brewing Co.

14th Star Brewing Co. is a craft brewery in St. Albans, founded by Steve Gagner and Matt Kehaya. The two were homebrewers, close friends and fellow soldiers, and they drafted the business plan in a notebook while serving in Afghanistan. After returning to Vermont, they opened the brewery in 2012 on a 3.5-barrel system they built by hand from repurposed maple sap collection tanks. That original system is now the pilot brewhouse, used for small-batch experimental drafts. The main 30-barrel brewhouse produces about 8,000 barrels a year, and the brewery fills more than a million cans in a typical year. All of its beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized and made with all-natural ingredients. The brewers aim for balance, honoring traditional styles while adding creative twists. The name and logo celebrate Vermont as the 14th state to join the Union, and the brewery gives back to local organizations and charities.