‘Sharing a pint with a friend’

Andy Severson knows each customer’s name as they walk in the door of Moscow Brewing Company, asking them what they’d like to drink with a grin.

The business was originally founded in 1882, but burned down in the early 20th century. It regained its footing in the Moscow community in 2013.

After spending three years working to revitalize the brewery, the former owner decided to sell the business.

Severson, his sister Leah and Aaron Hart became the company’s official owners in 2016. They aim to mix the brewery’s different iterations with their own vision, focusing on their small-town community, Severson said.

“We want to a be a community business, to be a partner in the community,” he said. “We try and align ourselves with other community organizations and add value to the community of Moscow … We want to get back to that sort of thing, where it’s not just a place where you get beer.”

Moscow Brewing Company’s rich backstory created a balance between old and new, Severson said. Details from the previous owner have been preserved as part of the newest rendition of the brewery.

“We like to think that the changes we’ve made make sense. For the people that liked the business before, they’re going to like it better now,” Severson said. “If you had come to Moscow Brewing Company in the past, it’s real familiar.”

The three owners brought in their own traditions, stemming from their days home brewing.

Severson, who started home brewing 10 years ago, said before they owned the brewery, they would need to unload all the beer they had made so they could make more and keep honing their different recipes.

All of their birthdays fell between the same months, leading them to create a ‘Birthday Brew Fest,’ where they invite their friends to drink and order for them to make more, said Severson. They still celebrate this event at the brewery.

“It’s even more fun at this point, because we get to celebrate it with the community,” Severson said. “It’s all of our birthdays obviously, but we had a bunch of people come out that were celebrating their own September birthdays or October birthdays, and it’s a kind of a party for everyone.”

Before owning the company, the three even lived together at one point, focusing on creating the best recipes for the day when they owned their own brewery, said Severson.

Alex Brizee | Argonaut
Andy Severson pours a stout beer for a customer Oct 11.

Severson said the comradery and kinship found within breweries is what drew him and the other owners to the industry in the first place.

“It’s competitive, but if we need hops, we know we can go to other breweries and ask for hops, and if they need something from us, we’re happy to help out because what helps one of them helps us,” Severson said.

Traditionally beer is made from four ingredients — hops, barley, water and yeast, Hart said.

There are many steps to brewing, including milling, heating and mixing those ingredients, as well as a good amount of waiting — all to drink the cold glass of beer at the end, he said. From start to finish, the process takes about four weeks or so depending on the beer style.

Though Hart knows the full process of brewing well, he said his favorite part is being able to share a drink with someone at the end and teach them a little about craft beer.

“Drinking beer is pretty good, too,” he said.

Severson offered some tips to enjoy a craft beer. If a person swishes it around in their mouth while exhaling through their nose, this will allow them to taste the subtle flavors.

For darker beers, if a person chooses not to drink it as fast and allow the beer to warm up, the flavors will expand, causing the beer to taste better, Severson said.

“We don’t get really hung up on you have to drink your beers a certain way. That’s more of a wine drinkers game,” he said.

Though serving as a brewery, Moscow Brewing Company offers wine and cider, but these options are not made in-house.

There were a large number of wine drinkers who came through the brewery this summer and enjoyed the beer. Since the owners have a strong knowledge of their beer, he said, it allows them to connect with even the most unknowing craft beer drinkers.

“Even if you don’t love a beer you tried here, you can go find a beer that you do love. That’s almost as important. If you have an interest and a love for craft beer then, by all means, take that with you,” Severson said. “These are all recipes that we’ve created, and we make everything from scratch here. So, you can sit in our taproom and watch the beer be made — it kind of happens all around you.”

Despite owning a brewery, Severson said he is no beer snob. For him, beer is more about the emotional attachment.

“Like me and Keystone Light, it’s just memories of being younger with friends,” Severson said. “It’s fun to use that to reminisce or as a bonding moment.”

Severson said they are thankful for all the support they have received within the community, though they are not looking to be a regional company.

Although Moscow Brewing Company isn’t the only brewery in the area, it doesn’t stop the continuous flow of customers coming in and out the door. “One of the great things about beer, and especially the beer we make here, is sharing a pint with a friend,” Hart said. “Or sharing a pint with the community around you.”

Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected]. or on Twitter @alex_brizee

Alex Brizee | Argonaut