Littleton, Colorado’s Living The Dream Brewing reported continued momentum in 2022 after its statewide distribution expansion. This past year brought new beers, several awards and many philanthropic opportunities for the brewery, which donated more than $13,000 to local causes. Here is the 2022 Living The Dream Brewing Year in Review.
Production and sales
The installation of new equipment in 2020 for capacity and its increase in production in 2021 poised Living The Dream for a new distribution agreement with Colorado Craft Distributors in 2022. Since the companies announced their partnership last May, the brewery continues to increase production and sales. Now Colorado residents and visitors can find cans of Living The Dream mainstay beers — Powder Run Vanilla Cream Ale and its variants, 7-Speed IPA, Mountain Drive American Ale, and Fly Reel Amber Ale — as well as canned seasonals across the Centennial State year round.
Team expansion
The Living The Dream team continued to grow and is now up to 15 employees. In 2022 the brewery promoted Michael Acerra to general manager, hired Jayme Hillian to manage events and social media and continued brewing operations under the leadership of Head Brewer Rob Meehan.
The beer
Living the Dream Brewing released an array of specialty beers in 2022, including Powder Run Vanilla Cream Ale variants Lemon Bar, Key Lime Pie, Tangerine, Horchata, and the famed holiday seasonal Gingerbread. Root Beer Float is the newest addition to this series, and currently available in cans and on tap while supplies last. Living The Dream debuted the High Line Pilsner in cans over the summer and released many experimental batches on draft throughout the year. These beers included Sunrise Tangerine Wheat, several dark and traditional German-style lagers, and the Port Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout made in collaboration with Littleton’s ROCKER Spirits.
Accolades
Living the Dream received six awards in the 2022 Denver International Beer Competition: Gold for Velvet Imperial Stout and Port-Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout; Silver for 7 Speed IPA, Guava Mountain Gose, and Powder Run Cream Ale; and Bronze for Fly Reel Amber Ale. The brewery also took home a silver award in the American Style Fruit Beer — Tangerine category of the 2022 U.S. Beer Open Championship.
Community outreach
Living The Dream invested in its taproom experience in 2022 by adding pinball machines and a pool table, hosting numerous events and a variety of food trucks, and installing new heated patio tents for year-round, comfortable outdoor seating.
Living The Dream’s continued its partnership with the Highlands Ranch Community Association, which includes sponsoring the Highlands Ranch Race Series and hosting a monthly Beer For Bucks night, raised more than $2,400 for the association in 2022. Among the brewery’s other philanthropic initiatives were the 2nd Annual Daniel Vogt Memorial in partnership with Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions that raised more than $11,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Living The Dream also teamed up with Physio Racing, Runners Edge, and Fire Pit Runners on group runs and rides throughout the year. Living The Dream collaborated with two fellow Colorado breweries — Base Camp Beer Works and Ska Brewing — for the 2022 Colorado Brewers Guild’s Collaboration Festival that took place in April. In October, the brewery continued its support of the beer community at large as a sponsor of the 40th annual Great American Beer Festival. Living The Dream also partnered with RadCraft (a CBB favorite) on its communications strategy, which in 2022 included a revamp of its website in collaboration with Midwest Coast Media.
Moving forward
The brewery is teaming up on brew days with New Terrain Brewing and Payette Brewing for the 2023 Collaboration Festival and experimenting with fresh flavors for upcoming beer releases. Customers can look forward to Living The Dream’s ninth anniversary celebration this summer.
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