Broken Goblet Brewing puts a new spin on the brewery business model as they produce satisfying beer and host eccentric events with a love of all things nerdy and heavy metal.
Mike LaCouture and Jay Grosse, a lifelong Morrisville, Pa., resident, founded a beer club in 2011 and since then have only gained more members. The test-bed for marketing brews has taken a friendly approach, with brewers Andrew “Bubba” Grosse and Joe Fazekas producing the wacky brand of craft beer.
By 2012, the small club expanded to 30 members. Now, the brewery boasts a list of 150 “irregulars,” who join the club for access to yearlong discounts, bottle releases, tickets to Broken Goblet events and member-only brews on tap at Broken Goblet’s taproom in Bristol. The location holds a considerable crowd to enjoy beer and food as well as live music and comedy. Broken Goblet also takes over the parking lot for bigger events, such as the annual Goblet Stock and Hoppy Halloween.
“Events are driving us because there are so many breweries, it’s a differentiating factor,” said Mike. “I think every brewery has a different path that they want to follow. . . . I want you to come here for this cool event and stay because the beer is good.” The brewery has had many local acts perform as well as comedians such as Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson.
Broken Goblet’s personality also includes a love of Star Wars, The Lord of The Rings, comics, metal and geeky things in general.
“We’re all nerds here. Nerds or metal heads,” said Mike. That mindset sets a cheery tone for the brewery, with aesthetics to match, and results in beers with names like A Disturbance in the Force and Thorin.
Mike noted that much of the focus at Broken Goblet is around the events and clever ideas, but he also declared, “The beer has gotta be good.” With a large rotating list of beers, it seems brewers Bubba and Joe have it dialed in on their small three-barrel system.
The taproom offers an array of draft options, growler fills and bottles. One of their seasonal brews, the Sleighson, a saison with spiced apple cider tea, blends fruit and yeast flavors playfully. The A Disturbance in The Force stout is notably dark black and pungent while being surprisingly drinkable. Some regularly occurring crowd pleasers are the hoppy Impact IPA, the smooth Yin Yang Oatmeal Stout and a series of ales infused with tea. Broken Goblet also taps a special firkin every other Saturday.
While the brewery is growing, the club mentality is very much alive. “The Irregular Club” is going strong, and Mike sees it as a great way to forge relationships with people in the community.
“Out of the 150 current people on the list, I know at least 135 of them by name. I think all of us here do, because they really are so supportive . . . to the point where when we mess something up, they don’t crush us; they’re the ones that float us over that road bump with support.”
Another important aspect of the brewery is their dedication to charitable contributions, which means monthly events or fundraisers. Broken Goblet can easily find a way to turn their shenanigans into a benefit for a good cause. One crazy event in the works is a weight-loss drag show, which will benefit the American Diabetes Association.
As for the name Broken Goblet, Mike said it came through a happy accident. After months of pursuing the rights to their original name, they were forced to abandon the fight due to trademark disputes. When Mike shared the bad news with his crew, brewer Joe Fazekas heatedly smashed his goblet on the concrete. A sticker with the brewery’s original logo held together the shattered glass, and its viewable profile became the oddly recognizable icon for their brewery’s new name.
Although the taproom is a decent size, Broken Goblet has ample room for expansion in their “gigantic football field-sized warehouse.” Mike shared their plans: “a proposed 5,000-square-foot taproom, whereas this is about 1,300, and a proposed 15-barrel system.” He added that they will have a lot of space for private parties and distribution in the future. “We would basically have 16,000 square feet, or five times the square footage and five times the brewing capacity, and we would become a reasonable player in the small-production craft-brewing industry.”
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Find Broken Goblet Brewing Company at 1500 Grundy Ln. in Bristol, Pa.; phone: (267) 812-5653.
- Photos: Jay Breslin
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