About Launchpad Brewery

Just outside of Denver, Colorado, in Aurora, you’ll find Launch Pad Brewery. Launch Pad is known for their aerospace theme which extends to their beer names like Kosmonaut, Find the Rock, Cuban Missle Crisis, and Cape Canaveral just to name a few. Their inspiration must come from both owners being Air Force veterans.  We had to know more about the story behind the beginning of this unique brewery so we reached out, virtually of course, to Owner David Levesque and Head Brewer Paul Mahoney to get the full story.   

David got the idea to start his own brewery not too long ago. In 2014 David and his wife hosted a party and brewed a pumpkin beer for the occasion. After receiving many compliments on the festive brew, he thought “Why not start our own brewery?” He teamed up with best friend Henry Rusch and the rest is history. Launch Pad Brewery became a reality and officially took flight on July 24^th, 2015!

Paul Mahoney joined the team in 2016. Paul started out in the industry managing a craft beer bar and moved his way to front of house at a small brewery. He shares, “I have over 10 years’ experience of serving people and I felt like I had to create beers that I was passionate about. I took an assistant brewer job and went to Siebel. It’s led me to a job that I truly enjoy every day. What excites me the most about my job is having the ability to create with zero restrictions. The owners are passionate about having fun and creativity so it makes for a great match!”

 

Passion for the craft brewing industry

It’s readily apparent that David and Paul have an intense passion for Launch Pad Brewery. We asked what they were most passionate about in brewing. David responded that “Attention to detail and quality is so important. You cannot produce a quality product without these beliefs.” Paul is most passionate about “The innovation of a new concept beer. I am lucky to be on a 5bbl brew house to be able to create new, fun beers for our 31 taps in the tasting room!”

With both owner and head brewer having so much interest and experience in craft beer we had to know their favorite beer styles. David said that “My favorite is the Belgian Quad. I love the full body and dry finish.” Paul shares that love for big, full bodied beers and responded that “There’s so many to choose from but I would have to go with a bock style and really all types of bocks. I just really enjoy the complexity of a clean, crisp, high gravity beer.”

Spoken like true brewers!

 

Challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic

Like so many other breweries, Launch Pad has faced challenges recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul shares how much he’s missed having the day to day interactions patrons and friends; “Our taproom has such a fun vibe and I just miss people having a couple pints with us.” David commented on the uncertainty of the current situation and felt that “Adapting daily to the changing landscape and figuring out fun and creative ways to get our products into the consumer’s hands was our main challenge.” Launch Pad has taken to social media in force to help keep beer drinkers informed and entertained while the taproom has been closed and has produced some of the most creative (and funniest) videos and other content we have seen. Definitely check out their social media.

The brewery has completely shifted to carry out orders in a very a short period of time. While many, many crowlers have been filled, Launch Pad is also expanding their options by “using unused old-stock cans to package new one-off beers that would normally have been draft-only to sell in the taproom. We have also been doing some virtual collaborations to help drive sales for to-go beer and raise morale!”

 

Moving forward with support

Launch Pad has still managed to move forward with some new initiatives to help their community. David shares the latest beer they’ve produced is “called Recovery Mission, an American Pale Ale with El Dorado and Citra Hops.” Kegs of Recovery Mission are “being given to our accounts for free to allow them to make some money to bring their staff back quicker and to have a chance to get some lost revenue back.”  Despite these challenging times the folks at Launch Pad are still looking out for those around them and doing what they can to help their community. Cheers to that!

They’ve even been able to take some time to experiment in the brew house. Paul’s latest one-off beer is “a Japanese Rice Lager with Jasmine flowers. It is called Karoshi which means ‘death by overworking’. It seemed fitting because we are brewing 5-6 days a week to keep up with our community. We can’t help but be excited to try this beer!”

Paul goes on to describe the brewing process, “The Japanese Rice Lager was the first time utilizing rice in our mash process. It seemed like a good time to make something light and crisp, in the hopes that we can have our taproom open in some capacity in the summer.”  The Launch Pad crew is definitely thinking ahead and planning to re-open the taproom with some fantastic new beers to share with their fans!

Throughout this challenging time the Aurora, Colorado, community has been nothing but supportive.  David put in best when he told us that “We have been extremely grateful for all the support we have had, from our consumers to our suppliers, everybody has been understanding and accommodating to our needs.”  Paul is also so thankful for the support Launch Pad has received.  He explains, “Something as simple as coming out and purchasing crowlers or just stopping by to “talk shop” about malt, hops, or yeast has gone a long way.”

 

Thank you!

We want to extend a big thank you to David and Paul at Launch Pad Brewery for participating in this initiative during American Craft Beer Week!  We know many breweries across the country are going through similar situations and facing great challenges.  Our goal is to celebrate our partners and tell their stories during this difficult time.