Ology Celebrates 8th Anniversary with Crowdfunding Launch | Brew Bend Spotlight
For Ology Brewing's 8th Anniversary coming up this weekend, there's a bit of a theme this year:
"Time To Raise A Glass — and Funds — To What Built It All!”
Allow us to explain. Eight years ago, proof of concept for Ology Brewing Company wasn’t a business plan — it was a bet. A bet that Tallahassee was ready for more things homegrown, bold, and beer-soaked. While their signature beer when they debuted — Sensory Overload New England IPA — might’ve been hazy, Ology Brewing Company’s vision was clear: build with Tallahassee, FOR Tallahassee.
The initial pitches to build Ology weren't crafted in venture boardrooms or banker’s offices, but around kitchen tables and bar tops. Family, friends, family-friends — folks who believed in the dream of a brewer named Nick Walker, his syndicate of talented friends (Brian, Paul, Max and David), and their vision of a brewery in Midtown — opened their minds and their wallets to fund what has become one of the city's most beloved brands in Ology, which is a two-time winner of Tallahassee's "Best Of" Award for the city's Best Craft Brewery in the annual Tallahassee Magazine Awards.
And this weekend, that same brewery that started small and grew into a giant — with 3 tap rooms locally, 1 in Tampa and distribution around the country — is turning 8. But they’re not just throwing a party — they’re launching a new fundraising campaign on WeFunder.com/Ology.Brewing that taps back into their original lifeline: the people of Tallahassee.
The fundraising campaign idea came not out of necessity, but out of shared ambition — an ambition to help build what’s next, together. Yes, the same community that helped purchase the first mash tun and watch Tallahassee’s first foeder barrel get placed at their Midtown location, now has a chance to fuel what’s next.
Community investment
With this new round of community investment, the brewery isn’t simply dreaming big — they’re laying the foundation for serious, strategic growth. And they're hoping that any contribution will help build out a dedicated sales team to expand Ology’s reach across the Southeast.
It’ll certainly allow them to scale production to meet rising demand — especially from more than 100 Publix stores now carrying their beer (which is more than DOUBLE the number of Publix's they were in a year ago). And it will help them push their Ology Distilling brand deeper into the world of spirits, expanding their barrel-aging program and launching new lines that showcase the same craftsmanship that made their beer a household name.
You'll find a video featuring Nick talking about Ology and explaining the crowdfunding project at the WeFunder link above, and there is even an explanation about the different levels at which you can invest.
Simply put: For as little as $100, YOU, too, can be a small, minority owner in one of Florida's fastest-growing breweries, which is exciting as heck!
We caught up with Ology co-founder Nick Walker this week to get all the deets about his brewery's latest venture that falls in line with their longstanding motto — "Evolve Or Die" — and here's what he told us.
Q: Can you talk about the crowdfunding campaign at its core and how it will help Ology evolve and grow? Ology started off really community-funded by locals and now you're kinda-sorta back to community funding — but with a bonafide brand now! How different does it feel than 8 years ago?
A: You said it, we started Ology with a couple core friends swinging hammers and friends and family funding the dream. We started on a shoestring and Tallahassee has helped us grow far beyond what we initially imagined. 8 years later and we are in an awesome place to spring forward and we’ve partnered with WeFunder to involve the Tallahassee community in our path forward — it feels different than when we originally opened and it feels right!
Growing together
Q: How long will the campaign stay open and what are some of the first moves you'll make with the investment you receive?
A: We are looking to raise $800K. This is primarily going towards sales staff to keep expanding our region as distribution in Publixes grow together. We know we need a South Florida rep and a rep in the Atlanta area. The other use we will utilize this for is improving our infrastructure — we have a grain silo arriving next week, we are looking to upgrade our canning line since we're still using the same canning line that fit us well 5 years ago, and we are looking to lay down a lot more Single Malt Whiskey batches from Ology Distilling in preparation for our first barrels coming to maturity!
Best place to drink Ology?
Q : The possibility of using crowdfunding to open more locations, place Ology beer into new markets and push Ology forward even more has to still be incredibly exciting. What is your holy grail — the place you'd love to see cans or even a bottle of Ology Brewing or Ology Distilling?
A: We’ve checked off a lot of those for me personally. Porter Beer Bar in ATL was a BIG one for me — I drove up to that historic craft beer spot just to experience drinking Ology where I drank so many incredible beers. Pouring at Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen for 5 years has been a wild experience. But honestly, I think being able to be out in the wild in Tallahassee and ordering a beer or cocktail at a favorite establishment is the best. I'm really looking forward to seeing Ology canvas the Southeast Region!
Market changes
Q: How has the market for the beer changed from when you started and distro was bottle shops and taps, to grocery stores, and now online spaces like Oznr or Tavour? And can we talk about the increase for Publix and why it's so important to raise these funds so you can meet the statewide demand?
A: We’ve seen the craft beer market evolve a lot and not at all at the same time. Nationally, craft beer numbers have seen roller coaster-esque experiences. I’d say Tallahassee hasn't seen as much of that - we’ve experienced great, consistent support. The growth needed for Publix and Regional expansions is critical to make these a success.
Look for updates
Q : Will you do any kind of presentation/announcement during the anniversary party this weekend about this? Is there a time folks should show up to hear from you?
A: Having four operating taprooms makes an in-person presentation tough to communicate clearly to the community. We will be utilizing social media to communicate and even more so on the WeFunder page — there will be regular update videos from our team.
Quality and innovation
Q: Just looking at the anniversary itself, how does it feel to have made it 8 years in Tally and be on top of your game?
A: We’ve worked hard to keep the growth going while ensuring quality doesn’t decline. We are using the same grains, yeast, and hops we originally started building our beers with. We started out brewing the highest quality beers we could and the most innovative beers in the area. Of course, hiccups happen, but seeing our market grow while we continue to make incredible beer and spirits is an awesome feeling!
What's on tap for the party?
Q: Last question — and we're taking it back to being all about the beer: Can you tell us about the 8th anniversary festivities happening this weekend — what's planned, what's releasing, and all that?
A : Wow … 8 years. It feels like a huge milestone. We’ve got a lot of runway ahead of us and we’ve met so many incredible people doing this. There are a lot of people that have shown us support, that’s why we decided to bring in the community and join us for this next growth point.
Of course, we also have some incredible offerings releasing Friday. Hop on Board is a Double IPA with oat milk and multiple hop products and strains — massive juice bomb. "Fruits N Scoops: Blackberry Bliss" is an Imperial Smoothie Style Berliner with tons of blackberries, white chocolate, and vanilla ice cream — a beautifully rich dessert in a can.
And we're also releasing "A Piece of the Pie" — a Key Lime Pie Creme Liqueur that is exactly what it sounds like - the perfect summer treat. Also, we have a special barrel of 8-year-old bourbon being released as part of the celebration, too!
Ology will also feature QR codes on EACH of their anniversary release labels that will take you straight to the crowdfunding link to get more information or to donate.
We are thrilled to see Ology continuing to grow and we wish them the best of luck on this new venture. But most of all, we are thrilled that they're still thriving after 8 years so we can stop by the brewery this weekend — pick a location, any location — and raise a glass to 8 years of Ology beer!
Danny Aller is the co-founder, along with Matthew Crumbaker, of the TLH Beer Society. Reach the Beer Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or email tlhbeersociety@gmail.com .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ology launches crowdfunding project amid 8th anniversary party | Around the Brew Bend
