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Two firemen stand weary on a blazing hillside holding axes, cornered as a towering inferno begins to surround them. Robert Nowaczyk eyes a fallen log with a slight hole beneath it as the brush fire begins to creep closer. Rob gestures at Ed Walker to run toward the log with hand signals that would make the naval aircraft carrier flight deck crew from Top Gun jealous. Rob runs toward the log with Ed trailing. Rob hurls his axe into the log, sending wood shards flying. They look up to notice a flaming spruce limb above them breaking. Ed joins in frantically chopping at the log until the decaying tree gives way, completely exposing a hole. One by one, they slip down the hole like fat kids on a waterslide just as the engulfed branch crushes their former surroundings. Ed and Rob tumble and slide down a hole that gives way to a hillside. They descend away from the brush fire until they fall into a ravine. Out of breath and covered in soot, Ed looks at Rob and says, “When we get off work, I’m going to need a nice cold beer.” Rob’s eyes widen as he experiences an epiphany, “Why not make our own beer, a Fireman’s Brew?”
This story may sound close to the beginning of a terrible Danielle Steel novel, but it’s actually the somewhat overly dramatized tale of how two Los Angeles County firefighters started Fireman’s Brew, a craft beer made by firefighters to benefit firefighters. I met with COO Dave Johnson at his headquarters in Reseda, CA where he told me the real story of Fireman’s Brew (which is much more interesting and less of a made-for-TV movie than above). Rob and Ed did have hopes of making their own beer after fighting brush fires in the Glendale Mountains, not just to have refreshing craft beer when they were done from an exhausting shift, but also to donate part of their proceeds to the families of fallen firefighters.
Most of the time when you see firefighters on streets trying to collect money in a boot (you know, the ones you see when you’re in your car and you try to ignore them by looking at your phone because you don’t have any cash on you), the proceeds go to an MS charity or other charities. This money does not go back to the men and women who pulled you from your burning apartment because your friend Bartnick thought it was funny to replace your zig-zags with flash paper. Rob and Ed wanted to make sure that 5% of their profits went to the National Fallen Firefighter Fund and Fireman’s Brew continues to donate with every beer sold.
But back to the beginning – Rob started homebrewing and sharing his crafts with friends at parties in 2006. The popularity of his beer spread quickly and Fireman’s Brew was born in 2007. They started with two flagship beers, their Blonde Lager and their Redhead Red Amber Ale. They later added their Brunette, which is a German Doublebock. Fireman’s Brew focuses on these three flagship brands to appeal to every beer drinker, from the novice to the craft beer nerd.
As Fireman’s Brew rapidly grew, they didn’t have the money to buy new brewing equipment, so they started contract brewing with Mendocino Brewing in NorCal. Their head brewer, Don Tubbs, brews out of rented space, which allowed them to produce 200-barrel batches starting in October 2011. They signed a deal with Ralphs around the same time and put their product in 225 of their grocery stores. Their popularity spread from California to twelve states in one year, and they intend to start brewing out of Mendocino’s facility in New York as their East Coast market expands.
Fireman’s Brew has an interesting method for promoting and expanding their brand: they tap their ever-expansive network of firefighters to shop their product. Even though their beer started in LA, every community has firefighters, and these firefighters support each other and this beer. For example, a FDNY rep sells Fireman’s Brew to New York bars, but then comes back to the same bar the next night when he’s on duty to make sure the bar is up to fire code. Support for the Fire Community’s events is a large corporate goal. They also attend and donate to charity events such as a biyearly Fireman Bachelor auction at the House of Blues, like the ones your mom always talks about going to so she can get some “added help” around the house.
A fireman’s work is never done, and neither is the story of Fireman’s Brew. Check back in with ACB soon for the conclusion of the chronicle of Rob Nowaczyk and the firefighters who brew delicious beer.
