You’re standing in the beer aisle. There’s a neon green and white can that looks like it belongs in 1974, but it’s sitting right next to the $18 craft IPAs. It’s Garage Beer. It feels like a local secret, but it’s everywhere lately. You’ve probably wondered if it’s just another massive conglomerate hiding behind a "small-town" label or if some guys in a literal garage are actually making it.
Who owns Garage Beer isn’t just a simple name on a deed; it’s a story about how the beer industry is changing under our feet.
For a long time, the answer was straightforward. Garage Beer started as a small-batch project within Braxton Brewing Company out of Covington, Kentucky. They launched it as a "small-batch" light lager back in 2022. It wasn't meant to be a world-beater. It was just a clean, easy-drinking beer that didn't taste like water but also didn't taste like a pine tree. But then, the brand got too big for the brewery. It needed its own legs.
The Big Pivot: Garage Beer Becomes Independent
In early 2023, Garage Beer spun off into its own company. This is where things get interesting for anyone tracking who owns Garage Beer. It wasn't bought by Anheuser-Busch or Molson Coors. Instead, it was acquired by a group led by Andrew "Andy" Zimmerman.
Zimmerman isn't some corporate suit who only looks at spreadsheets. He was the former marketing executive who helped scale brands like Frog Tape. He saw that people were getting "flavor fatigue" from triple-hopped IPAs and wanted something "crushable." He took the brand, moved the headquarters to Columbus, Ohio, and basically told the world that Garage Beer was going to be the "Anti-Craft" craft beer.
They call it a "small-batch" light lager. Honestly, that's a bit of a marketing play, but the ownership structure stayed lean. Until the celebrities showed up.
The Kelce Factor: More Than Just an Endorsement
If you’ve seen Garage Beer on your social media feed lately, it’s probably because of the two guys who are currently the center of the sports universe: Jason and Travis Kelce.
✨ Don't miss: 100 Biggest Cities in the US: Why the Map You Know is Wrong
In June 2024, the Kelce brothers officially became significant owners and operators of Garage Beer. This wasn't just a "pay us to hold the can" deal. They are actual equity partners.
- Jason Kelce, recently retired from the Philadelphia Eagles, is basically the human embodiment of a garage beer.
- Travis Kelce, when he isn't winning Super Bowls or being half of the world's most famous couple, is a massive brand builder in his own right.
They joined the ownership group alongside Zimmerman. Why does this matter? Because it changed the trajectory of the brand from a Midwest regional favorite to a national powerhouse. When people ask who owns Garage Beer today, the answer is a partnership between seasoned brand builders and two of the most recognizable athletes in America.
Why Ownership Matters in the Beer World
Look, we've all seen what happens when a "craft" brand gets bought by a massive international conglomerate. The recipe changes. The soul disappears. The "Big Beer" giants like InBev have been buying up smaller labels for decades.
Garage Beer is trying to thread a very specific needle. They want the scale of a national brand but the "vibe" of an independent one. By keeping the ownership in the hands of the Kelces and Zimmerman’s group—rather than selling out to a global brewery—they keep control over the product.
They aren't brewing this in a bathtub. They use contract brewing facilities to meet the massive demand, which is how most fast-growing beverage brands scale without spending $50 million on their own factory right away. But the decisions—the branding, the flavor profile, the weirdly nostalgic marketing—those come from the owners.
The Braxton Connection: Where It All Started
We can’t talk about who owns Garage Beer without giving credit to the Rouse family and the team at Braxton Brewing Co. They are the ones who actually formulated the recipe. Even though they sold the majority stake to Zimmerman's group, they've maintained an interest and a connection to the brand's roots. It’s rare to see a spin-off work this well. Usually, when a brewery spins off a brand, it either dies in obscurity or gets swallowed by a competitor. Garage Beer took a third path: it became a celebrity-backed independent powerhouse.
🔗 Read more: Cooper City FL Zip Codes: What Moving Here Is Actually Like
What's Actually Inside the Can?
People care about ownership because they care about quality. If the owners are just trying to flip the company for a profit in two years, the beer usually sucks.
Garage Beer is a 4% ABV light lager. It’s got 95 calories and about 3 grams of carbs. If you’re thinking, "Wait, that sounds exactly like Miller Lite," you’re not wrong about the stats. The difference is the brewing process. They use a small-batch approach which, in theory, allows for more consistency and a slightly "crisper" finish than the massive industrial vats used by the titans of the industry.
It comes in "Regular" and "Lime." That’s it. No pumpkin spice. No hazy variants. The owners have been very vocal about keeping the lineup simple. They want to be the beer you drink while fixing a lawnmower or watching a game, not the beer you analyze in a tulip glass.
The Growth Explosion
Since the Kelces jumped on board, the distribution has gone nuclear. We're talking about a brand that was in a handful of states and is now racing toward 50-state availability.
- Distribution Deals: They’ve partnered with major distributors who usually only carry the "big boys."
- Marketing Strategy: No polished, high-budget Super Bowl ads (yet). It’s all "boots on the ground" social media content.
- The "New Heights" Effect: The Kelce brothers' podcast, New Heights, has become a de facto marketing wing for the brand.
This isn't just about who owns Garage Beer; it's about how they operate it. They are leaning into the "everyman" persona. They know that if Jason Kelce says a beer is good, a very specific (and very large) demographic is going to go out and buy a 15-pack.
Is It Still "Craft"?
This is a point of contention in the beer community. The Brewers Association has strict definitions for what counts as a craft brewery (small, independent, traditional).
💡 You might also like: Why People That Died on Their Birthday Are More Common Than You Think
Because Garage Beer is a light lager and focuses on mass appeal rather than experimental brewing, some "beer snobs" turn their noses up at it. But the ownership is independent. They aren't owned by a global titan. By the literal definition, they are more "craft" than brands like Goose Island or Wicked Weed, which are owned by Anheuser-Busch.
The Future of Garage Beer Ownership
What happens next? Usually, when a brand gets this much heat and has celebrity owners, the endgame is an "exit."
Think about Ryan Reynolds with Aviation Gin or George Clooney with Casamigos. They build the brand, make it a household name, and then sell it to a company like Diageo for a billion dollars.
Will the current owners of Garage Beer do the same? Maybe. But for now, Zimmerman and the Kelce brothers seem intent on actually building a long-term competitor to the likes of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Coors Light. They aren't just faces of the brand; they are actively involved in the business strategy.
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious Drinker
If you’re looking to support independent beer or just want to know what you’re putting in your cooler, here’s the bottom line on Garage Beer:
- Check the Label: You’ll see it’s brewed and canned for Garage Beer Co. This confirms it’s its own entity now, not just a Braxton side-project.
- Support Local when Possible: If you want to support the original creators, look for Braxton Brewing Co. products if you’re in the Ohio/Kentucky area.
- Don't Overthink It: The whole point of the ownership's "Anti-Craft" stance is to stop worrying about the politics of beer and just enjoy a cold one.
- Follow the Founders: If you want to see where the brand is going, keep an eye on Andy Zimmerman’s LinkedIn or the Kelces' social channels. That’s where the real business updates happen, not in traditional press releases.
The ownership of Garage Beer represents a shift in the industry. It’s the move away from "faceless corporation" and toward "personality-driven independent brands." Whether you’re a fan of the Kelces or just like a crisp lager, knowing that it’s owned by a small group of passionate (and famous) investors rather than a global monopoly adds a layer of interest to that 15-pack in your fridge.
Grab a can, head to the garage, and see if the hype matches the liquid. After all, ownership is interesting, but the taste is what keeps you coming back.