Customer Spotlight Series: Second Dawn Brewing
What happens when an experienced beer developer opens their own shop? You get Second Dawn Brewing. But it’s not just beer; Second Dawn prides itself on delicious seltzers and awesome non-alcoholic drinks. To find out how it all came together and where this budding business is going, we reached out to Second Dawn Brewing co-owner Amy Koeings.
How Did Second Dawn Brewing Come About?
Our head brewmaster, Ross Koenigs, has been in the beer business for over 20 years. He spent the last ten or so at New Belgium, where he led innovations and new product development, including the VooDoo Ranger series. When the pandemic hit, he and his wife decided to take the leap and start their own brewery in the Denver area. They found a spot in Aurora, which means dawn in Latin, and Second Dawn was born: if dawn is when you have to wake up and go to work, Second Dawn is when you get to relax and start the best part of your day.
What are Second Dawn Brewing’s Values and Guiding Principles?
We love beer and we work to ensure that each pour is delicious through our focus on quality ingredients and excellence in our production. We are new — just opened in February 2023 — but from the beginning, we've also focused on treating our people right by investing in and valuing our dedicated staff. Right now, our focus is on connecting with the community and creating a vibrant, welcoming space for the neighborhood.
What Does Second Dawn Brewing Do Differently Than Other Breweries
We offer choice at the bar, which is empowering and inclusive. In addition to beer, we also craft hard seltzers that are actually delicious, like our margarita seltzer aged in tequila barrels, served with fresh-pressed orange and lime juice, and garnished with salt on the rim.
More than that, we've offered adult-tasting non-alcoholic beverages from the start. For example, our juniper spritz tastes like a gin and tonic but uses a fresh hop water base and juniper berry extract, and our lemon spritz elevates a standard lemonade with a coriander extract.
We value community and believe it grows in small actions, like making a toast or sharing a round. That’s why we are re-imagining what it means to drink socially by offering a radically inclusive drinks menu that provides the right beverage for the moment.
What Made You Choose Stomp for Your Beer Can Labels?
We just started canning our beers a couple of months ago, and we needed beer can labels FAST. Searching for a vendor, we found Stomp, and they delivered as promised: a fast turn and quick delivery. More than that though, the quality was fantastic — the colors printed richly, and the stickers applied cleanly to the cans. We've been repeat customers ever since.
- Nashira Edmiston
