With a liquid poet and a sexy name, a Sacramento brewery grows in tough times
The idea was hatched 15 years ago, buddies brainstorming beer.
James Thompson gifted Mark Taylor a homebrew kit for the holiday season, a gag of sorts with a compelling concept. Taylor stashed the kit for six months, then went to work on assorted tastes and flavors, something he had dabbled in for years in his Sacramento garage.
Thompson and Taylor then plotted a way into the soaring craft beer market in Sacramento. Their first step had to be a emphatic one.
They needed a name.
“Mark, my best friend, his nickname was a literal and figurative thing — ‘Big Sexy,’” Thompson recalled last week with a laugh. “It took a life of it’s own, so we became Big Sexy Brewing Company. We thought people would connect with a cool name, something fun and approachable.”
The nickname is shared with baseball’s Bartolo Colon, a hulking presence on the pitcher’s mound who might enjoy a couple of frosty beverages from time to time. Big Sexy Brewing is splashed across its black van and its entertaining website. The place opened in southeast Sacramento on 5861 88th Street in 2015, rooted in two themes: joy and good taste. The motto is, “delivering hoppiness one pint at a time”
“Beer isn’t as serious as wine,” Thompson said. “Beer is fun. “
That’s what got the friends thinking fast forward.
“Why start up in beer? I’m a beer fan to the core,” Thompson said. “This is the ultimate beer-fan experience, to actually go out and live the life in the beer business.”
To live in this business is to experience the full gamut of emotions, of good days at the office and empty ones — and that’s all happened just through the coronavirus pandemic.
Tap rooms have been shuttered — again — but Thompson said, “Overall, we’re doing quite well. I don’t want to be that guy boasting that we’re doing great, because it’s not been an easy road, but our little brewery has been on a rocket-ship ride.”
Big Sexy Brewing Company quickly became a hit, and then hit a grand slam on the eve of their second anniversary in in the business. That’s when Thompson and Taylor hired Dan Rafferty, who left a sure thing as the Track 7 Brewing Co.’s head brewer.
Big Sexy Brewing Company wanted to separate itself from a competitive pack and went bold. Thompson said one has to think progressive and act it to sustain in such a competitive arena.
Rafferty refers to himself as “A liquid poet” with “a lot to say.”
Big Sexy Brewing can boast of awards and numbers. The brewery reached No. 7 nationally in the U.S. Open Beer Championships, “the only California brewery that accomplished that,” Thompson said.
The key is Rafferty’s quality during a pandemic.
“We’re up 400 percent in volume in wholesale sales,” Thompson said, referring to sales in liquor stores and grocery stores. “People want their beer.”
Thompson said of Rafferty, “To bring in a guy like Dan is like a big sports trade. It brings up the entire roster. It’s true. Bring in a true star player and all of sudden, you don’t deal with or look at in mediocrity. You can’t surround your star with mediocrity. He elevates everyone.”
Thompson said having to lay off five in his tap room hurt, “like losing family.”
He added, “We’ve had to make hard changes, controlling costs, scaling back.”
Part of the beer experience at a brewery like this one is the tap-room setting. Big Sexy Brewing, like so many other bars and restaurants across the state, have had to cease indoor or outdoor dining as counties battle the COVID-19 crisis.
“We had a full head of steam with tap room, live music on Fridays and Saturdays, and it’d be packed every time,” Thompson said. “We’ll get it all back. People can still get beer to go, go online, all kinds of things. We’re here.”
He added, “to all the others out there with small businesses, we say, ‘Don’t give up.’ We’ve all had a hard time, and we have the weather this storm and stick to basics of quality.”
Tell us more
Know of a mom-and-pop operation navigating through these challenging times? A restaurant, a hardware store, a book store, a bar? Email your idea to jpatrick@sacbee.com and jdavidson@sacbee.com.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 7:38 AM.