We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Bruns a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

In 2015, my brother and I opened a small neighborhood craft brewery in Denver. Almost immediately the prototype concept for Craft Beer Uncovered was born. I noticed that I had several customers who were very curious about craft beer but seemed intimidated by all of it. They were hesitant to ask questions and hesitant to order something they weren’t knowledgeable about and more often than not, I noticed they didn’t fit the stereotype of who the craft beer world typically markets toward. I saw a need to include a wide array of people into the craft beer fold. These were people who had largely been ignored by the craft beer industry but had a desire to learn more and be a part of the movement to support local.

I have a background that is heavy in education; specifically a Master’s degree in instructional and curriculum design and my lightbulb moment was to create fun, entertaining, welcoming, unpretentious, yet very informative craft beer classes that catered to all craft beer experience levels . Over the years this concept organically developed in ways that never occurred to me in the beginning. What started as a series that consisted of finding one’s craft beer palate, learning the basics and history of craft beer, and really arming oneself with the tools to find the perfect beer for them at any brewery they visit, has turned into something so much bigger. Some examples include organizing brewery tours that focus on visiting and engaging with women-owned breweries. Presenting to publicly traded corporations as a fun happy hour event, and hosting specially curated and created craft beer paired dinners. Since the closure of the brewery in the fall of 2021, I decided to spin off these experiences into their own entity and voilà, Craft Beer Uncovered was born!

The thing I get the most excited about is reaching what marketers would call the “untraditional” craft beer drinker. The world of craft beer should be open and accessible for all, yet time and time again, we see a narrow audience often targeted for the consumption of craft beer. If you’re willing to try a few things and keep an open mind, I am firm in my belief that there is a craft beer made just for you and I love the challenge of not giving up until that beer is found. I also enjoy flipping the script of what a “beer” is. So often, people have the image of college keg parties, sports events, or a sense that beer can’t be sophisticated. I’m here to show people that beer has a place at the fanciest dinner, it typically has less calories than wine, and it can be enjoyed in just about every social setting by any genre of people. My mission is to make the world of craft beer accessible and approachable for all.

Laura, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I research, design, curate, and ultimately create exploratory experiences in an effort to open the craft beer door to wider audiences. My background in curriculum and instructional design really sets me apart from someone who just carries the knowledge. I am able to make the content become alive, relatable, and authentic in a way that it implores my guests to become even more inquisitive and curious about the topic at hand.. It is also very important to me that my experiences are inclusive and touch upon craft beer topics that are often considered non-traditional in an effort to celebrate the contributions, and struggles, that women, BIPOC and the LGBTQ communities have made and experienced. My goal is that each person who attends learns something helpful, off-beat or simply increases their confidence as a craft beer consumer, while sharing in a lot of laughs.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Life is all about pivots! I often imagine my life is like a Pac-man game. You start going in one direction and often run into a roadblock, so then you must turn around and find another route. Yet, the more you play the game, the faster, and more adept, you get at those pivots.

Craft Beer Uncovered is in of itself a pivot from owning a brewery. I took one of my favorite pieces of being a brewery owner, the opportunity to share the world of craft beer with the curious, and turned it into its own entity.

Anytime I am faced with a big change, I think it’s important to really sit down and decide, what is it about that situation that was fruitful or made me feel fulfilled and what are the parts that I never want to touch again. Then trim the fat and focus on what makes me feel alive and discard what drags me down.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that any reputation is built on authenticity. The more authentic you are, the more positive your reputation will be. I strive to be 100% transparent on where the knowledge I am sharing originates from. I am open to saying, “I don’t know the answer to that question, but I will find out the answer for you.” I also have a passion for making the content relatable, engaging and fun for every level of craft beer learner. I do not want anyone to walk out of any of my experiences with unanswered questions. I love the challenge of explaining a topic in a variety of ways to make it work, and come alive, for each participant.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.craftbeeruncovered.com
• Instagram: @craftbeer_uncovered
• Linkedin: Laura Bruns

Image Credits
Juniper Ink Photography