Copper State of the Brewery Address

*Note: this is the script that I handed my husband to read at our anniversary party, sharing with the people of Green Bay our hopes and dreams for the future, and it's nice to hear him call me ridiculously good-looking*

Ladies and Gentlemen of Green Bay, distinguished guests and fellow beer drinkers, we stand before you today one year older, one year wiser—one year old in fact, barely weaned from Hinterland’s teat. I’ve been called on to report on the Copper State of the Brewery; this anniversary is a good time to pause and reflect on the past year's fermentation, and what's brewing for our future.

Last year at this time, the dust had literally just settled in the building as we opened our doors to you. We were wet behind the ears and running on the fragrant fumes of coffee and beer…and Chef Scott’s ridiculously good brussels sprouts. When we cut that ribbon with the Chamber’s comically overlarge pair of scissors last year, we made some promises to the city of Green Bay:

First we promised not to run with the overlarge pair of scissors…and we kept that promise.

We promised the hardworking people of Green Bay great craft beer…and we kept that promise. Here’s where you applaud because you like beer. Thank you.

We promised the people a gathering space to connect friends and family over an amazing food experience…and we kept that promise.

We promised economic growth for the city of Green Bay…and we kept that promise by providing fifty new jobs and hiring an amazing staff to make and serve you food and beer and coffee.

We promised to add green space to our beautiful downtown landscape, and as you can see by this biergarten…we kept that promise.

We promised to raise the standards of beer education in this great city…and through our blog posts, written by our very own High Brau Frau (who is, by the way, extremely good-looking), we have kept that promise. Also through our spectacularly standard tour, our clue-ery brewery scavenger hunt, and our beer geekery tours…we kept that promise in educating the beer-deprived of Green Bay. If you haven’t taken one of the tours yet, you should remedy that today, because we want no child over 21 left behind in this important area of brain development.

We promised to provide more opportunities in the arts and music…and as evidenced by our Lyrical Beerical sing-a-longs, our Crafts Beer Week, and our Spoken Word events…that’s a promise kept.

We promised absolutely nothing about tax reform, and we did absolutely nothing to reform your taxes…so that’s a promise kept.

We promised to do our part to turn Green Bay into a craft beer destination…and we are keeping that promise, with your help.

As we look to the years and beers to come, we renew these promises, only now we sort of know what we’re doing, so we can make even crazier, high-falutin’ promises…like better benefits for those of you who are members of our FermentNation (ask about joining at the Merch table), continued and improved Winner Winner Beer and Dinner events, and better release parties for specialty beers we brew on our pilot system. We will still not help you with your taxes, but we will take care of your food and beverage needs, which are great. You need us, Green Bay, and we are here for you.

Our mission remains strong:

Connecting people. Creating experiences. Crafting great beer.

Now let’s all raise a plastic cup of your favorite beer in a toast…to Copper State’s first anniversary! Prost! Salud! Cheers!