It started with an amazing vision from our founders, the Crandalls, who visited all those amazing breweries in Europe and said ‘We want to bring something like that to our home town in Nelson County.’ And then they brought in incredible people early and often. Kim Oakley: “Many things had to go right in such a short period of time. O&A: Devils Backbone brewery became very successful very quickly in a very competitive industry. Kim Oakley, the marketing director of Devils Backbone, recently sat down for a telephone interview with Out & About Magazine from her office in Southern Virginia to discuss her company’s amazing growth, the many changes it’s undergone in a short amount of time, and what lies ahead. (For more information on Devils Backbone and its products, go to ) Part of that growth was their leap in 2019 into the canned cocktail business, which includes their top-selling Smash series - orange, grapefruit and lemonade, all of which can be found in the Delaware market. Heidi Crandall is still involved with the company, which started small and grew quickly. Last May, the Devils Backbone family suffered a devastating loss when Steve Crandall died at the age of 64 after a three-year battle with cancer. Then, in 2016, Devils Backbone was acquired by industry goliath Anheuser-Busch and lost its Brewers Association designation as a craft brewery. Other big sellers were Eight Point IPA and Schwartz Bier, a black lager. in 2008 and it was an immediate success, especially their flagship Vienna Lager, which has won several national and international awards. The Crandalls began their operation in Nelson County, Va. And when they finally decided to take the plunge and open their own brewery, they did so in the Blue Ridge mountains of Southern Virginia.Īs for the name Devils Backbone - that’s what the jagged section of the Blue Ridge was called by the men who surveyed that part of Virginia almost 300 years ago, a group that included Thomas Jefferson’s father, Peter. The couple got the inspiration to start the brewery while on a ski trip in the Italian Alps and savored, for the first time, a quality craft beer, a German Weisse. But take a closer look and it makes perfect sense, since mountains have always played a big part in the lives and careers of Steve and Heidi Crandall. Order Devils Backbone GWAR Smash Arctic Cocktail here.After making its name with beer, Devils Backbone finds another sweet spot with canned cocktailsĪt first glance, it seems like an odd name for a craft brewery - Devils Backbone. So, raise a can and cheers to this exciting new collaboration between two Virginia-born brands that know how to rock! Whether you're a die-hard GWAR fan or someone who appreciates bold, innovative flavors, Devils Backbone GWAR Smash Arctic Cocktail is a drink you won't want to miss. Last year, the band teamed up with Devils Backbone to release a limited edition "Blood Geyser" Blood Orange IPA at a special event at D.C.'s iconic 9:30 Club. This isn’t the first time these iconic Virginia based brands have teamed up to create an Elixir fit to fuel intergalactic conquest. Fruity and proud, Smash will smash your thirst!” Fortunately, Devils Backbone has colluded with the Booze Masters at the GWARbar to create the GWAR Smash - an intensely refreshing and consummately crushable beverage that is as at home at a frigid Arctic beach party as it is at the bar of the most debaucherous old beachcomber. GWAR band member BälSäc says, “On my travels across the globe, my heart often pines for my adopted sub-tropical island home of Antarctica.
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