11: A Rocket Flight to the Sun

Founded outside of Cincinnati in 1987, Oldenberg Brewery was the first significant craft brand in the Midwest and it was at the forefront of craft beer in almost every way. Oldenberg’s massive beer hall contained the world’s largest collection of breweriana, and the brewery garnered international acclaim for its Beer Camp, which helped spread beer appreciation to attendees from around the world. Oldenberg expanded into multiple states, grew like a weed, attracted big investors, and danced on the precipice of becoming as big as Sam Adams – before it all came crashing down and died in oblivion. Former owner Dave Heidrich philosophically shares what it was like to be a darling of the late 1980s craft beer scene, a contemporary of Jim Koch and Ken Grossman, and how it felt to have a billion dollars at the tip of your fingers before losing it all.