Steve Koenemann

Rock Solid Rock Art Brewery

Matt and Renee Nadeau started the Rock Art Brewery out of the basement of their house near Johnson, VT in 1997. Then a one-man operation, Rock Art has seen significant growth since then. In 2002, the Rock Art operation moved from Matt’s house to their current location in a very industrial looking warehouse in Morrisville, VT and they have been expanding ever since.

I spent some time with Andra Muhlfelder, one of Rock Art’s brewers, on a sunny and warm afternoon in April this year. Andra, Matt (the owner) and another brewer we did not meet (Zeb) share the brewing chores and from Andra’s description, put in a very full week turning out enough Rock Art beer to meet the current demand.

Andra told us that they produce about 150 barrels of beer a week in increments of either 15 or 22 barrels per batch, depending upon which beer it is that they are producing. All of the tasks associated with beer production, from brewing to bottling to packaging, are handled mostly by these three individuals. That, coupled with their relatively cramped quarters, means that Rock Art is operating at the full capacity of their small operation. There was no mention of expansion during our discussion, but I can’t imagine them being able to squeeze any more equipment into the tight space that they occupy now.

One of the most interesting pieces of equipment was their bottling machine. Dating from the 1950s and once used to bottle Dr. Pepper soda, I was fairly amazed to hear that this machine is still very reliable, although Andra described Matt as a “mechanical genius” and I am sure that his skills help keep this 60 year old piece of equipment humming.

The bottling machine is able to fill approximately 80 12oz or 22oz bottles per minute and will also apply the labels to the 12oz bottle. The labels for the 22oz bottles, I was absolutely shocked to hear, are applied individually BY HAND. Andra described her skills at doing this manual task as “fair”… Renee chimed in that Andra had an incredible knack for doing this very quickly and at the same time getting them on straight and wrinkle free… I believe the word “amazing” was used.

Like many brewing businesses these days, Rock Art is contributing to the “green brewing” movement by using unbleached, recycled paper in their six-pack cartons as well as shipping all of their grain and yeast waste to a farm in Eden, VT to be used as livestock feed. All of Rock Art’s beer is produced with natural and, when possible, fresh ingredients (natural ginger, jasmine, etc.) and contain no extracts or artificial additives.

There are, no doubt, many of you that remember Rock Art’s battle last year with the company that produces Monster energy drinks (see Rock Art vs. Monster and Rock Art Wins “Monster” Battle). The very large company had taken Rock Art to court in an attempt to try to stop them from using the word “monster” in the name of their excellent “Vermonster” beer. They claimed that they held a copyright/trademark on the use of that word in beverage names… not that Rock Art Vermonster is the only beer name to contain that word, of course. Fortunately the courts overruled the petty “monster” claim and Rock Art continues to use “Vermonster” today. Since that fight, Matt has become very involved, at the national level, in promoting trademark legal reform. Associated with this fight were several videos which were, in part, responsible for Rock Art’s success in the courts. In a video available at Rock Art Monster Battle, Matt talks about the “cease and desist” order that was issued by the courts and the reforms that are necessary to keep other small companies from falling prey to the predatory trademark legal practices of much larger corporations.

My visit to Rock Art, though brief, convinced me that Matt and Renee as well as their employees are extremely passionate about what they do. I have long enjoyed the fruits of their labor and, in fact, some of the newer “extreme series” beers that they have fairly recently started producing are among my “regulars” for beer consumption. It is gratifying for me to see that these products which I consume are produced by a very successful local Vermont company that is committed to producing the finest product at a reasonable price so that everyone can enjoy them. I plan to watch, with pride, as another excellent Vermont-based brewer continues to spread their wings and begins to gather the acclaim that all of their hard work deserves.

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