For the 2nd consecutive year, Bucks Happening has named the Top 10 Movers & Shakers of Bucks County.  Our accomplished judges had their work cut out for them with dozens of inspirational stories submitted by readers.

Now, with the official results in and this year’s Movers & Shakers assembling recently to celebrate, we’re taking a closer look at each winner and sharing their incredible stories.

We're shining the spotlight on Andrew Knechel, the mastermind behind Bucks County Brewery in Pipersville. In between brewing up delicious beers – including Frumpkin's Pumpkin Ale, Smoked Butternut Squash Porter, and Saison Du Lever Du Soleil – Andrew answered a few questions about his latest adventures as a local mover & shaker:

BH: What motivates you every morning?

AK: A fresh opportunity to create something unique

BH: Who inspires you?

AK: People who overcome great obstacles to truly effect the world around them positively

BH: How did you decide to start a new brewery?

AK: The first time I made beer, I fell in love with the creativity and process around it. I received very positive feedback, most notably from people who brewed professionally. I was fortunate to land an internship with the Harvest Moon Brewpub in New Brunswick NJ, and after brewing on the bigger system, I discovered that not only did I love the process of making beer, but on a large scale I truly enjoyed most of the work that goes along with running a larger brewery, such as cleaning tanks, shoveling grain and mopping floors. For me, I enjoy those secondary actions almost as much as brewing because I see and feel the connection of those activities to the creation of good beer. Since I loved the process and work of brewing, and saw a create ground swell around craft beer, I decided it was a business I wanted to be in.

BH: What is your favorite thing about brewing beer?

AK: The incredible camaraderie of the brewing industry, and the amazing people who come through our doors to enjoy our beer.

BH: What's your favorite style of beer to drink?

AK: I cannot put my finger on a single style that is my favorite, it really depends on the day you ask, and even that can change by the hour. There is too much great beer out there for me to pick a single style.

BH: The craft beer movement is exploding all over the country. How do you see the industry evolving over the next 10 years?

AK: I really do not have a crystal ball idea of what will happen in the industry. For right now, I am very happy to see a pre-prohabition movement back to neighborhood breweries. It is really cool to see the pride people have in their neighborhood brewery. I hope that continues.

BH: Which of your achievements are you most proud of?

AK: I have been married for 28 years this past September. In this day and age, I am extremely proud of that. As far as the brewery is concerned, I am very proud of being able to open the brewery- the size system that I have and the beer I produce- especially for the amount of capital I had to do it.

BH: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

AK: On a surface level, the biggest challenge has been being way underfunded. But truly, the biggest (and most unexpected) challenge has been the fear and uncertainty that the lack of funding created. I originally got funding to open a 1 bbl (31 gallon) system, which means I could make a few kegs of beer at a time. From my internship and interviews with several other professional brewers, I decided I needed at least a 6 bbl system to be sustainable, but I did not want to take on additional debt or investors.  So I built what is called a “frankenbrew”  system consisting of non-traditional (READ: cheap as dirt) equipment. Also, I opened the brewery in the same building as a new craft distillery called Hewn Spirits. Having two separate alcohol producing companies under one roof added almost 1 year to the normal timeframe for obtaining my brewery license. The additional costs of the bigger system and delays in opening ate up every drop of reserve capital I had, so from the first day I opened the doors, I have had to keep the lights on with the beer I sold. I was not prepared for the stress of having to do that, and had to overcome the fear the situation created to continue to grow the business. To date, that has been the biggest challange.

BH: What is the biggest accomplishment that you’d like to achieve over the next 5 years?

AK: My goals are simply to allow the business to grow organically. I am excited to see what happens and for me, it will be a big enough accomplishment to be able to raise a glass of beer in 5 years with a few of the customers that have been with me from the start and simply say “thank you” for helping me reach that point.

BH: How do you think your friends & coworkers would describe you?

AK: In my other “40 hour” job, I manage an IT department of 9 people. I hope they would describe me as genuine and truly interested in them as people. As far as friends, I think  they would describe me as a mix of happy-go-lucky and fun to be around.

BH: Where’s your favorite place to go in Bucks County?

AK: I am a country boy at heart so my favorite “place” is a drive in the more rural areas of Bucks. I also enjoy visiting some of my favorite eateries, like the Vault Brewing Company in Yardley.

BH: If you could go back in time and talk to yourself ten years ago, what advice would you give?

AK: Grow up dude, and stash some cash!! Seriously, I would tell myself to think long and hard about the things I value most and the work that gives me the most satisfaction, then work my butt off to make sure I can spend the greatest amount of time each day occupied by those things.

We Are Supported By: