By Dylan Hochstedler

John Frazee and Ryan Bowers were engineering students at the University of Colorado in the late 1990s, but did not meet until years later when they both started their careers in Denver at WorleyParsons, an international engineering firm.

From there, the idea for a brewery was engineered, which would eventually become Gravity Brewing in Louisville. “We didn’t really set any big expectations at first and told ourselves that we would just see how far we could get,” Frazee said. “If we hit an insurmountable road block, then at least we tried.”

But the brewery has thrived in east Boulder County, brewing a variety of great beers.

As engineers who are obsessed with physics and the outdoor lifestyle that Colorado offers, Frazee and Bowers wanted to incorporate their interests into the name of their brewery. However, they felt a name like High Gravity Brewing would pigeonhole their brand into a “big beer” category. While priding themselves on big beers, such as the Tsar Bomba, a Russian Imperial Stout that weighs in at 11 percent ABV, or Acceleration, a double IPA that tests at 9.8 percent, they also offer a portfolio that includes a wide range of sessionable beers.

Although Frazee would say Gravity Brewing is “a little-known brewery tucked away in a funky spot of small town Louisville, Colorado,” he is excited with the brand he and Bowers have built and the success they’ve had. He says he enjoys hosting everyone from Louisville neighbors to retired NASA astronauts at the brewery.