The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Building on initial success
It’s all about the beer at Sibling Revelry, bring your own food if you must
“Iasa brewer want to make beers that are more balanced.” —Pete Velez, head brewmaster at Sibling Revelry
Uniting people with a common bond for good drinks and good times is the idea behind a brewing company in Westlake that recently celebrated its first year in business.
Sibling Revelry Brewing, 29305 Clemens Road, opened its doors to the public in Feb. 24, 2016, after renovations began in August 2015, according to Carol Sanders, director of the brewery’s sales and marketing. A definition on the wall of the taproom describes the expression “sibling revelry” as “people related by a common tie celebrating with lively and noisy festivities (often involving alcohol).”
Sanders, who moved from Georgia to Cleveland to help open the brewery, explained members of the Kennedy family, who have lived in the Cleveland area for five generations, founded Sibling Revelry after visiting breweries on the West Coast and becoming inspired by the neighborhood feel they possessed. Convinced the west side of Cleveland lacked a similar establishment, family members including brothers Mike and Bert Kennedy, Mike’s sons Sean and Matt Kennedy and Bert’s sons Todd and Mike Kennedy all worked together to create a business plan.
The Kennedy family already owned the building that now houses the brewery and taproom, and is why it is uniquely located within an industrial park.
Head Brewmaster Pete Velez and Sanders work together to manage daily operations, which includes creating a production schedule and deciding which beers to brew. Sanders said Sibling Revelry is self-distributed and she takes care of the marketing, sales and distribution.
The taproom at Sibling Revelry features 16 different brews on tap, including seasonal craft beers, limited releases and regular favorites.
“Our IPA and our red are our two biggest sellers,” Sanders said, explaining Sibling Revelry’s IPA has a less aggressive finish than most IPAs. “We use a lot of different hops and it makes it a really unique, drinkable beer.”
Although Sibling Revelry doesn’t serve food, patrons are welcome to bring their own and food trucks visit the parking lot seasonally and during the summer months. Sanders said the space is also available for birthday parties or other catered events.
In the brewery’s first year of business, Sanders said quality was slated as the number one priority.
“In our first year we wanted to show we knew how to make solid, true-tostyle beers,” Sanders said. “We’ve made edgier ones here and there, but we wanted to make sure people knew we had a quality product that was consistent, that we had inventory on it and that it taste the same every time they ordered a keg.”
Sibling Revelry also began canning beers in their first year and have five different varieties available in stores such as Marc’s, Whole Foods and Acme Fresh Market. Sanders explained craft beers are normally poured into a glass anyway, but cans are ideal for shipping and are easier to recycle.
Beers at Sibling Revelry are created through two systems: a 30-barrel system that makes about 60 kegs at a time and a one in a halfbarrel pilot system that is used to test new creations. “We built the brewery to a size we could grow into versus grow out of,” Sanders said. “We still have room that we can grow into this system and expand in our current footprint.”
Some of the specialty beers Sibling Revelry has created include a cherry whit, an oatmeal stout, an imperial oyster stout and a lavender whit, among others. Sanders said the brewery is experimenting a bit more with infusion types of beers now that they’ve become comfortable with their year-round beers.
Velez has recently been experimenting with glutenfree beers.
“There’s not a really amazing gluten-free beer out there,” Sanders said. “We want to make a beer for people who love it but can’t drink it.”
When asked to consider what the future might hold, Velez said he plans to continue doing what they have from the beginning: listening to the customers.
For example, Velez explained Rowan’s Red was one of the first beers created at Sibling Revelry and customers raved about it. Now Rowan’s Red is among the two best sellers.
“I as a brewer want to make beers that are more balanced,” Velez said.
The head brewmaster said the brewery is going to continue to experiment with the pilot system and let their customer based guide them to see what holes they can fill in the craft beer market.