Pretty much everything about Revolution Brewing is small, save for one extremely important thing: The beer of course.

It’s a small family operation. Only four people. The brewery itself is on the small side. The tasting room seats about five. The brewery produces, on a good week, about four barrels of beer.

But, there’s a pretty loyal following already for Revolution Brewing, and any one of them would love to tell you that those four barrels hold some pretty awesome brews.

Mike and Gretchen King, the owners and operators, brew a variety of beers, but there are four mainstays they constantly brew.

The first is the Sticky Thickett, a brown ale with roasted nut overtones and a light caramel finish.

They brew Iron Curtain, a red lager made with Polish hops and German grains.

Where is My Bag? Roasted Porter is a medium-bodied beer with roasted barley and crystal malts.

They also have a Polish Hurricane Pale Ale, made with high-grade Polish hops.

The Kings are committed to a natural product. Only four ingredients are found in their beers; barley, hops, water and yeast. No additives and no preservatives taint the taste of these beers.

Mike has been perfecting these recipes for a long time, he said.

On occasion, they throw in some fruit for a new flavor. Mike brewed Doc’s Dismay Apple, which used Big B’s apple juice.

He also made an IPA with fresh hops that were grown in Paonia. It is a delicious beer, smooth, light and slightly fruity.

Mike likes to use as many locally-grown ingredients as possible. A couple of farms in Paonia are currently growing organic hops and Mike hopes to work with them to produce a truly local product. His goal is that within two years, Revolution Brewing will use 100 percent local malted barley.

The Kings opened up shop May first with the intention of selling a few glasses of their  beer. But the business took off, and since then, they’ve been brewing around the clock just to keep up with the demand.

“The traffic has been out of control,” Mike said.

They sold out of their beer right away, and for the first few months, they weren’t able to stay open consecutive weekends because they kept selling out.

Revolution Brewing is a wholesale manufacturer. Mike said the goal was to be able to get his beers in local dining establishments in Paonia, hopefully by the end of this summer, then the rest of the North Fork, and then probably the Roaring Fork Valley.

He never sees his brewery leaving the North Fork, nor does he see supplying the entire world with his beers. He’s content in brewing excellent beer for his friends in the North Fork.

“This valley is awesome,” he said, and added that his customers enjoy beer, know a lot about the product, and make requests and recommendations for his next batches.
“We want to get caught up and make the best beer we can and satisfy Paonia,” he said. “We really want to serve the local people the best we can.”

The Paradise Theater in Paonia currently sells his beer, and customers can get a 64-ounce growler for $9 at the tasting room. He also sells beer on tap and in kegs.

Mike and Gretchen are joined in the operation by Mike’s good friend Eric Goole, who assists in brewing and generally anything Mike needs help with.

Teri Miller manages the tasting room.

Mike, Gretchen and their two-year-old son Riley moved to Paonia last September from Alaska. The couple both have family in the state.

Mike brewed some in Alaska. Always interested in beer and in creating his own, he said he brewed before he was legal to brew.

He received a brew kit as a pre-wedding gift from his mother-in-law, and his passion for beer quickly turned to a hobby and eventually into his business.

He said he likes the different options he gets out of beer when he brews, as well as the quality control he is able to execute. As the days go on, he’s able to get more inventive in his recipes. There’s no telling what may be on tap one day.

As an added treat, the Kings served locally made brats that they cook in their beer.

But most importantly, the small shop is a place where you can get a glass of delicious beer from some genuinely nice people. It’s not required to hum the theme song to “Cheers,” but you can if you want. The other patrons would probably understand, maybe even join in.

Revolution Brewing is located at 325 Grand Ave. in Paonia. The tasting room is open Fridays from 3:30-6:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30-5:30 p.m.; and by appointment by calling 970-314-4938. The brewery is also found on the web at www.revolution-brewing.com.

The tasting room will be open an additional day for Cherry Days, on Thursday, July 3, from 3:30-5:30 p.m.