What Against the Grain does

Against the Grain is a privately held craft brewery and beverage manufacturing company founded in 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky, and now operating primarily as a production facility and contract brewing partner under the ATG Solutions division. The company operates two complementary revenue streams: own-brand craft beer sold directly to consumers via dock-side sales from its Louisville production facility (kegs and cases across core, seasonal, and limited-release SKUs), and full-service contract beverage manufacturing for third-party brands covering recipe development, sourcing, brewing, blending, emulsification, fermentation, filtration, pasteurization, packaging, quality assurance, warehousing, and logistics. Its packaging capability spans a wide range of formats from 7.5oz slim cans to 19.2oz fat boys, and the company holds compliant cannabis-infused beverage manufacturing credentials supporting THC beverage production for partners as well as its own ZAZA sub-brand. The pricing model blends unit-based own-brand pricing (case pricing of $60, 1/6 barrel kegs from $85-$115, 1/2 barrel kegs from $170-$220, plus a $100 refundable keg deposit) with professional-services pricing for contract brewing, co-packing, and mobile canning engagements.

Customer segments are diverse and span craft beer enthusiasts buying direct for personal consumption and events, beverage brands (from startups through established players) seeking flexible contract manufacturing with low minimum order quantities, and event/party hosts purchasing kegs in bulk. Named third-party manufacturing references include a partnership with Dutch brewery Brouwerij De Molen on the Bo & Luke Imperial Smoked Stout and a published testimonial from Beerternational citing ATG's ability to execute complex international recipes. In 2025, Against the Grain closed its original taproom and consolidated operations at a nearby production facility, signaling a strategic reorientation away from hospitality toward high-throughput beverage manufacturing and contract services.

Name

Against the Grain

Legal name

Against the Grain

Website

https://atgbrewery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Against the Grain is a privately held Louisville, Kentucky craft brewery and contract beverage manufacturer founded in 2011, selling its own craft beer directly via dock sales and operating the ATG Solutions division to provide full-service co-packing and brewing for third-party beverage brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Craft Beer Sales: Direct sales of Against the Grain branded beers to consumers via keg orders from the production facility, including core and seasonal offerings
2. Contract Brewing & Co-Packing Services: Full-service production and beverage manufacturing operation providing contract brewing, co-packing, and manufacturing support for other beverage brands including craft beer, THC beverages, non-alcoholic products, and energy drinks
3. Keg Deposits: $100 keg deposit collected on keg orders, refundable upon return of ATG kegs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Against the Grain operates a Louisville, Kentucky-based beverage production facility that brews and packages its own craft beer portfolio (year-round, seasonal, and limited releases) and offers full-service contract beverage manufacturing through its ATG Solutions division. ATG Solutions provides recipe development, sourcing, brewing, fermentation, filtration, pasteurization, packaging, quality assurance, warehousing, and logistics for partner brands across craft beer, malt beverages, non-alcoholic drinks, functional beverages, and compliant cannabis-infused beverages.

Product overview

Against the Grain is a Louisville, Kentucky-based beverage manufacturing company offering both proprietary craft beer and contract brewing services. Their beer portfolio includes core year-round offerings such as the 35K milk stout, Citra Ass Down Double IPA, Cold Ass Beer amber ale, The Brown Note brown ale, Loo-a-vuhl Pale hazy ale, Rico Sauvin Double IPA, Retitled Pils, A Beer premium lager, and Pile Of Face American IPA. Seasonal and limited releases include Oktoberfest lager, 70K bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, Bo & Luke imperial smoked stout, Kentucky Ryed Chiquen barrel-aged rye amber ale, and ATG Bourbon Barrel-Aged Ale. Their contract manufacturing division, ATG Solutions, provides full-service beverage production including recipe development, brewing, fermentation, packaging, and logistics for partners across craft beer, malt beverages, non-alcoholic products, functional beverages, and compliant cannabis-infused drinks. The company also operates ZAZA brand products and direct dock sales from their production facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZAZA: THC beverage brand mentioned on the website navigation as drinkzazavibe.com
• Beer Characters (Session, Hop, Malt, Dark, Smoke, Whim)

Products and services

• 35K Milk Stout

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brouwerij De MolenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partnership for the Bo & Luke Imperial Smoked Stout. De Molen head brewer Menyo Oliver drove from the Netherlands to Louisville to brew the first incarnation. The success led to ATG continuing the collaboration independently.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Founders Brewing Company: Grand Rapids craft brewery with national distribution, barrel-aged stouts, and IPAs in ATG's core style wheelhouse. Comparable to Against the Grain on craft brand portfolio, barrel-aged programs, and contract/white-label services.
• SweetWater Brewing Company: Atlanta craft brewery (now part of Tilray) with national distribution and a portfolio spanning IPAs, lagers, and THC-infused beverages. Comparable to ATG on craft production scale, portfolio breadth, and THC-beverage crossover.
• BrewDog: Scottish craft brewer that has scaled into international contract brewing, white-label production, and a wide range of beer plus adjacent beverage formats. Closely mirrors ATG's mix of irreverent branded craft and B2B beverage manufacturing services.
• Harpoon Brewery: Boston/Vermont craft brewer with a long-running contract/partner-brand business (UFO, Clown Shoes) and broad packaging capability. Highly comparable to ATG on craft operations, partner/contract brewing mix, and taproom-to-production evolution.
• Athletic Brewing Company: Largest U.S. non-alcoholic craft brewer, operating dedicated brewing and packaging facilities for NA beer and partner brands. Comparable to ATG's non-alc contract brewing capability and direct-to-consumer craft orientation.
• Tilray Brands (Beverage Division): Major cannabis-lifestyle operator with THC-infused beverage manufacturing and brand portfolio. Direct peer to ATG on the cannabis-infused beverage production and ZAZA sub-brand side, and a likely contract manufacturing customer.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Beer Company: Public craft beverage company (Samuel Adams, Truly, Twisted Tea, Dogfish Head) with extensive contract brewing, co-packing, and partner-brand infrastructure. Directly comparable to ATG's ATG Solutions arm and to its multi-format craft portfolio.
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Large independent craft brewer operating multi-site production with broad packaging formats and contract/partner-brand capacity. Comparable to ATG as a craft-rooted, nationally distributed operator that has scaled production beyond a single taproom.
• Lagunitas Brewing Company: Petaluma-based craft brewery (owned by Heineken) known for IPAs, barrel-aged programs, and contract/white-label work. Comparable to Against the Grain on craft portfolio breadth and contract/partner-brand production orientation.
• New Belgium Brewing Company: Fort Collins-based craft brewery (now owned by Kirin/Lion) operating large-scale brewing, packaging, and distribution. Highly comparable to Against the Grain as a craft-led operation with national distribution, barrel-aged programs, and branded plus partner/contract production capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/atgbrewery
• Instagraminstagram.com/atgbrewery
• Xx.com/AtGBrewery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Against the Grain