What Ethereal Brewing does

Ethereal Brewing is a privately-held craft brewery founded in 2014 in Lexington, Kentucky by Andrew Bishop and Brandon Floan. The company operates a vertically integrated hospitality business built around an approximately 25-tap craft beer program featuring roughly 25 distinct SKUs spanning West Coast and New England IPAs, stouts, porters, sours, pilsners, barrel-aged specialties (including bourbon-barrel-aged barleywine), and seasonal rotations. Ethereal's primary production brewery and taproom is located at 1224 Manchester Street within Lexington's historic Distillery District on a 25-acre site formerly occupied by the James E. Pepper Distillery (1879-1958); the company also operates Public House, a full-service restaurant at 102 W Vine Street in partnership with Executive Chef Greg Spaulding (Salt & Vinegar concept), and Slice House, a brick-oven pizza taproom at 401 S Limestone.

The business model is exclusively direct-to-consumer with no third-party wholesale distribution referenced. Revenue streams include on-site beer pours ($6-$12.50), batched and signature cocktails ($10-$12), full restaurant menus at Public House (pub items $13.5-$46), pizza at Slice House ($15-$29), curated bourbon and whiskey selections, ciders, seltzers, non-alcoholic beverages (including Athletic Brewing products), and private event venue rentals. Customer segments span craft beer enthusiasts, casual and elevated diners, bourbon and whiskey tourists, and event bookers — all served through the three owned-and-operated venues.

Underlying operations reflect traditional brewing craft rather than proprietary technology. Notable production techniques include bourbon barrel aging using Kentucky barrels, hop rates exceeding 4 lb/bbl in flagship hazy IIPAs, and a twice-fermented house-beer batter used in signature Fish & Chips. Ingredient sourcing emphasizes Kentucky Proud local farms (Sunwatch Homestead, Lakewatcher Farms, Kenny's Creamery), and the company maintains an annual collaboration with fellow Lexington brewery Blue Stallion on the Above the Clouds NEIPA series. Ethereal has no disclosed funding, no external investors, no digital platform or app, and operates entirely on-premises at three Lexington locations.

Name

Ethereal Brewing

Legal name

Ethereal Brewing

Website

https://etherealbrew.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ethereal Brewing is a Lexington, Kentucky craft brewery operating three direct-to-consumer venues — Manchester Brewery, Public House restaurant, and Slice House pizza taproom — on a historic 25-acre Distillery District property, serving house-brewed craft beer, food, cocktails, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)

Keywords

• Craft brewery
• Craft beer
• Taproom operations
• Brewpub restaurant
• Barrel-aged beer

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. On-site Beer Sales: Craft beer sold directly through taproom pours at Manchester Brewery, Public House, and Slice House locations. Includes flagship and seasonal rotations.
2. Food Service: Full restaurant menus at Public House (pub fare, supper menu) and Slice House (NY style pizza, Olde World pizza, salads). Manchester location offers bar snacks.
3. Batched Cocktails: Pre-made cocktails including Old Fashioned, Margarita, L.I.T., Moscow Mule; Bartender creations and classic cocktails at Public House
4. Private Event Rental: Event venue rental at multiple locations including Manchester taproom and Public House for private gatherings
5. Retail Merchandise: Non-alcoholic beverages including sodas, Athletic Brewing NA beers available for on-site purchase

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ethereal Brewing is a craft brewery that produces and sells hand-crafted beer across multiple styles (IPAs, stouts, sours, pilsners, barrel-aged specialty beers) through its own on-site taproom and restaurant venues in Lexington, KY. The company operates three distinct concepts—Manchester Brewery (production taproom), Public House (full-service restaurant and bar), and Slice House (pizza taproom)—serving house-brewed beer alongside food menus, cocktails, ciders, and bourbon selections.

Product overview

Ethereal Brewing is a craft brewery with a multi-location portfolio centered in Lexington, Kentucky. The company operates three distinct venues: Manchester Brewery (the main production brewery in the historic Distillery District), Public House (a full-service restaurant at 102 W Vine Street featuring chef-curated American cuisine and craft cocktails), and Slice House (a pizza restaurant at 401 S Limestone serving NY Style and Olde World brick oven pizzas). Their core product is craft beer, featuring approximately 25 distinct beer varieties including flagship IPAs (West Coast and New England Hazy styles), stouts, porters, sours, pilsners, and barrel-aged specialty beers. The brewery also offers batched cocktails, ciders, seltzers, and a curated selection of bourbons and whiskeys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manchester Brewery Taproom The main production brewery and taproom at 1224 Manchester Street in Lexington's historic Distillery District on a 25-acre property formerly home to the James E. Pepper Distillery. Serves 15+ craft beers on tap alongside bar snacks for on-site consumption.
• Public House Restaurant Full-service restaurant at 102 W Vine Street in historic downtown Lexington, featuring shareables, sandwiches, pub menu, supper menu, and desserts curated by Executive Chef Greg Spaulding (Salt & Vinegar concept). Offers craft beer, batched cocktails, bartender creations, bourbon and whiskey selections, and live entertainment.
• Slice House Pizza-focused taproom at 401 S Limestone serving NY Style Pizza, Olde World brick oven Pizza, salads, and sweets, paired with rotating craft beer taps.
• Muffin Man Blueberry Muffin Sour Flagship craft sour ale at 6.5% ABV featuring blueberry and muffin characteristics with cleansing acidity. Originally a small batch turned flagship due to customer demand.
• Wanderland West Coast IPA Flagship West Coast IPA at 7.2% ABV with a balanced blend of bitterness and citrus hop character.
• Fad-Tastic New England Hazy IPA New England Hazy IPA at 6.9% ABV with high hop flavor but low bitterness. A staple hazy IPA offering.
• The Jabberwock Barrel-Aged English Barleywine Barrel-aged English Barleywine at 12% ABV, a blend of English strong ales aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels with malty, toasted bread tones, caramel, and dark fruit notes.
• Above the Clouds IV Hazy NEIPA Annual collaboration hazy NEIPA at 6.6% ABV brewed with Blue Stallion Brewing. Year 4 featured Dolcita, Citra, and Citra Abstrax hops.
• Private Event Hosting Venue rental for private gatherings and events at Manchester Brewery taproom and Public House locations, available for booking through the website.
• Batched Cocktails & Bartender Creations Ready-to-serve batched cocktails (Old Fashioned, Margarita, L.I.T., Moscow Mule) and signature bartender creations (Mean Girl, La Lechuza, Drury Lane, What's the Tea?, Honey, The Bees Are Smoking Oranges Again!) served at Public House.

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue Stallion BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration on Above the Clouds IV Hazy NEIPA. Each year's iteration features different hop varieties - Year 4 featured Dolcita, Citra, and Citra Abstrax. This is a recurring flagship collaboration between the two Lexington breweries.
• Greg Spaulding / Salt & VinegarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Chef Greg Spaulding brings Salt & Vinegar concept to Public House, combining his cuisine (trained under Mark Jensen, former Executive Chef at West Main Crafting Co.) with Ethereal's craft brews and cocktails. Full bar menu developed in partnership.
• Papa PretzelminorOthersArtisanal sourdough pretzel supplier for Public House menu. Fresh 10.5oz pretzels baked daily, served with Brie & Camembert whipped with herbs, spices, and Ethereal beer.
• Kentucky Proud SuppliersminorOthersPartnership with local KY Proud farms and producers: Sunwatch Homestead pork for bratwurst, Lakewatcher Farms chicken, and Kenny's Creamery dairy products. Supports local agricultural community.
• Athletic BrewingminorOthersSupplier of non-alcoholic beer options including Cerveza Atletica, Upside Dawn, and Run Wild IPA for guests seeking non-alcoholic alternatives.
• Worth BrewingminorOthersFounder Andrew Bishop's inspiration source - a small brewery and taproom in Northwood, IA owned by his uncle. Visit there sparked the vision for Ethereal Brewing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Large national craft brewer with taproom restaurants and broad distribution; provides a benchmark for how a multi-format craft beer brand can scale into food and event experiences.
• Stone Brewing: Large craft brewer with on-premise restaurants and IPAs in the same hop-forward category Ethereal competes in (West Coast, hazy IPAs). Useful benchmark for the upscale brewpub format.
• Great Lakes Brewing Company: Established Midwest craft brewer with brewpub and broader distribution; offers a useful comparable for taproom-plus-distribution economics that Ethereal currently lacks.
• New Belgium Brewing Company: National craft brewer operating taproom and event venues alongside distribution; comparable as a scaled example of brewpub-as-destination economics that Ethereal could grow into.

Regional players

• Rhinegeist Brewery: Cincinnati-based craft brewery with taproom, beer hall, and event space operating a comparable multi-venue, experiential model in a neighboring Kentucky-Ohio market. Comparable production scale and diversified concept strategy.

Direct peers

• Country Boy Brewing: Lexington craft brewery with taproom and brewpubs serving a comparable set of craft beer enthusiasts in the same metro, offering overlapping flagship IPAs and seasonal releases.
• Alltech's Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Lexington brewery-distillery operating a taproom and restaurant on a heritage site, directly competing for bourbon-country tourists and locals who pair craft beer with Kentucky cuisine.
• Blue Stallion Brewing: Lexington-based craft brewery and taproom that collaborates annually with Ethereal on Above the Clouds NEIPA. Direct local competitor serving the same craft beer enthusiast base in the same city.
• West Sixth Brewing: Lexington-anchored craft brewery with taproom and food service in the same Kentucky market. Directly competes for craft beer drinkers and gastropub traffic.

Emerging players

• HopCat: Multi-location craft beer bar and restaurant concept offering a comparable multi-tap, elevated-pub-fare model that competes for the same experiential dining and craft beer consumer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etherealbrewing
• Facebookfacebook.com/etherealbrewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethereal-brewing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Ethereal Brewing