The human touch makes all the difference
Josh Dunlap, Co-founder, Whaler’s Brewing Company – Wakefield, Rhode Island
16 December 2020
Housed in a 200 year old revitalized textile mill in the quiet village of Peace Dale, two friends from childhood are brewing some of best new beers in the U.S.
As an infantryman in the Marines, Josh Dunlap served in Iraq and on a Marine Expeditionary aircraft carrier in the Pacific. When he came back from deployment to the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, California, Josh remembers “I liked drinking beer quite a lot. And I was getting sick of drinking lousy beer in California. I started getting very interested in better quality beers, especially high alcohol content beers.”
When he got out of the service, Josh started brewing high ABV (alcohol by volume) beer at home, sharing what he created with his friends. “My buddies told me they liked it. And I knew I wanted to start a brewery.”
For a few years, Josh worked on a commercial fishing boat, raising the money to make his dream happen. “That was very hard work, but it paid incredibly well” he remembers. With the money he earned, Josh and his partner Wes Staschke leased an old textile mill in Wakefield, Rhode Island and opened Whaler’s Brewing Company.
What started out as a microbrew operation in 2011 has grown into a regional beer brand and one of America’s 50 fastest-growing breweries. Whaler’s flagship American Pale Ale, called “Rise” has won numerous national and international awards and was voted Best American Pale Ale in the country three years in a row at the World Beer Awards. Whaler’s sells to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores across Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Making the transition from local microbrewery to regional player taught Josh a lot about what it takes to grow a business. He began to realize there wasn’t as much demand for the high ABV beers he prefers. It was a turning point. “We started brewing a beer that everyone could enjoy. It’s beer with a really nice balance and very consistent. In my opinion, it’s exactly what a good craft beer should be.”
As head of the brewing operation, “I deal with a lot of the nitty-gritty” Josh says. “Everything from brewing to fermentation, packing, kegging, canning and organizing shipping to distributors.” Josh is well known around Whaler’s for his determination to get it right, every time. “I can be a bit stubborn” he admits, “probably from my background in the service.” Josh says attention to detail is critical when it comes to brewing a beer everyone can enjoy.
“You have to be super-focused to keep the batches consistent. I think that’s one of my biggest skills.”
“You can never do enough research about what you are trying to do” says Josh. “We have made a lot of sacrifices to get where we are. Sometimes it can get really difficult, but it’s important not to get discouraged, just continue to push. There’s going to be a lot of roadblocks you never expected. It’s really important to stay strong and just continue.”
Whaler’s has invested heavily in the latest computerized technology to ensure both efficiency and quality control. And the company is planning a new 100 barrel brew system that Josh hopes will take Whaler’s to the next level. But even with the state of the art technology, it’s the human touch that makes all the difference.
Self-taught in the art of brewing, Josh travels to Washington’s Yakima Valley each season to hand-pick the hops that go into Whaler’s beer. The process still amazes him. “We go through a lot of different varieties and different forms of hops” he says. “They are remarkably different depending on where they are grown.”
The Whaler’s team sees the growing market for craft beer as part of a broader trend toward authenticity and quality, especially among younger beer drinkers. As Josh is fond of saying, “beer is the affordable luxury.”
“To me, the thing about beer is it can bring a lot of different people together” says Josh. “I now know it’s possible to be able to brew a beer that my Dad can drink, and college kids can drink, too. And that’s really rewarding to me.”
ILO Office for the United States · The human touch makes all the difference
As an infantryman in the Marines, Josh Dunlap served in Iraq and on a Marine Expeditionary aircraft carrier in the Pacific. When he came back from deployment to the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, California, Josh remembers “I liked drinking beer quite a lot. And I was getting sick of drinking lousy beer in California. I started getting very interested in better quality beers, especially high alcohol content beers.”
When he got out of the service, Josh started brewing high ABV (alcohol by volume) beer at home, sharing what he created with his friends. “My buddies told me they liked it. And I knew I wanted to start a brewery.”
For a few years, Josh worked on a commercial fishing boat, raising the money to make his dream happen. “That was very hard work, but it paid incredibly well” he remembers. With the money he earned, Josh and his partner Wes Staschke leased an old textile mill in Wakefield, Rhode Island and opened Whaler’s Brewing Company.
What started out as a microbrew operation in 2011 has grown into a regional beer brand and one of America’s 50 fastest-growing breweries. Whaler’s flagship American Pale Ale, called “Rise” has won numerous national and international awards and was voted Best American Pale Ale in the country three years in a row at the World Beer Awards. Whaler’s sells to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores across Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Making the transition from local microbrewery to regional player taught Josh a lot about what it takes to grow a business. He began to realize there wasn’t as much demand for the high ABV beers he prefers. It was a turning point. “We started brewing a beer that everyone could enjoy. It’s beer with a really nice balance and very consistent. In my opinion, it’s exactly what a good craft beer should be.”
As head of the brewing operation, “I deal with a lot of the nitty-gritty” Josh says. “Everything from brewing to fermentation, packing, kegging, canning and organizing shipping to distributors.” Josh is well known around Whaler’s for his determination to get it right, every time. “I can be a bit stubborn” he admits, “probably from my background in the service.” Josh says attention to detail is critical when it comes to brewing a beer everyone can enjoy.
“You have to be super-focused to keep the batches consistent. I think that’s one of my biggest skills.”
“You can never do enough research about what you are trying to do” says Josh. “We have made a lot of sacrifices to get where we are. Sometimes it can get really difficult, but it’s important not to get discouraged, just continue to push. There’s going to be a lot of roadblocks you never expected. It’s really important to stay strong and just continue.”
Whaler’s has invested heavily in the latest computerized technology to ensure both efficiency and quality control. And the company is planning a new 100 barrel brew system that Josh hopes will take Whaler’s to the next level. But even with the state of the art technology, it’s the human touch that makes all the difference.
Self-taught in the art of brewing, Josh travels to Washington’s Yakima Valley each season to hand-pick the hops that go into Whaler’s beer. The process still amazes him. “We go through a lot of different varieties and different forms of hops” he says. “They are remarkably different depending on where they are grown.”
The Whaler’s team sees the growing market for craft beer as part of a broader trend toward authenticity and quality, especially among younger beer drinkers. As Josh is fond of saying, “beer is the affordable luxury.”
“To me, the thing about beer is it can bring a lot of different people together” says Josh. “I now know it’s possible to be able to brew a beer that my Dad can drink, and college kids can drink, too. And that’s really rewarding to me.”
ILO Office for the United States · The human touch makes all the difference