Magazines » January/February 2009 Issue » What’s in a Name? Lengthwise Brewing Co.
The folks at the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Lengthwise Brewing Company have taken the “follow your own path” message and put it in a bottle.
Jeff Williams and Darin Schwicker’s road less traveled began with a very different type of liquid, when the two became friends while competing on the same swim team in elementary school. A friendship was born, and years later a true partnership began with brewing.
According to Williams it was “earlier in our lives when we wanted more out of life but let excuses get in the way.” From here, the idea of Lengthwise was born; a philosophy that encourages tackling life’s dreams with no restraint, by avoiding the shortcuts and achieving what you want no matter how long the trek may be.
“It’s the longer of two sides. It’s the long run. It’s Lengthwise,” explains Williams.
The duo first dabbled in the art of homebrewing in 1991, concocting various California micro styles, but with significantly lower hopping rates. For a few years, Williams and Schwicker honed their skills, and eventually landed positions at California’s Bootlegger’s Brewing Co. in 1994. Williams was acting assistant manager of the restaurant and brewery and head brewer, while Schwicker held the position of assistant brewer. In just a year, the two were promoted to general manager and head brewer, respectively. Though they were in charge of the brewing operations, Williams says that “being only employees of Bootlegger’s, we did not have complete control over the final outcome of the finished product.”
After a few years at Bootlegger’s the two wandered down their own road and, in 1998, opened a new brewery. They figured, what better name to choose than the philosophy by which they live? Lengthwise was born.
“We felt we could create a better beer and brewpub environment than we were used to,” Williams says.
“We are different from the norm, unparalleled in freshness and quality, and [there’s] passion in every pint.”
Today, their passion is brewed up 430 gallons at a time, but they also find time to tackle some of life’s other little pleasures, like roasting their own coffee, brewing sodas, and creating sandwich beer bread, German-style mustard and various other menu items. Plus, with six regular beers -- including Triple Hop Red Ale, Kern County Porter, Harvest Moon Wheat Ale, and one rotating seasonal brew -- and talks of expansion in the Bakersfield area in the future, this dynamic team plans to keep the passion and message of Lengthwise spreading for a long time to come.
And what’s their secret to continuing unfazed down the long road? “Live like you won the lottery, or at least work like you won the lottery,” Williams explains. Such is life according to Lengthwise.
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This article originally appeared in the January/February 2009 Issue of DRAFT Magazine
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