“You open that door a crack and you start thinking,” Helton says, sitting in Sip Coffee & Beer, about two miles east of the brewhouse he opened on Indian School Road in 2016.
Helton contemplated the offer as 2023 began. The reasons to sell started to stack up: He was getting ready to turn 50 and had lost three friends in the past two years. The brewery hadn’t quite bounced back from the pandemic. Costs for ingredients and materials, like cans, were growing. As he looked at the numbers, he realized he had to gear up for another growth phase.
“What the next step was going to entail … I just don’t know if I really have it in me,” he says.
So, he made the decision it was time to step away. He began reaching out to brewers who may be looking for space to grow.
“What I built is a little bit of an oddity for the Phoenix area. What I mean by that is it’s a little too big for a startup or brewpub to move into but it’s not big enough for the big boys to entertain the space,” Helton says. “There’s a very limited amount of breweries that could benefit from the purchase.”
After a few conversations failed to materialize into deals, O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery owner Jon Lane entered the chat. The two came to a deal that closed on Aug. 25. For O.H.S.O., the additional brewing capacity will position it to become one of the largest independent craft brewers in the state.
For Helton, the sale provides an opportunity to rest and reset.
“I’m walking away very fulfilled – and that’s all you can ask for,” says Helton, who brewed at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery for 20 years before opening his own place.
Through its distribution and bold branding, Helton Brewing Co. quickly became a recognizable local craft brewer after opening in 2016.
Facebook/Helton Brewing Co.
Hitting reset during the pandemic
Also contributing to the decision, Helton hasn’t drunk alcohol – outside of sips to test his own or other brewer’s beer – since the pandemic.“I want to live a healthier life,” Helton says, adding that it’s something not prioritized in an industry where, for brewers, drinking can be a daily occurrence.
He encourages other brewers to be aware of the health risks associated with the job.
“Even at a young age, brewers should be getting their livers tested every year and looking at their counts,” he says.
He also knows the stress that can come with running your own business – something he knows many brewers aspire to, but can bring more challenges than perfecting a recipe or finding the right space.
While Helton learned much of the business side from his time at Rock Bottom and through the support of mentors, there are other lessons he had to learn the hard way.
“One of my drawbacks is I’ve always done everything myself,” he says. “It’s a lot of balls in the air to juggle.”
While he liked the challenge of building out his own space – Helton was trained as an environmental engineer before becoming a brewer – or beginning to can and distribute his beers, he realized he took on too much alone.
“Don’t do it all yourself,” Helton advises other brewery owners. “I’ve been told that; I didn’t listen. Financially, you might feel like you can’t afford to (bring in others). You can’t afford not to.”
While there are things Helton may have done differently, he says he’s walking away proud of what he accomplished.
“This (brewery) I built with my hands, from the bar to even taking the existing building and stripping it,” Helton says. “I take some pride in that. I enjoy that part of it. I’m going to miss that.”
On leaving an ‘ever-changing’ industry
Another element Helton says he'll miss is the work of brewing, constantly striving to improve and finesse each batch.“A brewer’s never happy with their beer. I can count on one hand over the last 25 years, how many beers I’ve really been happy with, because we’re always tweaking, we’re always thinking,” he says. “We’re really internal perfectionists.”
He’ll also miss the tastemaking that brewers take on, bringing less popular beer styles back into taprooms and into vogue among consumers.
“I love to see the resurgence of styles come back around,” he says. “I love the industry for that. It’s ever-changing.”
Helton feels that the building is in good hands with Lane and his brewers, particularly after a recent brew day to get the O.H.S.O. team acclimated to Helton’s system.
“Brewers are really yeast farmers and stainless steel cleaners,” Helton says. “We judge each other on how clean the brewers' (practices) are.”
Seeing the new team's processes and procedures during the brew left him “very impressed” and “really made me feel good about the situation,” Helton says.
He’s also seen Lane's commitment, often running into him at an O.H.S.O. location or seeing him at a festival.
“His work ethic was a good match for continuing the growth of that building,” he says. “The relationship is really good.”
Helton is leaving the Arizona craft beer space at a time when he sees it collectively moving forward and further into the national conversation.
“We’re winning more medals every year at the (Great American Beer Festival), we’re taking the beer scene to that next level, getting a reputation,” he says. “I think here in Phoenix you’re going to see a lot rise to that next level that’s going to be a nationwide name on every beer geek’s tongue.”
Starting a new journey
With his brewery handed off to its new owners, Helton plans to embark on what he anticipates will be a two-year hiatus, starting with a visit to see family in Indiana.“I think I’ve been home once in 10 years,” Helton says.
From there, he plans to ramble across the United States with a truck, a camper and a canoe, seeking out the best spots to fly fish. He’s sworn off social media for the last few months and is looking forward to further disconnecting. He’ll also tick off bucket list items like seeing the fall colors in Vermont.
“I’m lucky to be able to do this,” Helton says. “I have the freedom, and I’m going to enjoy it and see what happens.”
That could include brewing, he says, albeit in a consulting capacity.
“I have stumbled forward a lot and I can help a brewery not make the same mistakes I have made,” Helton says.
For right now, his plan is to make no plans.
“I have no idea what the future holds,” Helton says, “and that’s part of the journey.”
