In a world with almost ten thousand breweries, where launching a new one can feel like being plopped down in a jungle with only a backpack\u2014especially for Queer- and minority-owned businesses\u2014Cheetah Coalition is blazing a new trail in Denver. <\/p>\n
Equal parts incubator, community hub, and creative powerhouse, this tight-knit collective is reshaping the beer industry with shared resources, bold ideas, and safe spaces. <\/p>\n
Now in its second year, this fast-growing brand incubator is seeking like-minded business folk and investors to help fuel its growth. <\/p>\n
Are you ready to support the next wave of innovative, inclusive beer entrepreneurs? <\/p>\n
See all the investment opportunities here<\/a> and to contribute, email Cheetah Coalition Co-Founder Kelissa Hieber at [email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Started by three brewing vets, the Cheetah Coalition aims to bring together brands, especially from Queer, nonbinary, and marginalized groups, looking to pool resources, share expenses, and split the cost of goods. <\/p>\n Named after a group of cheetahs, aka a coalition, the start-up incubator currently includes three distinct spots (\ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f). <\/p>\n Underneath the project\u2019s umbrella, you\u2019ll find one of our \u201cBest Breweries of 2023,\u201d <\/a> Goldspot Brewing<\/a>, owned by Kelissa Hieber, a new brand launched by Goldspot Head Brewer Lex Laughman called Neon Buzz Beerworks, and Flower Shop Beerworks, a project from nine-year industry veteran Jacob Sabo, who has spent time at places like Briar Common Brewery + Eatery and Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. <\/p>\n Sabo first suggested starting a coalition with Hieber and Laughman last summer when he left Briar Common.<\/p>\n \u201cI was bemoaning how applying for yet another brewery job seemed less desirable than pulling teeth,\u201d laughs Sabo, who wished there were a group of brewers that all helped each other make their own brands. <\/p>\n That critique became a reality when the three launched Cheetah Coalition with three distinct brands\u2014all of which currently brew out of and serve beer on draft at Goldspot. <\/p>\n This model of merging resources isn\u2019t totally new. Several years ago, we wrote about Pilot Project<\/a>, an incubator started in Chicago (and since expanded to Milwaukee) by Dan Abel and Jordan Radke. <\/p>\n Pilot Project is a place especially for the minority community to go for eight to sixteen months, develop and scale recipes with a professional brewer, test them in a taproom, distribute them in a major beer market, and grow their brand. All without the financial burden required to open up a place of their own. <\/p>\n Similarly, Cheetah Coalition will operate inside Goldspot\u2019s already established infrastructure. Brands will be able to use Goldspot\u2019s equipment and location to brew, serve, can, and potentially distribute packaged beers. <\/p>\n Goldspot Owner Hieber hopes this will give in-flux brands a chance to test the waters before venturing out on their own. She points to Laughman, who, after brewing their first couple of beers under the NB Beerworks label, \u201chas so much more confidence to go into the market because people are f**king in love with their beer.\u201d <\/p>\n The margins for success in the craft beer industry are so thin, especially once you scale up from a homebrewing hobby to a professional path. <\/p>\n \u201cWe want people to come and see if they want to do this s**t before spending half a million dollars,\u201d says Hieber. \u201cBrewing seems real sexy \u2026 but it\u2019s a lot more work on the industrial side. Do you like squeegeeing, because you\u2019ll do that a lot!\u201d <\/p>\n Hieber says the model has additional benefits for Goldspot, taking the pressure off of her to constantly keep her tanks full while still getting product out. <\/p>\n While in production, Sabo and Laughman will front the bill for the cost of goods, so \u201cbeer out the door at Goldspot will be mutually beneficial to all of us while cutting down the cost of what Kelissa has to produce,\u201d says Laughman, \u201cwhile still keeping the volume and traffic up through the taproom.\u201d <\/p>\n Photography provided by Kelissa Hieber<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The start-up incubator is open to any brand-in-planning, but all three hope to target more Queer, non-binary, and minorities \u201cthat already have the highest barriers to get into the industry,\u201d says Hieber. <\/p>\n While we have yet to find an exact statistics report on Queer ownership in the beer industry, we know for a fact from the Brewers Association\u2019s yearly demographic surveys that Black- and Brown-owned breweries sit at less than one percent, with similarly low-reported representation from other minority groups such as Latine-owned breweries<\/a>, South Asian-owned breweries<\/a>, AAPI-owned breweries<\/a>, and Indigenous-owned breweries<\/a>, to name a few. <\/p>\n More like a chosen family, Cheetah Coalition\u2019s current three brands share a strong bond. <\/p>\n Sabo explains how some of the best brewery teams he worked for bonded together over animal mascots. <\/p>\n For instance, the four-person weekend crew at Sleeping Giant nicknamed themselves the possums, \u201cWe all have possum tattoos,\u201d laughs Sabo. <\/p>\n Laughman chimes in that \u201cKel and I together are raccoons.\u201d They both have plans to get matching tattoos with dueling raccoons holding mash paddles. <\/p>\n \u201cIt just made sense that my next wonderful group of people would have an animal mascot,\u201d shares Sabo. <\/p>\n Known for their speed, but also their tendency to travel in packs, cheetahs seem a fitting representation for this new organization. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie | Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n One of our \u201cBest Breweries of 2023,\u201d <\/a> Goldspot Brewing<\/a> goes beyond the liquid. <\/p>\n A one hundred percent Queer- and woman-owned brewery, Goldspot made our list of \u201cThe 11 Best Breweries to Watch in 2023,\u201d<\/a> so we sure love it when we\u2019re right (self-assuring pat on the back here). <\/p>\n Last year, VinePair named owner and brewer Kelissa Hieber its Next Wave Awards Brewer of the Year<\/a> for her dedication to breaking boundaries in the industry. <\/p>\n Goldspot has become a refuge for the Queer and BIPOC community in Colorado. <\/p>\n Walk into the taproom any given day, and you\u2019ll find an array of people as colorful as the New Progress Pride flag<\/a>. In other words, Goldspot has gained recognition as a welcoming, safe taproom for all in the community. People of all ages, races, identities, genders, and more come into Goldspot because they know they\u2019re going to get a damn good beer and they\u2019re going to feel safe drinking it. <\/p>\n At Goldspot, you\u2019ll feel seen, cared for, and golden. <\/p>\n Something Hieber has laid the foundation for, brick by brick, since the very beginning. <\/p>\n Goldspot is \u201can inclusive space that people can just hang out in \u2026 a place to actually have a real community,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n At Goldspot, you share common respect and a common love for one thing: beer. <\/p>\n \u201cGoldspot is literally about community,\u201d says Hieber, \u201cthat is our vibe, and we just happen to make fantastic a** beer.\u201d <\/p>\n And now, two more brands have joined the fold. <\/p>\n Photography provided by Kelissa Hieber<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Laughman, who identifies as nonbinary, came up with Neon Buzz, aka NB Beerworks, because they like a play on words. \u201cI wanted something subtly gay-sounding,\u201d they explained. <\/p>\n So far, Laughman has launched two beers\u2014Harrow\u2019s Brew, a chocolate pecan porter named after their puppy, and Let Them WhEAT, a fruited wheat beer they hope to turn into a year-long series. <\/p>\n The first, more traditional version included Sabro, a hop with \u201ca little bit of coconut, strawberry, and citrusy vibe,\u201d says Laughman. \u201cIt definitely surprised everyone who drank it. It\u2019s not what I was expecting, but I love it.\u201d <\/p>\n Hieber chimes in, adding, everyone drank through that draft handle super quickly. <\/p>\n For the flavored version, Laughman plans to make a blueberry and beet wheat, with the idea to launch one in each season. <\/p>\n Other future beers include an IPA and a k\u00f6lsch series. <\/p>\n Sabo came up with the name for his brand, Flower Shop Beerworks, based on an inside joke. <\/p>\n While working at Sleeping Giant with Laughman, Sabo would often bemoan when something went wrong that he could be making the same amount of money in a different job without the crazy pressure. <\/p>\n \u201cI could have been a florist!\u201d he\u2019d respond. <\/p>\n Flower Shop Beerworks will make slightly unconventional beers. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not mashing in gummy worms,\u201d laughs Sabo. But he will brew beers like a lavender cream ale called Lavender Resistance, a Nordic ale with Kveik yeast, orange peel, and spruce tips, and a strawberry habanero hazy called Just In Case (another inside joke). <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s real fruity and a little hot,\u201d says Sabo, who also plans to brew what he calls a Cedarwood IPA and a cherry lemon-lime sour. <\/p>\n Poster provided by Goldspot Brewing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For its second year, Cheetah Coalition is currently looking for around a $10k-$20k investment. <\/p>\n Hieber says an injection of cash will help the Cheetah Coalition continue to operate on a basic day-to-day level, paying for pallets of grains, can runs, etc., but also with future goals in mind. <\/p>\n With limited space at Goldspot\u2019s current place, Hieber hopes to find a larger location with higher ceilings so she can bring in more equipment. <\/p>\n \u201cThis place is cute,\u201d she says, \u201cBut my ceilings are short, and I really can\u2019t put another in here; I\u2019ve squeezed it all out.\u201d <\/p>\n On the hook for a rent of $5,000 a month, Hieber says it\u2019s time to find a place that can deliver more bang for their buck. <\/p>\n The trio also feels it\u2019s time to move to a different neighborhood, calling their current area \u201ctransient,\u201d with a lot of students and Airbnb travelers but not a dedicated local base. <\/p>\n To help hit their goal, Cheetah Coalition made it super easy. <\/p>\n Investors can contribute at tiered levels, starting at just $25. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s the breakdown: Interested?<\/p>\n See all the investment opportunities here<\/a> and to contribute, email Cheetah Coalition Co-Founder Kelissa Hieber at [email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWhat Is the Cheetah Coalition?<\/h2>\n
How Does Cheetah Coalition Work?<\/h2>\n
A Safe Space to Shape<\/h2>\n
![\"cheetah](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cheetah-coalition-founders2-1000x1333-1-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGoldspot Brewing<\/h3>\n
![\"goldspot](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/goldspot-brewing-owner-kelissa-hieber-and-head-brewer-lex-laughman-credit-magic-muncie-hop-culture-1000x1778-1-576x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNeon Buzz Beerworks<\/h3>\n
![\"cheetah](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/cheetah-coalition-neon-buzz-beerworks-harrows-brew-and-let-them-wheat-1000x1333-1-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFlower Shop Beerworks<\/h2>\n
Drink Beer, Make an Investment<\/h2>\n
![\"cheetah](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cheetah-coalition-investment-1000x1000-1-1024x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n
Any investment over $25 receives a special Cheetah Coalition-branded glass
Any investment over $500 will get a free year of mug club membership or out-of-state equivalent ($150 value)<\/p>\n