Switchback Brewing Company was founded in 2002 by Bill Cherry and his longtime friend, Jeff. Using brewing equipment from a defunct brewery in Arizona, the first batch of Switchback Ale was brewed during that summer and the first pint served was at Ake’s Place in Burlington, Vermont on October 22 of that year.
Located in Burlington's south end, Switchback is now a 100% employee owned brewery via an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the first of its kind in Vermont and the Northeast) and will remain locally-owned and -operated forever.
In addition to the employees, the brewery is operated by a management team with an off-site board of directors providing occasional support. This collaborative management style and environment of ingenuity assures Switchback will always be made locally and not by high-production operations.
In 2019 Switchback won the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce Community Impact Award for for their Switchback Gives Back philanthropic program.
