At dinnertime on a mid-December Friday, folks stream into an industrial building close by downtown Colebrook, N.H. Teachers, hospital workers, loggers, and couples on date night settle into the picnic-style tables and couches lining Coös Brewing Company’s tap room and restaurant. The sweet smell of hops hovers over the lively chatter and laughter.

The eight beers on tap appeal to nearly every drinker’s taste—from a pilsner and tart wheat ale to a “very brown” ale and a porter—and the menu is several steps above the pub grub usually found at breweries. The line at the counter moves quickly but rarely stops.

It isn’t exactly what Colin Finn envisioned when he began brewing beer 15 years ago, but it’s where his quest for new tastes and his entrepreneurial spirit have brought him.

An internship at one of the nation’s best craft breweries, Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont, launched Colin’s brewing journey. After testing his recipes on very tolerant friends, he began Coös Brewing in 2015.

With three barrels and two fermenters jammed into a two-bay garage, he produced 75 gallons (the equivalent of 600 pints) per brew day. He sold growlers out the door and kegs to a couple local restaurants.

“I couldn't fathom that people would drink more than 600 pints of my beer a month. Over time, it became clear that there was a much larger capacity out there,” he says.