Behind The Brewery: Whalers Brewing Company Founders, Josh Dunlap & Wes Staschke

The way that Josh Dunlap & Wes Staschke met wasn't exactly the most conventional. Josh was an ex-Marine, working as a commercial fisherman and daydreaming of owning his own brewery. Wes, an engineer by day, homebrewed at night and had toyed around taking his love for brewing to the next level. Before either of them knew what they were about to get into, they found themselves at Craigslist meetup, vetting each other out and seeing if their dreams were aligned.

More than ten years later, they've grown Whalers Brewing Company into one of New England's most recognizable beer brands. In this live interview at their Palisades Mill location in South Kingstown, Wes and Josh describe their journey of creating Whalers Rise, one of the most sought-after light craft beers in the region. We also discuss expanding to other states, their dream location to see a Whalers beer on tap, and their venture into the seltzer space.