It might not seem logical that someone who studied science as an undergraduate, then earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and practiced PT for several years would wind up brewing beer.
But when you hear more about the science that goes into making beer, and the attention to detail required to operate a successful business, the path that led Sean Buchan, DPT, to running Cerebral Brewing makes more sense.
“Beer is equal parts art and science,” says Buchan, who founded Cerebral with business partner Dan McGuire in 2015. “We brew with scientific methodology. We had a lab from the very early days to make sure we were doing the things we needed to do to make quality beer, and also we have the artistic viewpoint to push boundaries. Science has guided us for the past nine years and will continue to be a guiding force for us.”
“Cerebral Brewing: A Scientific Approach to Beer,” the company website declares alongside an illustration of a DNA double helix with hops growing from it, and a lab beaker full of brew.
“A passion for patient care is the same as a passion for customer service,” Buchan says. “You have a one-on-one relationship with your patient and you’re making sure that you’re doing everything in their best interest. And that’s what we try to do with our customers.”
Sean Buchan, DPT, co-owner of Cerebral Brewing, is seen with barrels used to age some of the brewery's beers. Photo by Mark Harden | CU School of Medicine.
Aurora expansion
Cerebral Brewing’s thriving original taproom is in Denver’s Congress Park neighborhood just off Colfax, near National Jewish Health. And now, Buchan – an Aurora native – has brought his beer business closer to CU Anschutz with the recent opening of his second taproom in the nearby Aurora Cultural Arts District at 9990 East Colfax Avenue, about 2 miles west of campus. The 17,000-square-foot Aurora site also houses Cerebral’s beer production facilities and warehouse.
India pale ales (IPAs) are what Cerebral is known for, and the brewery offers several varieties of hazy IPAs (one of which, Muscle Memory, has won a World Beer Cup medal) and some West Coast IPA styles. The brewery also prides itself on lagers and stouts aged in barrels. At the annual Great American Beer Festival, it has won two medals for different versions of Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Chili Peppers and one for Brettanomyces Beer. And Cerebral also offers non-alcoholic beers and hop water as well.
While Buchan has moved on from physical therapy, he says he met “awesome people” in the PT program, some of whom he still hangs out with. “It was because of PT school that I met people who got me to try IPA, and I really liked it. That started all this.”
From homebrewing to pro
A few months after Buchan was born in Aurora, his family moved to Evergreen. At age 6, they relocated to Ohio near Cleveland, where he grew up. Buchan earned his bachelor of science degree in biology from Ohio’s Wittenberg University in 2006.
In college, he says, “I was floundering for a bit, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Then I did some volunteer work at a local PT clinic and really enjoyed trying to help and heal people.”
So he enrolled at CU, first at the former Denver medical campus and finishing at CU Anschutz.
The CU School of Medicine’s Physical Therapy Program – founded in 1947 – is housed within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The curriculum includes clinical practice, patient management, and research, starting with foundational science content in the first year and culminating with a year-long clinical internship.
Buchan then practiced for six years in a skilled nursing facility, doing a combination of orthopedic and neurologic PT, while pursuing photography as a hobby. “That got me working on a friend’s beer blog, doing photography at beer events and festivals.”
Later, friends got him a homebrewing kit as a present. “At first it was a hobby, but I take to hobbies pretty quickly. I did apprentice work for professional brewers to get my feet wet. Within three years, I was already planning this business.”
He called up McGuire, who had been his college classmate. They launched Cerebral as co-owners, with Buchan overseeing beer production and McGuire handling strategy and finance.
Sean Buchan, DPT, co-owner of Cerebral Brewing, at the new Aurora location. Photo by Mark Harden | CU School of Medicine.
Committed to Colfax
After a temporary pop-up operation proved a success, Cerebral’s Aurora Cultural Arts District location opened permanently in June and had a grand-opening celebration in August. Food trucks are often parked outside. And Buchan hopes to add a mezzanine level to increase seating capacity.
It’s in the same block as the historic Aurora Fox Arts Center, home to a renowned theater company. Across the street is the People’s Building, housing gallery and event space and a theater. A block away is Mango House, an eclectic international food hall and refugee-focused retail and service center founded by another CU School of Medicine alumnus, P.J. Parmer, MD.
“It’s our second location on Colfax,” Buchan says. “We love the street for what it is. We’re right between Lowry and Central Park and directly in the path of CU Anschutz, and we’re just starting to reach out into the campus community more.”
A tough market
The craft brewing industry in Colorado has been going through a rough patch recently, with some breweries closing, and others consolidating or being scooped up by national companies. Buchan says that Cerebral has tried to maintain its focus as a neighborhood spot and not overreach in some areas, like retail distribution, that have hurt other brewers.
“It’s a tough market, and there are some people who are making good beer who are having a hard time,” Buchan says. “But quality has always been at the forefront of what we do. We’ve made some hard business decisions, and dumped beer that we didn’t want to give to customers. I think that reputation has helped us.”
Buchan’s new location is within a few miles of other craft breweries in northwest Aurora, including the new Milieu Fermentation just north of the CU Anschutz campus as well as Cheluna Brewing in Stanley Marketplace and Second Dawn Brewing near Stanley. Several other beer purveyors are in surrounding Denver neighborhoods. But Buchan is not worried about competitors hurting the new location’s business.
“We see it as the rising tide lifting all boats,” he says. “We have great relationships with those breweries, and we love sending people to those spots when they ask where they should go next. People appreciate that.”
As for anyone who might want to follow in his footsteps – either in PT or in brewing – Buchan says: “Give yourself permission to take time to decide what you really want to do. I think PT is a fantastic profession. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to be in health care. If I had stayed in it, I would have definitely found myself happy in it. But like a lot of professions, it comes with a lot of challenges – just like brewing.”
Photo at top: Sean Buchan, DPT, co-owner of Cerebral Brewing, is seen alongside tanks in the brewery's production facility in Aurora. Photo by Mark Harden | CU School of Medicine.
