After going to college and securing a job Bowen was safe and financially stable, but wasn’t fulfilled – “I had my degree and the fancy job after college that you’re supposed to get and I just wasn’t happy at all.” Bowen’s next course of action is something he highly recommends everyone doing at least once, he quit his job. Choosing to go back to school he was only a couple weeks into the semester when the financial crisis of ’08 hit. Under scholarship with two years to determine the rest of his life he met his future business partner in his very first class, Trevor Hayward. Hayward, originally from Dublin, Ireland had interest in beer and brewing as well. There the two sat with future employment opportunities looking bleak do to the recession and decided to craft their own business, a brewing company.
The company’s name was created where many a great inventions have been thought up, on a couch with two friends throwing ideas back and forth during the early morning hours. Finally Evil Genius was born out of the desire for a name that wasn’t stuffy or overly formal, but still wasn’t too over the top. From the very beginning Bowen and Hayward had an eye towards creating great beer as well as a strong brand. “You have to strike a balance between the beer and the brand. If the beer is better than the brand or the brand’s better than the beer you’re not going to get anywhere,” Bowen remarked on the balancing act a truly great brewing company must master.
Years later Bowen still has measured plans for the company in the future after brief stops in Indiana, New York and Connecticut the successful brewing company has decided to make its way home, to the Keystone state. Currently there is talk of introducing a canning line to the currently bottle only brand. However, he is also quick to note the added expense of purchasing or renting a canning line and will only do so when it is financially wise to do so. This theme runs through every mention of future expansion, whether that be the aforementioned canning or the currently in construction Fishtown brewery, no move is made without deep consideration for the economic impact it will have on the company. Evil Genius is in it for long haul, they’re playing the long game and only making moves when they know “people will be lined up and waiting for the doors to open.” Set to open in last quarter of 2016 the Fishtown location will offer new capabilities for the brand such as special events, exclusive beer releases and more.
A: I would really like there to be uniform regulations from state to state to state. That’s very annoying, when you go to a new state there’s always some new rule. a uniform market and set of rules for beer and its distribution would be really helpful. Pennsylvania for instance has that specific rule limiting the number of six packs that can purchased for a distributor, it’s all a pain really as things currently stand.
Q: What is the most challenging style of beer to brew?
A: Mastering the IPA is kind of tricky, getting the balance between juiciness and bitterness is so important. Also anything that a really clean beer, like a wheat beer, a Kolsch or a pilsner. We used to make a Kolsch (Good n’ Evil) and that was a really hard beer to make, there’s not a lot to hide behind.
Q: What is your favorite kind of beer to brew?
A: I like trying new things, I’d like to try taking a pale ale and putting a little wheat into it.I like the body in wheat beers, it’s less biscuity and not as sweet as sometimes the sweet malts put me off.Wheat allows for the body without getting too much of a caramel flavor in the beer. On the other I do like how some of these hops taste just like Juicy Juice, with really cool aromas alongside blueberry, mango and guava flavors.
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