Deb’s business cards say “Founder/Muse.” It’s a role she started practicing a long time ago. At age eight, Deb made her mom a card that read: “Mother’s Day is almost here, so it must be time to have a beer.” A wise youngster, indeed.

Flash forward a few decades, and Deb is giving moms (and everyone else) plenty of reasons to raise a pint in celebration. Deb is the ultra-creative “idea person” around the brewery. She thinks big and isn’t afraid to take risks. That brand of gumption made her willing to jump in to brewery ownership with both feet—even when it raised a few eyebrows.

“Some people actually felt sorry for Dan and me because they were sure we were going to lose everything,” she says. Deb is happy to be proving them wrong, every day.

And how’s this for full-circle? This Mother’s Day, Deb’s daughter posted a social media tribute raving about how cool it is to have a beer maven for a mom. Cheers to that!