10 Things You Didn’t Know About Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine

What do you get when you mix a college student reading The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, a Toyota Prius full of beer, and a wild dream that started in a 280-square-foot shed? You get Lawson’s Finest Liquids, whose iconic Sip of Sunshine became one of the juiciest, most dangerously drinkable IPAs.

When Lawson’s Finest Liquids launched in 2008, fans swarmed the Green Mountains of Vermont, eager to get a taste of founder and co-owner Sean Lawson’s coveted hoppy ales. The brewery became like a secret handshake. If you know, then you hop in a car and drive, sometimes hundreds of miles, to be at a general store at a particular time on a specific day, beating the delivery truck to ensure you can pick up a a couple of bottles.

But there’s a lot more to this iconic sunny yellow can than meets the eye (spoiler: yes, there is a hidden sun on the label).

This year, Sip of Sunshine celebrates its tenth anniversary, so we sat down with Lawson’s Finest Liquids Co-Founder Sean Lawson to relive all the memories. From washing dishes in Colorado to brewing Sip of Sunshine in Connecticut, and the entire liquid legacy in between, here are the ten things you didn’t know about Sip of Sunshine.

Sean Lawson Learned to Homebrew in College

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Lawson was just a college student at the University of Vermont (UVM) when he first learned about homebrewing from a friend who invited him over to try some of his beers.

“We cracked open a couple of bottles, poured the beer in a glass, swirled it around, and tasted it,” recounts Lawson. “Wow, you made this? It was better than anything I could buy in the store.”

Lawson asked his friend if he could show him how to brew.

After buying a homebrew kit, plastic bucket, carboy, and Charlie Papazian’s The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, Lawson made a maple wheat beer.

“It came out really good,” he shares. “I just fell in love with the idea of making my own beer and sharing it with other people.”

Lawson’s First Job in Beer Was Washing Dishes and Kegs

Despite early homebrewing successes, Lawson didn’t start a career in brewing right away.

After graduating from UVM in 1992 with a BS in environmental studies and ecology, he went out west for a summer research gig studying peregrine falcons. When the fall rolled around, he got a job at Breckenridge Brewery & Pub.

“My dad was really thrilled that I took my college education and got a job washing dishes,” he laughs. “But it was a dream job for me that came with a Summit ski pass to 4 local areas.”

When he wasn’t washing dishes, Lawson pestered the brewers with questions, cleaned kegs, and hand-filled bottles. “Plus, I could drink a lot of great beer, eat some good food, and ski during the daytime!” he admits.

For the next fifteen years, Lawson pursued a career in outdoor education and forest science, eventually moving back to Vermont to earn an MS in forestry at UVM and start a naturalist program at Mad River Glen.

Homebrewing remained a hobby. Nothing more.

“Eventually, friends and family started saying, Man, your beer is really good. You should think about opening a brewery,” says Lawson. “I always just thought they were saying that because the beer was free!”

But after winning a few medals at homebrew competitions, Lawson considered that maybe his beer was “pretty good.”

Lawson’s Finest Liquids Started in a Shed

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

At this point, both Lawson and his wife Karen Lawson had full-time jobs with benefits working for the State of Vermont. The future brewery owner didn’t want to quit his day job.

Instead, during nights and weekends, he started setting up Lawson’s Finest Liquids as a one-barrel system in a 280-sq-ft shed next to his house in Warren, VT.

After two years of work, in March of 2008, Lawson released the brewery’s first batch of Sugar House IPA.

“We tapped the very first keg up at Mad River Glen at the ski area on St. Paddy’s Day,” says Lawson.

Each week, Lawson would take a dozen cases down to one retail location, The Warren Store. He also had three draft accounts, a swanky high-end lodge called the Pitcher Inn, Mad River Glen, and the well-regarded American Flatbread.

For the entire first year, Lawson ran the brewery as a side gig alongside his full-time job.

A Life-Altering Event Changes Everything

A year into the business, Lawson’s mother became really ill, diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Three months later, she passed away, and Lawson re-evaluated everything.

“It turned my whole world upside down,” he shares, admitting confusion about what he wanted to do with his life, but realizing, “I’m pretty passionate about this beer thing.”

So he finally quit his day job and plowed forward with Lawson’s Finest Liquids.

For the next two years, he made as much beer as he could on his little one-barrel system (what he calls “a glorified homebrewing operation”).

Still a one-person show, Lawson delivered all the beer, kegs, and bottles to each account right out of the back of his Toyota Prius.

In 2011, he obtained a loan from the bank and took out a second mortgage on his house to finance the expansion to a seven-barrel system. And Karen stepped in part-time to run the social media and sales.

But even with brewing three batches every two weeks and growing from 100 barrels to 400 barrels of beer a year, Lawson couldn’t keep up with demand.

Lawson’s Finest Developed a Cult Following From the Beginning…But Not With Sip of Sunshine

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Most people may not know this, but Sip of Sunshine didn’t come on the scene until much later. Lawson first gained a reputation for his Double Sunshine.

The progeny of this double IPA came after Lawson read about a new super juicy hop called Citra. Messing around with a homebrew-size five-gallon batch of an American IPA, Lawson brewed a beer that, when he sipped it, tasted like “liquid sunshine,” he says.

But someone had already trademarked the name “Liquid Sunshine.”

So Lawson thought logically, “I’ll just brew a double IPA and make it Double Sunshine.”

He describes the beer as “chewing a piece of Juicy Fruit Gum, mouthwatering, fruity, and so delicious you just want to keep taking another sip.”

Demand for this new all-Citra beer spread.

“People drove from all over the place to come to Vermont to buy our beer on Thursday mornings at the Warren Store,” he remembers.

Often, thirty to forty people waited in line to buy Double Sunshine bottles.

Lawson even recalls a group of guys from Chicago who drove overnight just to get his beer.

“You guys are crazy!” he thought.

But they weren’t. Lawson’s beer was just that good. And it was just the beginning.

Sip of Sunshine Was (and Still Is) Brewed at Two Roads Brewing in Connecticut

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Wildly, despite working his tail off, Lawson couldn’t keep up with the demand.

“The number of people calling or driving and getting disappointed because they couldn’t get our beer kept growing,” says Lawson. “It really was a drag. … I got into this business to make people happy, not aggravated.”

Lawson scratched his head about what to do next.

In 2013, Two Roads Brewing opened in Connecticut with a business model that encouraged contract brewing.

So Lawson called Two Roads Brewmaster Phil Markowski.

Markowski told him they had filled up their brewing schedule and didn’t have room for him.

“But in between the first and second call,” laughs Lawson, “I think Phil did some research.”

The second time they spoke, Markowski showed real interest in working with Lawson’s.

But Lawson didn’t want to just replicate Double Sunshine. “I knew that was a hit, a winner,” he says. “But I didn’t want to replicate it somewhere else because it would never be perceived by fans as good as the original.”

Instead, Lawson came up with something similar, yet different.

A Dry-Hop Is the Key Difference Between Double Sunshine and Sip of Sunshine

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

In the beginning, Lawson tried to make Sip of Sunshine as close as possible to Double Sunshine.

The hop build is a little different, and so is the grist.

Lawson says he goes lighter on the specialty malts—Carapils and a very light Cara Munich malt—which contribute to a lighter color.

But one of the key differences is the dry-hop.

With Sip of Sunshine, Lawson dry-hops just once, whereas with Double Sunshine, unsurprisingly, Lawson takes the beer through a double dry-hop.

“The two recipes are fairly similar,” says Lawson, “but the key differentiation is … the greater drinkability for an 8% ABV beer on the Sip of Sunshine.”

That, and the name, of course.

After cycling through forty different sunshine names, Sip of Sunshine stuck.

“It’s just got a snap to it that makes you want to take another sip,” says Lawson.

No, Lawson Doesn’t Ship Water From Vermont to Connecticut

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

For Lawson, reputation meant everything. “We’re Lawson’s Finest, so it has to be the finest,” he states.

All the details mattered, right down to the building blocks of beer—the water.

Before brewing a single batch at Two Roads, Lawson took home a sample from Connecticut to get a basic water chemistry analysis.

He found it was very similar to what he used in Vermont.

“It’s an urban myth that we ship water from Vermont down to Two Roads to brew!” laughs Lawson—because they don’t need to. “It’s a really nice, soft, clean water, with a low mineral content.”

So low, in fact, that Lawson says they add some calcium and brewing salts to get the mash chemistry just right.

When Lawson brewed his first test batch at Two Roads in the spring of 2014, he fully expected to dump the beer.

“But it was so good,” says Lawson. “We didn’t dump it!”

Instead, Lawson, who wasn’t prepared to release a beer yet, rushed to get the keg rings and labels approved.

And it’s a good thing he did, because we weren’t sure even Lawson was prepared for the onslaught of demand the Sip of Sunshine drummed up right from the beginning.

Sip of Sunshine Is Lawson’s Best-Selling Beer, Followed Closely By…

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Once Lawson’s released Sip of Sunshine into the world, it immediately became the brewery’s best-selling beer.

When we ask him why he thinks the beer became so iconic, he cites Lawson’s pride in making highly balanced beers.

“It’s a big beer,” he says, “but I like to call it dangerously drinkable.”

It’s an easy-drinking IPA, despite its higher alcohol content, with just the right balance of bitterness and sweetness.

For Lawson’s VP of Marketing and Innovation, Noelle Haley, the secret to Sip of Sunshine’s iconic status is surprisingly straightforward. “Honestly, it just comes down to the beer itself,’ she shares ‘It’s truly a spectacular brew – consistently delicious, incredibly balanced, and just, well, really good. But it’s also about the incredible culture here at Lawson’s Finest, and how that passion for quality extends to our SIP Program, allowing us to genuinely support our community. It’s that whole package that makes it special.”

“I’ve heard so many people say to me, ‘Well, I don’t really like IPAs,” says Lawson, “but wow, that Sip of Sunshine. I really love that beer.”

Lawson also attributes the immediate growth jump to going from brewing on a seven-barrel system all by himself to a one-hundred-barrel system down at Two Roads.

With Lawson’s production volume increasing in that first year, Sip of Sunshine went to the races, continuing to be the brewery’s best-selling beer even ten years later.

“It’s wild to think we’re still talking ten years strong with Sip of Sunshine,” shares Haley with a smile, “The love for that beer just keeps growing – we’re up an incredible twenty-three percent in the past twenty-six weeks, and even twenty-one percent right here in Vermont. Honestly, that kind of sustained growth is pretty humbling and pretty rare in craft these days.”

But the next-best-selling beer may surprise you.

In the summer of 2020, Lawson’s released Little Sip, a toned-down (by alcohol content) version of Sip of Sunshine.

“We kept hearing from fans again and again that they loved Sip of Sunshine, but they could only have one or couldn’t drink it when they went out doing their favorite lifestyle activity because it was such a big beer,” says Lawson. “Could we make something that tastes like Sip of Sunshine but isn’t as big in alcohol?”

Little Sip answered the demand and then some.

At 6.2%, this American IPA has become a growth leader for the company, growing by more than double digits over the past two years.

Since launching in 12-packs, Little Sip has grown thirty percent year over year.

“It’s really hitting that sweet spot for folks for a delicious, really balanced, fruit-forward American IPA,” says Lawson.

There Is a “Secret” Sun on the Sip of Sunshine Can

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Most people might not take a long time to look at the Sip of Sunshine can, too excited to crack the tab and get a taste of those juicy liquid rays.

But for those who are observant, in the blinding rays of the yellow can, they’ll notice a little surprise: an extra tiny sun in the middle of the big one.

That’s deliberate.

“Amazingly, very few people have picked up on that,” says Lawson. The two suns are a nod to Double Sunshine, the inspiration for Sip of Sunshine.

“I wanted to do something a little cryptic!” Lawson says with a gleam in his eyes.”I’m always happy to tell the story. It just took people a while, and not many people have asked about it.”

Beyond the hidden graphics, Lawson also points out that from the very beginning, he has clearly stated that Sip of Sunshine is brewed at Two Roads in Connecticut.

Transparency has always been paramount to Lawson, who mentions where Sip of Sunshine is brewed in every interview.

“We’re not trying to fool anyone,” assures Lawson. “It was a huge leap of faith putting Lawson’s Finest into someone else’s hands. … I’m proud of the way we’ve done it and the way we tell the story. We’re proud of the fact that it’s brewed at Two Roads.”

Hayley points out that the bold color choice of the can also helps Sip of Sunshine stand out.

“It draws you in and brings joy,” she says. “This beautiful brand simply ignites happiness.”

Lawson piggybacks, “Who doesn’t love a bright sunny day?”

All those warm, happy vibes that the can evokes immediately attracts people. “You can’t miss it on the shelf,” says Haley. “You can’t miss it in someone’s hand at a party.”

People Have Literally Proposed With Sip of Sunshine

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

When we ask Lawson to share his favorite memory of Sip of Sunshine, he keeps coming back to stories of joy.

Not something personal, but from Lawson’s fans.

He reminds us of the guys who drove overnight from Chicago just to wait in line in Warren, VT, for bottles of Double Sunshine.

He recalls dropping pallets with fifty cases worth of Sip of Sunshine at accounts and seeing the beer disappear within the hour.

At his local spot called Village Grocery, he wistfully tells us of folks who would bring lawn chairs, lining up hours ahead of time with their breakfast sandwiches and coffee to wait for the morning delivery.

“There’d be a line from the front of the store, snaking down the sidewalk into the village of Waitsfield,” says Lawson. “All were waiting to buy their Sip of Sunshine when the truck arrived to deliver it.”

But most humbly, Lawson loves the stories he hears about Sip of Sunshine or Double Sunshine playing an essential role in fans’ lives, creating good memories and stories.

The guy who hiked up a mountain with his girlfriend, proposing at the top with a Sip of Sunshine and a ring.

Or the couple who loved Sip of Sunshine so much that they themed their entire wedding around it, filling up a canoe with ice-cold cans.

From the “Sip Down Memory Lane” content, Haley says she has even read stories about the importance Sip of Sunshine has played in tragic parts of people’s lives. “I was going through a hard time in life, and drinking a Sip of Sunshine … was a way for me to sit down and take a break,” he says. “I feel like it brings people to this warm and comfortable place. There’s a lot of magic behind the brand and certainly a lot of magic within the liquid itself.”

Lawson says it’s one of the most gratifying parts of being a brewer. He says, “It is really meaningful to make this liquid that we get to share with people and that creates a memory or an experience that becomes part of a story of their life.”

And it’s how the brewery plans to celebrate the iconic beer’s decade anniversary.

In July, Lawson’s hosted a “Sip Down Memory Lane” contest, encouraging people to share their special moments with this beer.

Haley says they’ve had over 1,700 entries so far and, “The stories are richer than I could imagine.”

10 Facts, 10 Years, The Next Decade

Photography courtesy of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

The success of Sip of Sunshine has rippled through Lawson’s.

Lawson says it’s the reason the brewery could finally finance the original dream: to have their own place in the Mad River Valley, which opened in 2018 as a destination brewery and taproom. What he calls “a home for Lawson’s Finest.”

A place where the brewery can welcome fans, fuel the local economy, create more good-paying jobs in the community, and be a destination drawing in tourists.

“Most importantly,” says Lawson, “it’s a place where people can come and enjoy our liquids right at the source.”

Looking back, Lawson reminisces, “What a long, amazing journey it’s been.”

Looking ahead, he’s eager to keep the initial dream alive: creating incredible memories for as many people as possible through their beer.

“We’ve created this legacy of a beer that people recognize as the go-to or the ‘yellow standard’ of IPAs on the East Coast,” says Lawson, teasing, “So maybe we’ll get beyond the East Coast.”

While the Vermont-based brewery has plans to expand into North Carolina and Virginia, the West Coast isn’t quite on the horizon, but Lawson is hopeful that they will keep growing incrementally.

“I think of Russian River’s Pliny the Elder as the holy grail of IPAs,” says Lawson, noting this decades-old beer is still one of the most highly sought after in the country. “If we could create a legacy anything like that beer and keep going, then I’ll die a very happy man.”

This piece is written in partnership with our friends at Lawson’s Finest Liquids.