Sean admits to being concerned about the perception of his customers and peers. “Transparency is one of our core values,” he says. “Going in, it was really important to me to be up front about where the beer was made and what brewery it’s made in. I’m not hiding the fact that we’re making beer in Connecticut. As a matter of fact, we’re promoting it. The can doesn’t just say that Sip of Sunshine is made in Stratford, Connecticut—it says: ‘Two Roads Brewing Co.’”

“He decided to print the fact that he was brewing this beer at Two Roads in plain language on the side of the can,” Markowski adds. “None of our other customers have gone to those lengths.”

There are those in Vermont beer who recognize and appreciate Lawson’s effort at clarity on the brewing location. “For me, they always had a ton of transparency about where the beer was coming from—they’ve never shied away from that,” says Matt Canning, beer concierge at Hotel Vermont in Burlington. “We have always put it on our beer list as ‘Stratford, Connecticut / Warren, Vermont’ so we acknowledge the origin of the beer. It just seems like a total success story to me about how to go about contract brewing without diminishing your brand.”