It’s easy to assume that Sawyer Brewing Co. is named after a person. But while Spearfish’s newest brewing company is owned and run by one couple – Lee and Ali Eddy – the name carries the weight of four generations, all loggers, otherwise known as sawyers.

“No, it’s not anyone’s name,” said Lee. “I wanted to go with something I liked, and Spearfish still has a sawmill. It also points to the forestry industry in the Black Hills.” The rest of the story can be found on the brewery’s website, where Lee outlined how each generation, from Grandpa Mack and Grandpa Eddy, all the way down to his dad and him, have had a hand in the logging industry. Lee worked on the trucking and construction side of logging prior to opening Sawyer Brewing Co. last December, saying running the brewery has definitely been a change of pace.

“Having a brewery is totally different from what I did prior to this,” he said. “I’ve never owned my own business or had other employees, but I can’t complain.”

Like many brewery owners before him, Lee started out in the beer brewing world by experimenting with home brewing, hosting parties for friends, and drying out different techniques. Those parties were also where the Eddys first tested their wood-fired pizzas on a wider audience, deciding to add pizza to Sawyer’s menu as a complement to the brews.

