NELSON COUNTY, Va. -- Devils Backbone Brewing Company founder Steve Crandall has died, the brewery he founded posted on social media.
He was 64 years old.
"Steve was a loving husband, father, grandfather, community business leader, scout master, entrepreneur, custom home and commercial builder, and founder of Devils Backbone Brewing Company. But this is just a tiny part of who Steve was," Heidi Crandall, Steve's wife and co-founder of Devils Backbone Brewing Company, said in a statement. "When Steve was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, he chose treatment and surgeries, and the struggles that came with it, but always maintained hope. Steve did not let the cancer define him, and his resilience and strength continues to inspire all of us."
"At some point in the mid-90s, I started talking about wanting my own brewpub," Steve Crandall said in an interview posted on the Devils Backbone website. "That became a reality around 2007."
His brewery was acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2016.
"He was a key part of our craft leadership team since 2016, and many of us have been lucky enough to interact with Steve and experience his vision, which lives on through his amazing brewery, its people, and the natural beauty of his beloved Virginia," Marcelo “Mika” Michaelis, President, A-B’s Brewers Collective, said in a statement. "To honor Steve’s legacy, Anheuser-Busch will be making an initial donation of $30,000 in his name to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. We wish his family peace."
The brewery suggested mourners donate to Crandall's favorite causes:
The Nelson County Food Pantry
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation
