Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Shea Doggett
Hi Brandi Shea, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
The idea for starting Obsidian Brewery began in my husband’s heart around 2017. Michael Kenneth Doggett, known to most as “Doggett”, had been working in the service industry for years and got into the craft beer scene in 2015 by joining Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co. in Cedar Park as their first hire. He quickly became sold on the vison and heart of the company and was all in. Over the next 8 years in his time there he worked his way up to join the management team. And though he loved the team and the company, he had dreams of creating his own, amazing gathering place for the community.
Safir Ahmed, who had wanted to brew since he was 19, joined the Red horn team in 2017 and worked his way into the brewing side of the business. Doggett and Safir worked there together for 6 years – talking about teaming up and starting a place of their own for a while, if the opportunity ever presented itself. They wanted to create something where their own unique passions and creativity could thrive. Where their sometimes wild and wacky ideas could be given a chance to become something real, and often times better than imagined. They thought through several different types of businesses until an opportunity too good to pass up presented itself. They started putting plans in place in the spring of 2023, and by early October, they got the keys to what would become Obsidian Brewery, known for our pints, wood-fired pies, and creative cocktails. We spent six weeks renovating the space to create the vibe we wanted, and opened on November 10th, 2023.
Together, Doggett and Safir made an ideal business duo. With Doggett’s background in customer service and industry experience, people were his passion. He never met a stranger, and made everyone feel like they were his best friend – cherished, important, seen. His focus was on creating the optimal customer experience, training the staff, and bringing his larger than life personality with him everyday. If Doggett was the face of Obsidian, Safir was the backbone. With his background as a brewer for four years, and his passion for creative food and drinks, his vision and understanding of how flavors come together is what sets Obsidian apart. With Safir’s business degree, the two agreed he would be the numbers guy, Doggett would bring the party, and together they would make this magical experience of a good time disguised as a brewery a reality. Their vision was to be the best at what they did. It didn’t matter so much about quantity, but quality. They wanted to create a reputation for putting out delicious craft beers, fun and unique cocktails, and the best damn pizza in town. And that’s what we did.
On March 10th, 2024 Michael Doggett passed away in car accident. He got to live out this wild ride of a dream for only five short, yet glorious months. It was far to soon, but he made a lasting impact in that time. To make the situation even more tragic, he died just three months before the arrival of his first child, a beautiful and healthy baby girl.
His wife, Brandi Shea Doggett, stepped in as co-owner after his death. With her background in facility management, event coordination, and administration in the corporate world, she was well-suited to many of the responsibilities required to maintain a small business. As of November 1, she made the decision to leave her job in corporate events and pursue managing Obsidian full-time alongside Safir. I mean, who better to carry on the heart of what Doggett envisioned than the one who knew his heart best.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been a lot of bumps along the road, the biggest one impacting us obviously being Doggett’s death. We struggled after the loss of such an epic human – a husband, business partner, and best friend. It very easily could have been a crippling blow to our company. But the Craft Beer scene is special kind of world made up of some of the most supportive and genuine people. They showed up, they supported us, and they keep showing up, cheering us on. And to them, we are forever grateful.
Another obstacle has been navigating around the economical challenges of the restaurant industry, specifically the rising cost of increases. We want to keep prices at a reasonable place, while still being able to make a profit. That’s hard to do when everything keeps costing more for everyone.
This is our first business venture (though we’re hoping for more in the future), and it feels like we walked in knowing nothing. As new business owners, we’ve had to learn how to do all the technical things we didn’t know we didn’t know. We’ve struggled through learning permitting and all the governmental/ city red tape that any business has to go through. It’s been frustrating but enlightening.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are Obsidian Brewery in Leander, TX, where tradition meets innovation in crafting exceptional beers. We offer a unique experience that captures the essence of our community. Here, we celebrate good times, good people, and the Obsidian depths of flavor. We are known for our pints, pies & cocktails. Most of the beer we serve is brewed onsite by our team. We have a wide array of cocktails, some of the classics, and some in-house recipes full of fun and creativity. We pride ourselves on being the only pizza joint in the Leander/ Liberty Hill/ Georgetown area to offer wood-fired pizza! We’ve got some original flavor combos, like Thai Fighter, La Birria, and Meat Heater, along with the reliable go-to pies everyone loves. Each month we roll out our monthly specials, including two one of a kind cocktails and a limited time pizza.
Though we’ve only been operating a little over a year, Obsidian Brewery was recently mentioned by Craft Beer Austin on their list of Best Beers of 2024. We may not have won first place in a specific category, but we were honored to have had the most individual beers listed across the charts. And while how we got to where we are today is not how we imagined it, we are proud to say we are one of the few breweries in the Austin area that are Asian and Female owned.
https://craftbeeraustin.com/the-best-beers-of-2024
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
We feel that creating a strong sense of community is one of the most important characteristics for our success. We want a place where everyone feels welcome, has a good time, creates good memories. To even become that place that knows you by name. We try to have a little something for everyone, and we have a variety of different groups in the community that regularly meet at Obsidian. We currently have weekly trivia on Wednesday nights at 7pm to give folks a place to have a little fun. And we’re constantly looking for new events and groups to partner with.
We also believe that hard work is essential to our success. You don’t have to be the smartest person to do this, you just have to be willing to put in the work. We are and we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://obsidianbrewery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/obsidianbrewery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/obsidianbrewery
Image Credits
Tyler Hood
Tim Waters
