ST. LOUIS – Donnie Cochran didn’t set out to start a brewery. He wasn’t a career brewer, didn’t work in the beer industry, and wasn’t chasing hype. He just liked beer—and wanted to see if he could make something worth sharing.
Fast forward to 2024, and Interruption Brewing has quietly become one of the most intriguing small-batch projects in the St. Louis area. You won’t find a taproom. There’s no full-time brewhouse. Just one guy, brewing on borrowed time and borrowed space, crafting one beer at a time—and almost always with just one tap to work with.
From home brew kit to collab system
It started in 2018 when Donnie’s wife Jen gifted him a home brew kit. Like a lot of us, it sat for a while before he used it. Then one day, he brewed—and never really stopped.
Encouraged by the team at Good News Brewing in O’Fallon, Donnie entered their home brew competition in 2019. His Summer Saison tied for first, and in July 2020, he brewed it on Good News’s one-barrel system. The batch sold out in days.
“We had a home brew contest—it was a blind tasting—and Donnie won,” said Dan Tripp, co-founder of Good News Brewing. “We were like, wait, you make beer? We had no idea. And it was really good. He made the beer, invited all his friends, and it pretty much sold out in one day. We’d never seen a beer sell like that. That’s when we knew something was happening here.”
Thus, Interruption Brewing was born—named after a joke Donnie made while trying to home brew with two young kids underfoot. “I told my buddy, ‘If I ever open a brewery, I’m calling it Interruption Brewing, because I can’t get through a single batch without getting interrupted.’”
Brewing between the margins
Donnie still works full-time, home schools his kids, and brews whenever he can. He typically releases a new beer every month or two at Good News O’Fallon, operating under an informal partnership that gives him use of the system and a single tap.
With that one line, Donnie makes it count. His beer list is full of seasonals and personality—beers that stand out and reflect both the brewer and his community.
There’s Apple Cinnamon Wheat, a fall favorite that returns annually. Good Karma, a West Coast IPA that became so popular it ended up on the main production schedule at Good News. Marky Mark & The Hazy Bunch, a juicy NEIPA that started as a home brew tribute to a friend. And most recently, Turtle Power, a pecan, caramel, and chocolate brown ale that tastes like a candy bar in a pint glass.
A quiet kind of success
Donnie doesn’t push for volume. He’s not chasing a taproom (yet), though the idea is always simmering. What he’s building is slower and more intentional.
“There’s been stops and starts,” he says. “Life happens. But I’ve brewed on the big system, I’ve had beers in multiple locations, and I’ve learned a ton. I’m just taking it one batch at a time.”
What makes Interruption Brewing stand out isn’t just the beer—it’s the approach. It’s beer made with constraint, care, and a strong sense of community. It’s an example of what small can still be: deeply personal, local, and built on relationships.
“I just want to make beer that brings people together,” Donnie says. “If it’s in a taproom one day, awesome. But if it’s just one tap at a time? That’s good too.”
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