Sprecher Brewing Company Names Kirkhofer Chief Operating Officer

Glendale, Wis. – Sharad Chadha, President and CEO of Sprecher Brewing Company announced today the company has named Eric Kirkhofer Chief Operating Officer (COO) as part of Sprecher’s strategic growth strategy.

As COO, Kirkhofer will be leading Sprecher’s production, sales and marketing, finance and human resources teams.

“We are so happy to have Eric join our leadership team,” said Chadha. “His background in retail finance and operations will help us tremendously in our efforts to further grow Sprecher into a successful retail brand throughout the United States.”

“I’m excited to put my years of retail finance and operations expertise to good use at Sprecher,” said Kirkhofer. “Sprecher is an incredible brand with unlimited potential, and it will be wonderful to join this team of professionals and play a role in Sprecher’s future growth.”

Prior to joining Sprecher, Kirkhofer served seven years as the CFO at Bader Rutter & Associates overseeing the agency’s finance, human resources, information technology, administrative and marketing analytics teams. His background also includes serving as COO and CFO for BuySeasons; vice president of finance at Kohls; and vice president of finance at Tweens Brands.  Before beginning his corporate career, Kirkhofer served as a United States Naval Officer.

Kirkhofer holds an MBA from Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from University of California, Berkeley.

Since 2020, Sprecher’s craft sodas have exploded in popularity and have experienced unprecedented growth in sales and distribution nationally. The award-winning sodas are currently available in over 25,000 stores in 49 states.

Sprecher’s sodas are made with superior, locally sourced ingredients, including pure raw honey, that is uniquely fire-brewed in small batch kettles to deliver its “Best in Class” bold flavor.

This fire-brewing process, which is common for beers but almost unheard of for sodas, caramelizes the sugars inside the fire-brewed kettle, combining and releasing the high-quality ingredients that ultimately create its superior taste experience.

Nationally, Sprecher’s Root Beer was recognized by the New York Times as the "No. 1 Root Beer" citing it as “A wonderfully balanced and complex brew.”

In 2022, Tasting Table, a trendy cultural blog also rated Sprecher Root Beer number one; Uproxxx, a national culture digital magazine named Sprecher’s Cherry Cola number one; and Sporked, the internet’s source for the best food rankings, ranked Sprecher’s Ginger Ale number two. Sprecher also recently won eight awards including a double gold, gold and six silver medals from the 2023 Tasting Alliance Beer Competition. All impressive honors.

Sprecher Brewery takes pride in being an active part of the Greater Milwaukee community. From its Glendale headquarters just north of downtown Milwaukee, it brews more than 20 different craft sodas, Juvee energy drinks, Ooh La Lemin natural drinks, O2 Hydration sports drinks and 12 craft beers. Thanks to Sprecher’s 150+ employees its beverages are now available in the majority of states across the country and at SprecherBrewery.com.