From First Employee to Owner
Maddie Bowen takes the reins at Lions Roar Brewing—and keeps the neighborhood spirit brewing
Sometimes the best business stories begin with a plan. Others begin with simply showing up, rolling up your sleeves and becoming part of something you love.
For Maddie Bowen, it was the latter.
When Lions Roar Brewing Co. opened its doors in Westfield in February 2021, Bowen was already deeply invested in its success. In fact, she was there before the doors ever opened. As the brewery's first employee and, until recently, its only full-time employee, Bowen helped shape Lions Roar from its earliest days into the neighborhood gathering place it has become.
Now, at just 29 years old, she's taking that relationship one step further: Maddie Bowen is the new owner of Lions Roar.
The transition wasn't necessarily part of her original plan. When Lions Roar's previous owners, Tim and Corinne, began looking for someone to take over the brewery, Bowen found herself meeting with prospective buyers. But somewhere along the way, she had an unexpected realization.
"I just got territorial and thought to myself, 'Why not me? This already feels like mine?'" Bowen recalls.
That instinct turned into a new chapter for both Bowen and the brewery.
Over the years, she has managed the brewery's day-to-day operations, bartended, coordinated events, handled marketing and social media, designed its website and, as she puts it, done "everything in between."
That hands-on approach isn't changing under her ownership.
If you've spent time at Lions Roar, you may already know Maddie. She's likely the one behind the bar, organizing an event, welcoming a new customer—or climbing a ladder to fix something herself.
"It's the same brewery everyone knows and loves, just getting better every day," Bowen says.
The brewery recently underwent a rebrand, but Bowen was intentional about preserving its homegrown identity and, importantly, its name. Her vision is less about reinventing Lions Roar than continuing to evolve it while staying true to the community that helped make it successful.
That community focus is at the heart of Bowen's plans.
Lions Roar has become known for more than its small-batch beer. Trivia, karaoke, music events, sports watch parties and other gatherings have made the cozy South Avenue taproom a place where people come to connect. New ideas like mahjong nights, book clubs and collaborations with local businesses.
And you don't have to be a beer drinker to feel at home there.
Lions Roar offers house-made hard seltzers and teas, mocktails, house-made soda and non-alcoholic beer alongside its rotating beer selections. For Bowen, that's intentional. She wants Lions Roar to be a place where everyone can participate, whether they're there for a fresh pint, a community event or simply the company.
Bowen's approach to hospitality comes naturally. She credits her parents with teaching her that welcoming people into your space—and making sure they feel comfortable—is simply part of being a good host.
Owning Lions Roar, she says, feels much the same.
It's a fitting philosophy for a neighborhood brewery whose greatest asset may not be what's in the glass, but what happens around it.