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Complete brewery in MI (CL ad)

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That is awesome bro,I`m in Chi burbs wish I had a half a mill.

good luck on the sale.
 
That is awesome bro,I`m in Chi burbs wish I had a half a mill.

good luck on the sale.

It's kind of no where near Chicago, or the Chi burbs. It's only posted in the Chicago CL for visibility.

I love GR, but Sparta is kinda out there a bit.
 
It's a really cool place. BUT, VERY rural small town. I am surprised they call it profitable in the post.
 
I was just there Wednesday. I've toured the back room last year. It's a steam system. Wonder what's going on. The beer is high quality.I haven't been there at night, I know the day's are slow. The equipment and recipes are worth some money. The Seven Seas IPA, Black rye, and peanut butter stout recipes are worth the money, just in what you could sell in distribution.
 
If it's profitable why sell it? There is too much left to doubt. I was born and raised in Michigan with the economie the way it is it could be a sink hole. I would move all the equipment to the lower part of the state and hope for the best.
 
it is a sink hole thats why there selling it.. i know people have their own opinion about what beer they like.. but i have been there 5 times.. and drank there beer (free only way) at many local events and from the distributor on many many occasions.. and its still pretty terrible.. there's just something in the water.. lol.. they have one good beer and its the english ipa... as far as distribution.. you can only get it in 5 counties.. at less than 50 stores (i know because i know the owner of the company that distributes it) ad they are failing because the "owner" bought his "son" another "failing brewery" in grand rapids called the hideout... so they now own two breweries that have 3 beers between the two of them that are decent at best.. and location.. its in sparta.. 30 minutes from downtown in the middle of apple orchards.. if it was a winery or cider mill.. ok.. but its a half assed brewery.. their "kitchen" is a microwave.. 5 foot prep table.. fridge... and griddle.. its a glorified pull barn!

but other than that yea great deal...

oh yeah the "bottling" portion was purchased used and never works.. they were always out of stock to sell to the distributor because the bottler didnt work.. to go with the "artwork" of just the name and same logo in plain white 6 pack holders.. lol

better off starting from scratch..
 
Do you know if the building/land is included? That price seems ridiculously high if real estate isn't included. The equipment seems average at best. No, I'm not interested but only curious.
 
mkringii said:
it is a sink hole thats why there selling it.. i know people have their own opinion about what beer they like.. but i have been there 5 times.. and drank there beer (free only way) at many local events and from the distributor on many many occasions.. and its still pretty terrible.. there's just something in the water.. lol.. they have one good beer and its the english ipa... as far as distribution.. you can only get it in 5 counties.. at less than 50 stores (i know because i know the owner of the company that distributes it) ad they are failing because the "owner" bought his "son" another "failing brewery" in grand rapids called the hideout... so they now own two breweries that have 3 beers between the two of them that are decent at best.. and location.. its in sparta.. 30 minutes from downtown in the middle of apple orchards.. if it was a winery or cider mill.. ok.. but its a half assed brewery.. their "kitchen" is a microwave.. 5 foot prep table.. fridge... and griddle.. its a glorified pull barn!

but other than that yea great deal...

oh yeah the "bottling" portion was purchased used and never works.. they were always out of stock to sell to the distributor because the bottler didnt work.. to go with the "artwork" of just the name and same logo in plain white 6 pack holders.. lol

better off starting from scratch..

I agree, if you go in without a game plan you are doomed to fail. It's all about location and marketing to what the masses like to drink. Even if the beer was crappy you can usually make up for that with the food, but a microwave kitchen is not going to cut it.
 
We stopped by on a slow Wednesday afternoon. I'm fairly sure the owner is retiring and it's not just a business decision. It's a simple operation and the beers were solid.
 
Great place. I love it there. No idea why they are selling it. Their beer has been popping up on more shelves in the area recently. Too bad. Hope whoever buys it keeps it running and selling atleast some of the same brews.
 
I've never been there yet, I've never stopped in Sparta though I go to Grand Rapids quite often. My parents have been there and enjoyed the beer and spirits, but my dad pointed out that they have more of a cafeteria than a kitchen. I think if it were in a better location it would make for a decent brewpub. But my idea is that anyone who isn't already close to it wouldn't stop in Sparta while traveling. I think Founder's is less than half an hour's drive and there are several other brewpubs in Grand Rapids. I would think one's best hopes for growth in Sparta would be to up production on beer and spirits and distribute it across the state.
 
We just went Friday. My wife and I talked about it and came to some of the same conclusions. While i really like a couple of their beers, others are just so-so. The building and location leave a lot to be desired. There is no kitchen really. Someone with a vision could take this somewhere but it's not a turnkey slam dunk as the ad states. I haven't seen the brewery end or the equipment but my impression is it's low volume. I hope it stays open with a new owner though because this is like 15 minutes from our house.
 
Thing is, if every beer they made won a gold medal at GABF, I still can't think of a good reason to go to Sparta.
 
Zorin said:
I agree, if you go in without a game plan you are doomed to fail. It's all about location and marketing to what the masses like to drink. Even if the beer was crappy you can usually make up for that with the food, but a microwave kitchen is not going to cut it.

Hill Farmstead might disagree re: location. However, that is where the marketing comes in...built upon a base of good beer, of course.
 
tszetela said:
How about the chance to front kick someone in the chest who orders a MichUltra while yelling "THIS IS SPARTA!!

Ok. I did that once, but I'm not going back.
 
not to revive the dead horse... it sold.. i never thought it would have.. but did.. funny thing is i was the first person to bash this into the ground because it was one the run mill places with NOTHING to bring to the table.. turns out my wife's boss thought otherwise.. ha small world.
 
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