Beers for a startup brewery

[eulipion2]

Happy New Year!

I've been playing with the idea of opening up my own brewery/brewpub, and while that's still quite a way away (I'd like to get a few more brews under my belt, and a little more money in my pocket), I was wondering what kind of line-up I should have. I live in West Virginia, under a 6% ABV cap, so no Russian Imperial Stouts for me.

Here's what I was thinking:

Cream Ale or Ordinary Bitter as the "light" offering
Pale Ale
Hefeweizen or American Wheat
Brown Ale (probably Northern English)
Porter (Robust) or Stout (American)

plus the occasional Seasonal/Special Occasion offering.

Does this sound like a reasonable line-up? Of the either/or offerings, which would you choose.

Thanks!

 

[RichBrewer]

You will need to throw in an IPA to the line up. Very hoppy beers are the rage right now.

 

[Bob]

Happy New Year!

I've been playing with the idea of opening up my own brewery/brewpub, and while that's still quite a way away (I'd like to get a few more brews under my belt, and a little more money in my pocket), I was wondering what kind of line-up I should have. I live in West Virginia, under a 6% ABV cap, so no Russian Imperial Stouts for me.

Here's what I was thinking:

Cream Ale or Ordinary Bitter as the "light" offering
Pale Ale
Hefeweizen or American Wheat
Brown Ale (probably Northern English)
Porter (Robust) or Stout (American)

plus the occasional Seasonal/Special Occasion offering.

Does this sound like a reasonable line-up? Of the either/or offerings, which would you choose.

Thanks!

That lineup reads like a fairly standard set of recipes for a brewpub. I suggest you hit as many brewpub websites as you can and look at lineups there.

Start at Beerfly and search.

Having an interesting beer or two in the lineup is essential. The only way to success in this business is, IMO, to set yourself apart, find a niche. I'm not saying you should try to establish a Belgian brewpub copied from the streets of Brugge in Wheeling, WV; I'm saying you'll need some difference between you and, say, Blackwater Brewing in Davis.

You should also understand that you'll be running a business first; brewing duties will run a distant second (if not third or fourth or more). Some of the best brewers I know are hopeless businessmen, and your business is a business.

The hospitality industry is tough. The brewing industry is tougher. I want to see you succeed, so I admonish you to tread carefully! Don't even try it without sufficient capitalization and a good enough business plan to take advantage of your capitalization and your market.

Hope I can drink your beer someday! (Don't worry; I'll pay for it!)

Cheers,

Bob

 

[CBBaron]

Happy New Year!
Here's what I was thinking:

Cream Ale or Ordinary Bitter as the "light" offering
Pale Ale
Hefeweizen or American Wheat
Brown Ale (probably Northern English)
Porter (Robust) or Stout (American)

plus the occasional Seasonal/Special Occasion offering.

Does this sound like a reasonable line-up? Of the either/or offerings, which would you choose.

Thanks!

I won't comment on running a brewpub which has been covered in other threads here very well, but as for you menu:
Your list is decent but don't call your bitter a bitter or it won't sell. You could probably drop one of the beers on you list for an IPA or other hoppy beer which seems to be popular with people these days. For my tastes I find the first 3 too similar (light colored, easy drinking beers) and would rather see an amber ale in the line up.
I always try the stouts and IPAs on the menu. My wife goes for the wheat or fruit beer.
Craig

 

[jezter6]

Cream ale = Too Niche for even the light beer genre. I suggest something very similar to EdWort's Haus Pale as a base, and maybe go a little lighter. That, or a pilsener.

Ordinary bitter = Like the other guy said, it might be a hard sell. Call it something else if you must, but again - a bitter is sort of a niche.

Hefe/American Wheat = Probably a good idea. I would figure out what your niche is as a brewery first before figuring it out. Are you an american microbrewery, or a euro microbrewery.

Brown Ale = Sure, if you think people in your area like Brown Ale

Porter or Stout = BOTH!

Now, like I said above, you really need to define what type of brewery you are before you consider your 'house brew' list. Are you an american microbrewery (Stone, Rogue)? Are you a BritPub style brewery? Are you a Belgian brewery (Ommegang, New Belgium)? Are you a German brewery? That has to be the base for your list. Some things just don't get paired together, and if you get too mixed up, you might see some loss. IE: People who like Irish ales, may not like Belgian offerings, limiting their choices and losing you some possible sales.

Now, seeing as your from West Virginia, I would see that as a very Germanic area. Are you German? Are the residents of German ancestry?

If you're going to start a German style brewery, then I recommend:

Pilsener, Hefe, Maibock, IPA, Alt, DoppleBock, Stout. Maybe even replace Maibock with a Marzen, although sometimes it sells better as an Octoberfest seasonal.

Seasonally, you can bring in your Octoberfest, maybe a few other light styled beers for the summer, and some heavy styles like a regular Bock, Baltic Porter in the winter. The rotational beers can be out of your 'style' as they are only available for a few months at a time in limited quantity. Then, if you find some of them selling out early/high demand, you can think about putting it in your regular lineup.

 

[eulipion2]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. A few things:

The people in my area are just now discovering real beer. That said, the vast majority of them are still BMC drinkers, which was part of the reason for the first three offerings. They'd sell, but still be good beers. Maybe I could drop the Cream Ale. I'd love to do an IPA, but I'm a little afraid of how long the hop shortage will last.

Brown Ale = Sure, if you think people in your area like Brown Ale

Newcastle is always one of the first non-BMC beers to go!

Now, like I said above, you really need to define what type of brewery you are before you consider your 'house brew' list. Are you an american microbrewery (Stone, Rogue)? Are you a BritPub style brewery? Are you a Belgian brewery (Ommegang, New Belgium)? Are you a German brewery? That has to be the base for your list. Some things just don't get paired together, and if you get too mixed up, you might see some loss. IE: People who like Irish ales, may not like Belgian offerings, limiting their choices and losing you some possible sales.

Now, seeing as your from West Virginia, I would see that as a very Germanic area. Are you German? Are the residents of German ancestry?

I'm not sure what the predominant ancestry is around here. We have lots of Italians, Germans, Brits, and a surprising number of Eastern Europeans, but they are mostly old families who have lived in the mountains for at least a few generations. As for what type of brewery, I'm not entirely sure. I like a lot of different things and would love to incorporate all my favorite tastes, so I guess my answer would be "mixed." That said, it would at least start out as an all-ale brewery (cheaper and quicker to get product out).

Pilsener, Hefe, Maibock, IPA, Alt, DoppleBock, Stout. Maybe even replace Maibock with a Marzen, although sometimes it sells better as an Octoberfest seasonal.

If only I could do a dopplebock! Most of those don't come in under 6% unfortunately.

Keep the feedback coming, thanks!

 

[BierMuncher]

Here's what I was thinking:
...Ordinary Bitter as the "light" offering
...

Just keep in mind that many non-informed beer drinkers will not view an ordinary bitter as a "light" offering. With the malty profile, (even at 3.5%), people perceive this as a "heavier" beer.

I think the cream ale is a good idea, or maybe a light, crisp "Blonde" ale...maybe with a pinch of coriander to cross over to the "Blue Moon" crowd.

A Munich Helles would be popular with the BMC crowd...and a good profit beer...light grain bill, light IBU.

 

[RockfordWhite]

A good gimmick would be to use something that is produced locally in one of your brews...probably cost more, but gives you a bit of an edge...i.e. local honey or maple syrup or something along those lines...

 

[FlyingHorse]

I'd love to do an IPA, but I'm a little afraid of how long the hop shortage will last.

If you do the planning and legwork required to make this a successful business, I suspect the hop shortage will be over long before you mash in on your first batch.

Good luck!

 

[david_42]

A low-ABV Blond/Golden would be better than a Bitter.
I'd go with an American Wheat, rather than a Hefe.

You can put a good hop nose on a Pale without too much additional hops. The lower ABV cuts the IBU requirement and reduces your costs.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I agree that a well balanced IPA would serve you well. You might be better served with something close to Blue Moon than a traditional Hefe.

I think it's almost a necessity in a brewpub to have a BMC-like lager or pilsner available as well.. possibly even a Dortmunder would be a good BMC alternative.

 

[Bobby_M]

I agree that you need at least one "BMC killer" and that would be a premium American lager or at least a Kolsch/Blonde. Of course, having the ability to lager at all is a huge decision that needs to be made up front when buying equipment and scouting locations. Glycol jacket fermenters or a cold room would be necessary. I really don't think even a low IBU pale ale would pass as the "light" offering. I'd probably do an American wheat with Kolsch yeast and offer it with a fruit flavoring which could easily be done from the same batch and an extract in some 1/2bbl kegs. No, it's not up to the standards of most beersnobs, but the women that buy it will love it.

 

[srm775]

Here's what I was thinking:

Cream Ale or Ordinary Bitter as the "light" offering
Pale Ale
Hefeweizen or American Wheat
Brown Ale (probably Northern English)
Porter (Robust) or Stout (American)

plus the occasional Seasonal/Special Occasion offering.

Does this sound like a reasonable line-up? Of the either/or offerings, which would you choose.

Thanks!

Like everyone said, not a bad list, fairly conservative so you'll need good seasonals to seperate yourself like someone else mentioned. However, you list is missing one important beer ... a lager. You'll need at least on lager on tap whether it's a dortmunder, american light, bock, helles, pils etc. you need at least one lager on tap otherwise, you're not covering a fairly significant portion of the beer drinking population.

 

[eulipion2]

Given the feedback, it seems like this might be a little better of a line-up:

Blonde/Kolsch as the light offering (loved the pinch of coriander idea!)
Pale Ale on the hoppy side (a la Sierra Nevada)
American Wheat
Brown Ale
Porter/Stout
and Seasonals

As much as I want to do a brown, would a porter/stout cancel the need or that? I realize that these brews are different, but would the average beer drinker? I almost think I'd rather do a brown than a porter or stout.

I'd still like to start out as an ale brewery. If I make it to an expansion (from say 7 bbl to 15 bbl) then consider adding lagering capability. That said, I would need at least a little temperature control, at least for a Kolsch.

I'd also like my seasonals to have a purpose (e.g. proceeds from fall beer go to breast cancer research, winter to St. Jude's, and maybe some local charities)

Thoughts?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

As much as I want to do a brown, would a porter/stout cancel the need or that? I realize that these brews are different, but would the average beer drinker? I almost think I'd rather do a brown than a porter or stout.

I'd still like to start out as an ale brewery. If I make it to an expansion (from say 7 bbl to 15 bbl) then consider adding lagering capability. That said, I would need at least a little temperature control, at least for a Kolsch.

I'd also like my seasonals to have a purpose (e.g. proceeds from fall beer go to breast cancer research, winter to St. Jude's, and maybe some local charities)

Thoughts?

In my opinion, no - the average beer drinker is not going to know the difference between a brown ale and a porter. The average beer drinker thinks that Budweiser and Bud Light are two totally different beers and 'doesn't like dark beers'.

 

[eulipion2]

Ohiobrewtus, I thought the same thing! But God I love Brown Ale!

Also, I've noticed that Cream Ale, Kolsch, Blonde, and American Wheat are all in the same BJCP style category. Would having two of these be over-dipping? Should I use the American Wheat OR Kolsch instead of AND, cutting my offerings by one?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I like a good brown ale as well, but it's not about what you like - it's about what you can sell to the masses. You need to make profit to stay in business. You may not be able to do that by making the beers that you like and expecting your patrons to adjust to you... you need to adjust to them.

I'd recommend tossing a brown ale into the rotation once in a while and see how it performs. Who knows, you may be able to sell it in your area. If I were doing it I'd have a couple of seasonal taps as well. A Hefe and a Summer Ale (Wheat with GoP and lemon) in the summer, Marzen and a Dunkelweizen in the fall, Baltic Porter and a Cream Stout or RIS in the winter - you get the picture.

IMO, Cream/Kölsch/Blonde are all pretty close but a wheat is not. Wheats are great candidates for flavorings. Fruit, honey, etc. I'd recommend a nice Wit with sweet orange peel and corriander served with a slice of orange a la Blue Moon. Men who don't know anything about beer think that an orange slice on a beer glass instantly makes them beer snobs, and women like fruity drinks so you're kind of killing two ignorant beer drinkers with one pint.

 

[BierMuncher]

Ohiobrewtus, I thought the same thing! But God I love Brown Ale!

Also, I've noticed that Cream Ale, Kolsch, Blonde, and American Wheat are all in the same BJCP style category. Would having two of these be over-dipping? Should I use the American Wheat OR Kolsch instead of AND, cutting my offerings by one?

For "acceptance" sake, the term "Blonde" may appeal more to the BMC types than a Kolsch. "Kolsch" is still a rarely recognized beer style for most.

The Wheat is different enough (cloudy, richer in flavor, etc...) that it ought to stand alone just fine. Plus, the Kolsch or Blonde can be conditioned to be served crystal clear.

If you like Mild Browns, keep em on tap. Then stick with a stout rather than a porter. The roasty profile of a stout will be more distinguishable. One thing I’ve found is that the first sip of a brown for many “new beer” drinkers is a pleasant surprise. The dark color is a bit deceiving as to the mild, mellow, refreshing flavor of a mild.

Plus…any good pub will have half the mugs on the bar filled with the dark, rich goodness.