long time lurker looking advice on nano/micro in family bar/restaurant/resort

[trailsendbrewing]

Hey everyone, long time follower and reader here on HBT. I started brewing about a year ago and went straight to all grain. I am currently working on duplicating a couple recipes that myself and everyone I know enjoys. I have done a lot of reading/research on the legal end and work aspect of starting a nano/micro brewery. I am single with no kids and no loans of any sort. Thinking of a 3 barrel brew system with 4 110 gallon plastic fermentors. I would have one maybe two bright tanks and keg off of them. I would also need floor drains, exhaust hood, tankless hot water heater, sink, walk in cooler, and fermenting chamber. I am good with tools and family members are in construction so the build out would mainly be done by us. Lastly, I am just looking for any thoughts of how to give this the best shot. The resort/bar is very busy from june-september and then again january-march. My mom owns the resort and bar/restaurant. any and all feedback appreciated

 

[snowblind5150]

Hey, TrailsEnd! it sounds like you've got some great ideas. Having been up to Hayward a few times, I know you've got some great resources up there! Your town is targeted at recreation, so you really need to decide how you want to market your beer and brewery.

Going for no loans is really the best way to do it, since that will give you more flexibility in the income needed to keep it going. However, you still need to be able to make enough to cover your labor and the cost of the equipment & ingredients. Is a 3-barrel system going to be large enough to do that?

With a small system like that, you would probably want to focus on selling as much of the beer across the bar as possible, rather than selling kegs to outside accounts. Since you've done a bunch of research, you probably aware of that. If you build a strong enough local following, they could carry you through the downtimes. Plus, you could do more specialty beers with limited packaging during the slower months.

As for your selection of equipment, some people might have concerns, but one of my friends started a brewery in Eau Claire using plastic fermenters and he's making awesome beer. He's been going for about 3 years now.

If you haven't listened to it already, I'd recommend listening to this version of the SUnday Session: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/972

Good luck. Let me know when I can stop by for a beer after riding the CAMBA trails.

 

[trailsendbrewing]

snowblind5150- thanks for the inspiring words. Our bar/restaurant is very very busy on the weekends and usually during the weeks from June to September. We would be selling all of the beer over our bar with the exception of a few growlers of each beer. Like I said before I'm young, single, no debts, and all the time in the world. I think as long as I can brew home-brew that everyone likes so far it shouldnt be to hard to get started and get the word out.

 

[snowblind5150]

Based on interviews I've heard and discussions I've had with brewers, the easy part is making the beer. It's running a business that's the challenge.

Since you'd be doing it debt-free, and you have an established business with a good rep to sell the bulk of your beer, you'll be ahead of the game. My friend who started the brewery in Eau Claire has been able to do a lot of things to help grow the business that wouldn't be possible if he was up to his eyeballs in debt with the added pressure to have at least $XX,YYY income every month just to pay for the brewhouse.

If you make good beer, that's a great start. Now you need to focus on building anticipation while you get your equipment and licensing in place.

I feel like I'm turning into a commercial for the Brewing Network, but Brew Strong has a whole bunch of episodes on going pro. Jamil Zainasheff talks about going pro, both his own experience and interviewing others. Here's a link to many of the episodes I'm thinking of: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew-Strong/search/going+pro plus if you do a search for Nano or Device Brewing on the site, you should find a few episodes where they talk to a guy starting a nano out in California. His brewery name is Device Brewing.

Also, the Sunday Session has a bunch of episodes where they talk to brewers who they talk about the process.

You may want to see if you can work at a local brewery to get some experience brewing on a commercial system with a commercial timetable. I've only met the guy from Angry Minnow a couple times, but he seems like a nice guy. He might be open to giving you some experience.

One of the things I remember Jamil talking about before he started Heretic Brewing is that he recommends anyone interested in becoming a brewer take a week or a month and brew a lot. Figure out if you can handle brewing on a schedule, get experience brewing consistently. Figure out your system so you get the same beer every time you use the same recipe.

One of the challenges brewers talk about is that getting someone to buy their first pint/six-pack/growler of your beer isn't much of a challenge. You just have to make sure it's good enough and consistent enough they keep coming back for it.

I'm super excited for you. Running a business is a challenge, but if you stay dedicated to it you can do it.