Show of hands: Who doesn't want to go into commercial brewing?

[Randar]

I have seriously contemplated it, read anything I can get my hands on, and tried to talk to people who have experience.

That being said, I have little interest in working a big regional brewery or something to that effect. The assembly line and industrial process of it all somehow takes the luster off for me. A brewpub, smaller craft brewery up to about 30 bbl? I am still in the "thinking" stage.

Luckily, my employer pays me good money to read HBT all day. YIKES!

 

[Ace_Club]

I think working at the LHBS would be way more fun than a brewery. Heck, I'm there enough. I should see if I can get put on pay roll.

Totally agree. Although I sometimes dream of a LHBS where you also serve samples of homebrew. A place where someone can come in and say "What good recipes/kits do you have?" or "Does homebrew actually taste good?" and you could say, "Just walk over to the bar here and let me give you some tastes."

In the end though, I just enjoy expanding my hobby and creating my basement brewery.

 

[Randar]

In the end though, I just enjoy expanding my hobby and creating my basement brewery.

Yummm, asbestos!

Seriously, I thought you were just going to brew on your POLE... (hoops pole).

 

[jgln]

I have no idea how much money the owner of a successful brewery makes but I would lean toward pretty good money, quite possibly/probably multi-millionaire.

Point is I am trying to make is if you open your own brewery and it is successful you will probably then be the owner and probably doing well. I am of course assuming the idea here is not to go work for a brewery, but to open a small one that will hopefully grow. Now, I bet you are right that in the beginning you don't make much and if you never become successful you would have been better off keeping your well paying job you already have. I also agree that the odds of becoming super successful are slim.

I think I would rather make a hobby a living instead of doing something I hate though.

That said no, I would rather become a farmer.

Funny how few if any said yes.

 

[jfr1111]

I have no interest in opening up a brewery or a brewpub, but what would interest me would be to have a home bar and be able to recoup my losses from parties and poker nights and what not. It would allow me to brew more and drink less: a lot of the beers I like are low abv offerings that are better fresh and that don't keep very well.

Alas, selling homebrew is illegal as is bartering for it and as a future lawyer, there's really no leeway. A lot of people already like my beer, even people who don't normally drink beer. My girlfriend's grandma of 90 enjoyed a glass of Bob's Coal Porter and said it reminded her of the Labatt Porter her husband used to drink in the 50's.

People seem to go into brewing for the same reason every garage musician wants to make it big: adulation and the feeling that others approve of their work.

 

[Bithead]

:raises hand:

I'd rather have it as a hobby, something that is fun where I can get away from my business.

 

[jgln]

:raises hand:

I'd rather have it as a hobby, something that is fun where I can get away from my business.

I understand, but I have so many hobbies I would gladly give one up to do for a living...well it would have to be successful though.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

I live in a city where our only 2 breweries have just opened within the past 2-3 years. One brews strictly German styles and the other brews more balanced, English style beers. I'd love to start up a brewery that brewed some hoppy, American style beers as there isn't really a source for that locally.

I'd do it because I love brewing and I don't want to work a crappy desk job the rest of my life. I'd love to have my own business that I built from the ground up.

 

[Randar]

I'd do it because I love brewing and I don't want to work a crappy desk job the rest of my life. I'd love to have my own business that I built from the ground up.

This is the appeal for me as well.

 

[Frankfurtvr4]

I have no desire to open a brewery, my beer isn't that good but I am open to the idea of a LHBS.

 

[BendBrewer]

When I worked at Deschutes I would see brewers work their way up the corporate ladder to Head Brewer and end up hating it as they didn't brew anymore once they did.

If you were brewing specialty beers at the Pub or working for a place like Dogfish I think it could remain exciting but the thought of going in day after day to brew batch after batch of Black Butte would get old in a hurry.

 

[Randar]

When I worked at Deschutes I would see brewers work their way up the corporate ladder to Head Brewer and end up hating it as they didn't brew anymore once they did.

If you were brewing specialty beers at the Pub or working for a place like Dogfish I think it could remain exciting but the thought of going in day after day to brew batch after batch of Black Butte would get old in a hurry.

That's the "industrial process" part that doesn't seem as appealing to me. Brewing in a brewpub setting, talking with the consumers on site, etc is a lot more personal.

It's such a social drink but the industrial process wipes that out once you reach a certain point.

 

[John Beere]

I still have aspirations, but it is more about building a brand than anything else.. For now, I will gladly settle for my own personal brew pub / brewery I've built in my backyard.

 

[BendBrewer]

That's the "industrial process" part that doesn't seem as appealing to me. Brewing in a brewpub setting, talking with the consumers on site, etc is a lot more personal.

It's such a social drink but the industrial process wipes that out once you reach a certain point.

Yeah, Cascade Lakes has a 6 bbl system at one of their pubs that I have seen used once and only once. I am going to talk those guys into letting me do a guest brew one of these days with it. Now THAT sounds like it would be fun.

 

[lmacmil]

Is there anyone else out there that feels the same?

Strictly a hobby for me. My guess is the failure rate for commercial brewers is probably above 95%.

 

[CAS0311USMC]

good question. I suppose if I won the mega millions and I didn't have anything to do except fish and brew I would maybe open a small craft beer joint. just one location though. The whole keeping up on the money aspect would be a pain.

 

[PirateBrewer]

It's sort of weird. I do dream of owning my own brewpub (or chains if it became popular enough) but wouldn't actually want to do the brewing. I'd more or less like to be the one who thinks of the ideas but actually has someone else brew. I'd want to do more of the general oversight of the whole restaurant.

 

[beergolf]

I have absolutely no interest in turning a hobby into a business. I did that once many years ago. Ended up not doing what Imloved but spent all of my time on the business end ( which i hated ). Totally turned me off to that hobby. I don't want to do it with another one....


Brew for fun and enjoyment. Leave the business stuff to someone else.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

If I turned my hobby into a job, I would have to find a new hobby.

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

well im partial on this one. have been restaurant background for 10 years and have done everything from being a host/busboy to cook/prep to server and management, so i know what it take to do it.. ive always wanted to open a pub/alehouse type deal for a long time and i know i would do great at it. but i also realize the time it takes for a owner to become successful can be a while... BUT if you love doing something so much then why not do it.. you cant knock the ones who do because if you dont try, how will you ever know..

just like jfr1111, you going to school for law.. going to spend a hell of a lot of money doing that, your not becoming a lawyer just b/c you think you can make lots of money at it, your prob also doing b/c you think/know youll be good at and become your own firm someday or a judge, (and talk about long days). or the engineer up the page a little bit. both of those jobs take lots of time to become good and make money.

now, if you have no business trying to become a big brewery then lets be real, think it through a little more than that, but if you have the skill set and knowledge, and a good business plan then i say go ahead and do it.. Hell, what if Sam Calagione said theirs no way i can do this.. we wouldnt have a lot of great bear im sure much of us enjoy..

thanks for reading folks,

 

[Hannable1975]

I already ruined 1 hobby by making it my job, and brewing became my new keep-me-sane hobby. So I'm hoping to stay amateur- I don't think that will be a hard goal to attain.

Been there and done that. Had a hobby. Was good at it. So good in fact I became a local "go-to" guy. Turned it into a business. Things were cool - loved the work and the side income. Then the recession hit - any my business dealt in livestock - so I was stuck. Now I am greatly scaled back , converted said business back to a hobby, albeit on a huge scale due to the buildings and structures I acquired over the life of the business, and I enjoy it again.

No way I would want to ruin the special times I have brewing with trying to make it into a business.

If there was anything I would like to be different, anything at all, it would be the lines of selling the beer I make at the costs it takes to make it, but only on a friendly and small cost negating scale. Thats all. Not a wink and a nod, or a "Here's 10 bucks for lunch", but brewing as much as I have lately IS expensive - and if my friends wanted a batch for a party or something, and I could charge them only for materials, then I could dig that. As it is, I have three times now had folks come over and brew using my equipment, and then come bottle it, just to make sure I am in no way infuriating the beer gods that be.

 

[cheier]

Strictly a hobby for me. My guess is the failure rate for commercial brewers is probably above 95%.

In the most recent issue of Taps magazine, I saw that number closer to 25% in 5 years. I'm not sure if that is a worldwide figure or just in Canada. I know in the technology field, the failure rate is 95% within 1 year, mostly due to under capitalization, but much to do with just simply too much risk in the product itself.

Beer itself is inherently a low risk business compared to the other kinds of businesses out there, but because of the nature of the market. An example here in Alberta is that we consume around 300,000,000 liters (just under 2.6m bbl)of beer annually. Unfortunately in Alberta, doing a startup brewery is difficult because from the first day you fire up your brewery, you have to be pumping out 500,000 liters (4273 bbl) of beer within 18 months, then maintaining that minimum consistently year after year.

So yah, here you will be brewing a lot of beer to start, but you had better have your mind on marketing and sales in a hurry otherwise you will lose your license and go under in a hurry.

Having said that, I think I'm in the minority here. I got into home brewing with the ultimate goal of starting my own brewery. I'm a serial entrepreneur, so I like business, and I like that beer is a significantly lower risk than anything else I've done, and... well I just simply love beer. The idea of building a brand, telling a story, supporting local business and farmers is really exciting, and doing my damnedest to make sure the flavor of the beer backs up the business that is supporting it. And of course, build a great team to support the business.

 

[jfr1111]

just like jfr1111, you going to school for law.. going to spend a hell of a lot of money doing that, your not becoming a lawyer just b/c you think you can make lots of money at it, your prob also doing b/c you think/know youll be good at and become your own firm someday or a judge, (and talk about long days). or the engineer up the page a little bit. both of those jobs take lots of time to become good and make money.

You know how they call lawyers who aren't in it for the money ? I was hoping you could tell me

 

[david_42]

No way! It's a hobby and going pro would make it a job.

 

[BlackForestBrewery]

This is a difficult concept for me. Currently I'm enrolled in college (scheduled to finish in about a year), but I also help out at a local brewery here from time to time and I love it.

I'm not sure if I would still enjoy it as much if it became my means of supporting myself + a family. I love the brewing aspect (homebrew/commercial), and its always been a small dream of mine to open a microbrewery (while working a "legit" job to help fund the dream), but it seems like the micro itself would be at a loss for quite some time.

Personally, I loved going in and grinding up the massive grain bill (800+ lbs), sanitizing everything, transfering the wort, etc. I find it very soothing to put some headphones in my ears and spend a good portion of the day sanitizing 15 bbl fermentation tanks.

I've rambled far to much in this post, the bottom line is I'd have to say I'm undecided. I love brewing (including the experience I've had in commerical brewing), but I don't know if I would feel the same if brewing had become something that MUST be done for me to live, have a house, etc. Hence the reason I'm still finishing up my college education. Regardless of how much fun it is, I can't say that I'd be 100% comfortable to rely on brewing being my only source of income.

Alcohol taxes, government, competition, reputation, location. So many things add up to be once massive headache, as well as a massive money pit if you are not careful.

 

[rmullins]

I have dreams about it where its awesome, but in reality I couldn't see myself doing it. I've got a really solid job that I really do enjoy (Insurance Broker) and supports me. I brew often enough and am always trying to make my system better, make better beer. I'm deep enough in the hobby that it keeps my mind stimulated and I enjoy everything I do with it (well maybe not the cleanup, but I digress), that I don't see the need to change things.

With my current setup requiring an outdoors/driveway brew session, I don't brew in the winter or the dog days of summer, which allows me time to just enjoy the beer I have stockpiled from the spring/fall, read up on new techniques and gadgets, getting me all excited for the next brew season. If I made brewing my living, I wouldn't have the ability to just decompress and get away from it if I needed to.

Ideally, I will continue to make better and better beers, and figure out what it is that I need to do next to make my beers better. Eventually I would love to have a bigger space and be able to build a real brewshed/mancave, but its one step at a time.

 

[Frankfurtvr4]

Now that I think about it yes I would. I am waiting on a zombie infestation and plan to do my part to become a key member of whatever town I end up by brewing the beer. I really don't want to cut off zombie heads.

 

[TheGeek]

I don't think I'd want to go into business for myself, but I'd love to work for an established brewery somewhere. That's livin' the dream. No pressure of owning/running the company, just brewin' all day every day.

 

[ksbrain]

I would love to make beer for a living, but I'm in the camp that requires the pay I make now at my engineering job. I guess folks like Jim Koch and Sam Calagione make a lot of money, but most in the industry... not so much... I drool over the ProBrewer.com job postings, but realistically, I know that with no brewer training, I wouldn't be able to make ends meet.

One day when I suddenly have 2 million dollars in the bank, I'll start a brewery. But until then, it's not happening.

 

[PleasantValleyHops]

You know how they call lawyers who aren't in it for the money ? I was hoping you could tell me

i know the money is good once you get est. but til then u work your ass off to gain trust of people, im a union electrician in the washington dc area making 6 figures. but id still take a paycut to do something i love