So what ideas does everyone have.

[jimmywit]

So it is well known that we all love to brew and we all would love to walk away from our regular jobs and get into the business. So what ideas does everyone have on how to do that? We can open a LHBS, start a brewery, even canning on the road. Does anyone have any other ideas on how we can all break out and make a living do something we all love?

 

[1Q84]

I sure would like to stumble upon a small mountain of money to open a brewpub!

 

[mrgstiffler]

I find it interesting that video games have a huge market behind reviewing and news, but beer has nothing. Ratebeer, BeerAdvocate and BeerNews all have very good websites, but there aren't many people on the web that you could consider "The authority". Especially compared to gaming. I think brewing is heading towards a mass market appeal like gaming once was. Jobs in beer media are going to blow up in the next couple years.

 

[anonymouslyyours]

I hate to say it, but i have a feeling as smaller breweries gain momentum, larger beer and spirit companies will begin trying to acquire the new brands. After all, there hasn't been much competition for the alcohol conglomerates since prohibition... surely somebody is noticing.

 

[Andrewtherooster]

I'm working with several other people to start a brewery co-op.

 

[TyTanium]

Follow the money. Do you see PE/VC chasing breweries/brewpubs, etc? Generally not - the risk adjusted returns are horrible (capital intensive, slim margins, etc). Same with homebrew shops - brick & mortal retail is tough without scale. In other words - I'm not sure there's much profit in any step of beer production. Most people do it out of passion, which is awesome. Results are generally better when people are motivated by more than the dollar.

Not sure about consolidation. Surely the big boys want in on the craft-boom, but I'm not sure the market will reward that. The small/local/private thing is more marketable. I suspect consolidation will come from a potential oversupply of small breweries and competition forcing out the weak.

Beer media...now there's an idea.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I would never walk away from my dayjob to take up a brewing career.

1.) I'd never match my current income to work ratio.

2.) Brewing would become a job and less a passion.

 

[TexasAggie]

I would never walk away from my dayjob to take up a brewing career.

1.) I'd never match my current income to work ratio.

2.) Brewing would become a job and less a passion.

Very true. The time we spend brewing is enjoyable because it allows us to experience something fun and exciting for a short period of time away from daily stress. Enjoyment and relaxation is removed from the brewing experience the minute that a hobby turns into a necessity to pay bills and feed the kids. There are certainly ways to profit from the home brewing industry with all of the dedicated and intelligent groups of people that pursue it. It should be geared more towards providing the people with information and experiences to better hone their craft. It is impossible to corner a market one pint at a time when the consumers whole basis is creating and consuming the same product themselves.