Update on one of our own going pro. Man Skirt!

[nostalgia]

Greetings, brewers! It's been almost 8 months since Man Skirt Brewing officially opened its doors to the public.

We are a 7bbl, all-electric brewery. The equipment was bought from Stout Tanks and Kettles, and all of the electronic controls and pumps and stuff came from Brewmation.

You can check out some videos of the brewery, the system, and me being my goofy self at my Youtube channel.

I got my start brewing in 2008 when I bought a kit and Papazian's book. After that I learned SO MUCH of what I know from Homebrewtalk.com. It has been a tremendous resource. When I decided to go pro, the transition was pretty painless thanks to all of the information I had gleaned from here and Probrewer.com. It's still amazing to me that in this information age a guy like me can go from rank amateur to successful professional without any formal training.

So it's been almost 8 months of running a brewery by myself. I do have some help in the taproom, but I still do all of the brewing, kegging, deliveries, marketing, social media, accounting, cleaning, and everything else. I am working on finding ways to bring some people on to reduce the load, but right now I'm still having too much fun.

Yes, it's still fun to brew. I have 3 flagship beers that I keep on tap at all times, and I still enjoy brewing the same recipe over and over. The challenge of being consistent, and the fact that there is so much demand for them that I have to be consistent is so very motivating.

Doing seasonals and experimental beers is a ton of fun. I just went to the BBQ, Beer, and Bacon festival in Morristown this weekend, and featured two of my new ones. "Let There Be Rauch" and "pleaTed wheaT" were hugely popular. The Rauchbier is a Marzen style smoked beer that came out fantastic. pleaTed wheaT is a Hefeweizen made with yuzu and grapefruit peel. It was made in collaboration with Two Ton Brewing, hence the capitalization

So please, ask me anything. If you're ever in the northwest NJ area, shoot me an email and/or come on by!

-Joe

P.S. As a nod to my homebrewer past and thanks to all of the amazing information and people on Homebrewtalk.com, I am posting all of my beer recipes here. Just click the name of the beer you want.

 

[Build]

Congrats and good job! It's great you're still doing all the brewing, and cleaning! Wow, a lot of serious work. Many years of success to you.

 

[DuckBrown]

Living the dream!

 

[Bobby_M]

Glad to hear it's still fun Joe. I can't believe all this time has passed and I still haven't gotten up there. Are you ever around on Mondays? It's the only day I cut out of here by 3.

 

[LiquidFlame]

One question I would have for you is, how much of a business background do you have. That's been my biggest question is, how hard is it for someone with no business background to try and go pro.

 

[Bobby_M]

I wonder what percentage of business owners actually have an MBA. I have exactly 6 credits of an MBA. Could it have made this easier? Maybe. Nothing like on the job training I say.

 

[nostalgia]

Are you ever around on Mondays?

I'm often there in the evenings moving beer from one place to another or cleaning up from the brewday before. Feel free to shoot me an email some time and I'll let you know if I'm around.

how much of a business background do you have.

Nothing formal. However I spent most of my teenage years helping run my dad's small business and owned my own for several years as well. The real-life experience has been very helpful.

That's not to say you can't do it without experience, but running a brewery is a business first. You could make the best beer in the world and still not be able to manage income, pay bills, keep on top of sales and excise taxes, bi-monthly state reports, federal and state brand registrations, current price lists, law changes, etc.

It is most definitely not for everyone. That's why a lot of the breweries I see seem to have one partner who's the business person and the other is the passionate brewer.

And thanks for the kind words!

 

[mongoose33]

I'll bet that Better than Pants tastes great! Turns out it's really close to a recipe I use to mimic what Potosi's Cave Ale used to be (before they changed the recipe).

I'm going to have to convert your recipe to my 5-gallon batches and see how close they are.

Then maybe try yours.

Edited to add:

My recipe is

8.5# Maris Otter
3.5# 2-Row
1# Crystal Malt 60L

1 oz. Northern Brewer for bittering hops (60 minutes)
2 oz. Kent Goldings for flavor (5 minutes)

S-04 yeast.

Mine's a lot heavier (I have a new batch in the fermenter where I cut that back to 8# and 3#), but similar--pretty similar.

Maybe I can get by to personally sample yours at some point.

***************

For those who want to compare, here's Joe's:

260 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 80.7 %
40 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 2 12.4 %
15 lbs Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.7 %
7 lbs Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %
2 lbs Styrian Goldings [6.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 21.3 IBUs
1 lbs Styrian Goldings [6.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 5.3 IBUs
1 lbs Styrian Goldings [6.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 7 2.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] Yeast 8 -

 

[Pantherjon]

Neat stuff Joe!

 

[mikescooling]

I gave all your YouTube videos thumbs-up, they are very good. How do you deal with the increased need of yeast? Do you farm it, or buy it? I'm only asking because I bought a pound of dry yeast and it's so nice to have around.

 

[nostalgia]

I gave all your YouTube videos thumbs-up, they are very good. How do you deal with the increased need of yeast? Do you farm it, or buy it? I'm only asking because I bought a pound of dry yeast and it's so nice to have around.

Hey thanks! I buy 500g bricks of yeast from Safale. I use US-05 for my blonde and porter, and S-04 for my bitters.

I just used WB-06 for the hefeweizen and weizenbock, S-23 for the rauchbier, and W-34/70 for my Pfefferbock, a bock with black peppercorns.

 

[Yooper]

It's been so much fun seeing you share your adventures with us! NJ is not on my "likely places to stop in for a beer" list, but I like being there vicariously on Facebook. It's not as good as being there in person, but I really enjoy seeing your posts and I wish you continued success.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Congrats, Joe. I just stumbled upon your YouTube channel yesterday and you taught me how to clean a corny keg. Thanks. The vault looks pretty awesome. I Drive through NY about once a year on my way from Long Island to western NY. Maybe I can stop in a buy a cold one.

 

[Rolsom]

I've just recently found out about Man Skirt and have been meaning to stop by with the wife.
Now that I know see you posting here, I need to get out to Hackettstown. We are just down 57 in P'burg.

 

[Tactical-Brewer]

This is probably one of the coolest threads I've ever seen! Congrats and kudos for keeping it real man! If I'm ever out that way I will definitely be stopping in!

 

[nostalgia]

Thanks Yoop! You know I always loved having you in my livestreams. I'm working on a way to do that with my brewdays now, but it's hard enough to get my ass up in the morning to spend 9 hours toiling.

Unrelated, I just moved my 8.2% IIPA to the brite tank and drank a glass of the beer that was left in the transfer hose. Holy. ****. Holy ****, you guys. This beer is good and intoxicating. And good. Sweet zombie Jesus.

 

[mikescooling]

When you make a new beer how much paperwork/documentation (if any) is needed? A little or a lot?
Thanks Mike

 

[nostalgia]

When you make a new beer how much paperwork/documentation (if any) is needed? A little or a lot?

Really good question, Mike. When I make a new beer, here are the steps I need to go through:

1. Go to the TTB's website and register the brand name and keg collar image with the federal government.
2. Go to the NJ ABC's website and register the brand with the state. Give them $23.
3. If I want to distribute, I need to add it to my CPL (Current Price List). Put the brand, packaging types and prices (1/6 bbl, 1/2bbl, etc) on the sheet and mail it to the NJ ABC in Trenton.

So not that bad at all, just gotta jump through the right hoops.

 

[BrunDog]

Congrats Joe. I watched all your videos on YouTube and have been checking in from time to time on your progress with MSB. Wishing you all the best and I will certainly visit and sample a few someday.

 

[WarmGas]

It's great to see you succeed. I have also enjoyed your videos, especially the part you step over an open kettle wearing your skirt.....!

As someone else commented on one of your vids: "Zero f#cks were given making this video!"

Cheers!

 

[Tactical-Brewer]

What the heck?!? I've watched a ton of brewing vids on YouTube but I don't know that I've seen yours! Can anyone share it or sent it to me? (On my phone and it doesn't show signatures on here if it's on there)

 

[jcav]

Hey Joe Congrats! I also have watched and enjoyed your vids since you started posting them. Good stuff! I have a lot of relatives that live in New York (my parents, brother, sister and I, moved to Florida from there in 1978). Next time the wife and I drive up to see them I will have to stop by in NJ and have a few pints, and meet you in person!

Lots of luck to you!

John

 

[Doctor_M]

Glad to hear! I had been wondering what you have been up to. We just received our 10bbl brew house and conicals last week. Spent today passivating and ciping some of them and will continue tomorrow. Keep up the good work brother!

 

[Jaybird]

Way to go Joe!

Keep on keeping it on!

Cheers
Jay

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

It's not a man skirt, laddie! It's a KILT!

 

[WarmGas]

What the heck?!? I've watched a ton of brewing vids on YouTube but I don't know that I've seen yours! Can anyone share it or sent it to me? (On my phone and it doesn't show signatures on here if it's on there)

Here you go:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSCXGOq-SNM[/ame]

The real deal. Cheers.

 

[signpost]

You're my hero.

I've been slowly getting started on putting together some plans for opening a brewery. The more frustrated I get with my current job, the more research and planning I do.

Anyway, it's cool to read about success stories like this.

Here's one question for you. What size brewhouse did you start with? It seems like starting super small doesn't actually offer that much savings in terms of start up costs. And I mean the difference between a 1 bbl set up from morebeer.com vs. a 3 or 3.5 bbl Stout Tank setup. Sure, there's a price difference in those setups, but other startup costs seem to dwarf that price difference.

What's your perspective on that?

 

[nostalgia]

Here's one question for you. What size brewhouse did you start with? It seems like starting super small doesn't actually offer that much savings in terms of start up costs. And I mean the difference between a 1 bbl set up from morebeer.com vs. a 3 or 3.5 bbl Stout Tank setup. Sure, there's a price difference in those setups, but other startup costs seem to dwarf that price difference.

What's your perspective on that?

I went with a 7bbl system. After a great deal of spreadsheeting, research, and talking with other brewers, I decided that was the minimum size at which I could be reasonably profitable without brewing every day.

I currently brew once a week and am profitable. If I add a second brite tank, I could increase production quite a bit.

I feel like anything smaller is too small for a production, distributing brewery. If you're focusing on taproom or a brewpub, you can get away with something smaller. But for distribution, the margins are too thin.

 

[markkinnj]

Neat man! I'm local, and just shot you a PM I'm new to the forum, but been a long time lurker. I will for sure have come check t out!!

 

[signpost]

So, I watched a couple of your videos and realized I had seen one of your home brew-day videos when I was just browsing through youtube at some point along the way (I remembered the man skirt). So, it's cool that you've now gone pro.

Anyway, I've got a couple more questions for you, if you don't mind.

1) What range of ingredients do you stock? From your videos, I heard you mention you have 3 flagship beers that you have available at all times. So, do you keep standard ingredients on hand for those and then order specific other malts/hops for pilot/seasonal batches? Or do you have a certain range of ingredients on hand and try to tailor your pilot batches to get as wide a range of beers out of those ingredients? Maybe keep 1 type of base malt and 4-6 specialty malts to keep storage and ordering ingredients simple? Or do you just go for exactly the ingredients you think will give you the flavor you want and place specific orders for every single recipe/batch?

That was a long question. Sorry.

2) Your cold room looked nice. From what you mentioned in the video, it seemed like you maybe built a custom cold room rather than buying a pre-designed setup. I'd love to hear more about your system as purchasing a modular type cold room looks like it could be a significant start-up cost.

3) In one video you were brewing a lager. Are all three of your fermenters jacketed and capable of lagering and maintaining consistent ferm temps? Or did you go with one that can handle lagering and the others single-walled to do room temperature ale ferments? Also, how intense is the set-up and maintenance of a glycol system? I heard you mention using glycol in the 2nd stage of your plate chiller as well. I've never dealt with that stuff at all. I understand the basic ideas, but I just don't know what the equipment looks like or how it needs to be set up.

Your place looks pretty awesome and if I'm ever in your neck of the woods, I'll definitely stop by for a pint or three.

 

[nostalgia]

Anyway, I've got a couple more questions for you, if you don't mind.

Not at all.

1) What range of ingredients do you stock?

I generally buy enough ingredients for my next planned 3-4 batches of beer (about 2000-2400lbs of grain at a time). I do try to keep extra of ingredients for my 3 flagship beers on hand at all time, just in case I want to do an impromptu brewday some time.

2) Your cold room looked nice.

Yes, I had a contractor insulate the room with 4" of pink foam insulation, then 3/8" plywood and FRP. It's about 14x11' and cooled with a 24,000 BTU air conditioner and a CoolBot. Works great! Cost me about $10k total, including electrical and construction.

3) In one video you were brewing a lager. Are all three of your fermenters jacketed and capable of lagering and maintaining consistent ferm temps?

Yes, all 3 fermenters and the brite are jacketed. I have a 7hp glycol chiller on the roof. It's oversized so I can use it in the 2-stage heat exchanger and knock out at lager temps. My last lager I went into the fermenter at 56F in a single pass. It's amazing.

The brite is jacketed so I can carbonate in it. I set it to 35F and carb at 10PSI. Using a carb stone it's done in 3 days. This also gives me extra time to let the beer clear at low temps, since I don't filter.

 

[SunnyDownSnuff]

hey for those who don't know the brewery is located in a former bank, very cool brewery complete with giant vault. Beer is excellent!

In the interest of full disclosure I have to add that I was nearly arrested right outside this building some 30+ years ago. Beer was involved in the incident.

Great place, full recommendation!!!

 

[nostalgia]

Hah! Just for the record, that guy in the skirt is not me. That's my bar man, Danny.

I look a little more like this in a skirt:



Uh...wait, not that skirt. How about this one?



With Danny, for comparison purposes.



And of course, filthy and wet in the brewhouse.

 

[missiletech]

Bloody marvelous!

 

[nostalgia]

Woah, hello necro thread!

We're still alive and kicking over here. Just put in a 15bbl Apex fermenter, in fact.

Check out our Instagram and Facebook pages for all the latest fun!

Also added a new Youtube video:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzt5hQYx5ac[/ame]

-Joe