MicroBrewr 018: Start a commercial FrankenBrewery for $18,000, with Horsefly Brewing Company.

MicroBrewr 018: Start a commercial FrankenBrewery for $18,000

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In this episode, I talk with Nigel Askew from Horsefly Brewing Company in Montrose, Colorado. As a teenager, Nigel made beer for his dad in Zambia. In the 1990s he was homebrewing in Los Angeles. When he moved to Colorado, he took his 1.5-BBL homebrew system. He and friends pooled money and started their brewery for $18,000. A year later, they moved to a larger facility and expanded to a 10-BBL FrankenBrewery. Now they’re getting ready for a 20-BBL system.

Horsefly Brewing Company’s main operating tenet is to be fair and honest. Nigel is super generous with stories and advice. He tells us about piecing together their brewhouse, and finding amazing deals on equipment.

He offers some great advice, like:

  • How to get a fair price from your suppliers
  • Don’t over plan
  • Start small
  • Sanitize and clean

Listener question:

From Kristine Dubie: What are the pros and cons of whole cone hops vs. compressed hop pellets?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

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An upcoming beer style:

Session beer

Other resources:

You can reach Nigel Askew and Horsefly Brewing Company at:

If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher. When you subscribe, it’ll let you know when there’s a new episode, you won’t miss a thing!

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Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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MicroBrewr 017: work with customers to make award winning beer, with Birdsong Brewing Company.

MicroBrewr 017: Work with customers to make award winning beer

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In this episode, I talk with Chris Goulet from Birdsong Brewing Company, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Chris and some friends were so impressed by 21-year-old homebrewer, Connor Robinson, that they started a brewery to showcase his beers.

Birdsong Brewing Co. was just the fourth production brewery in Charlotte. Although they have been operating less than 3 years, they’re making award winning beer using customers’ ingredients, and they’re leading craft beer in the Charlotte metropolitan area.

Birdsong will soon expand into a larger facility with a brewhouse 3 times the size of their current one. “Happy staff make happy beer,” says Chris. So they used lessons learned, to design floor space for efficient workflow.

Chris tells us the story of their award-winning Mexicali Stout. One of Birdsong’s regular customers, Jason, brought in a bunch of peppers from his home garden. The “talented, secret genius brewer” threw them together with locally-roasted coffee to make what would become one of their most popular seasonal beers.

Chris also shares some great advice about:

  • Making agreements with the landlord
  • Educating the customer about unfiltered beer
  • Hiring a well-connected salesperson

Listener question:

From Erik Cotten: Is it local?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

Saison

Other resources:

You can reach Chris Goulet and Birdsong Brewing Company at:

If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher. When you subscribe, it’ll let you know when there’s a new episode and you won’t miss a thing.

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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MicroBrewr 016: Nanobreweries rise up! with Opposition Brewing Co.

MicroBrewr 016: Nanobreweries rise up!

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In this episode I talk with Nick Ellis, founder and brewmaster at Opposition Brewing Co. in Medford, Oregon.

In 2011 Nick was employed as a bookkeeper when he received notice that he would loose his job within a year. So he and his wife, Erin partnered with Dennis and Penni Poncia to start the nanobrewery in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. They began with a 0.5-BBL system, but soon moved up to a 1.5-BBL system. Now they’re getting ready to install a 7-BBL system and are planning to package beer for distribution.

In the beginning, all 4 of them worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week. Now approaching their second anniversary, they’re getting things smoothed out and they each work about 9-hour days, 6 days a week.

We discuss the viability of CSA programs for homebrewers. Following the Community Supported Agriculture model, a box would be delivered to your doorstep on a regular basis. Rather than produce, it would have locally-grown ingredients for making your own beer.

Nick fully debunks any claims that nanobreweries cannot be profitable.

He also shares some great advice, including:

  • Vet and register your name before using it
  • Plan for yeast management
  • Engage your customers with a fun, creative club

Listener question:

From Christina Sierra: Tell me why you brew what you do.

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

Flanders red

Other resources:

You can reach Nick Ellis and Opposition Brewing Co. at:

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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MicroBrewr 015: Randal Denver’s advice for a homebrewer who wants to become a professional brewer, with Yards Brewing Company.

MicroBrewr 015: Randal Denver’s advice for a homebrewer who wants to become a professional brewer

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In this episode I talk with Randal Denver, brewer from Yards Brewing Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Randal started homebrewing several years ago and got hooked.

“It was kind of the first thing that I ever felt I was good at,” he said.

So he applied for a job with Yards Brewing Company and started working on their packaging line. Since then, he has moved up to brewer, and makes any beer in the Yards Brewing lineup.

Randal offers great advice for a homebrewer who wants to become a professional brewer.

Some advice he shares:

  • Clean and sanitize always
  • Immerse yourself in beer knowledge
  • Brew as often as you can, as many different types of beer as you can

Listener question:

From Josh Pierce: Do you think alcohol levels will start to come down anytime soon?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

Session IPA

Other resources:

You can reach Randal Denver and Yards Brewing Company at:

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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MicroBrewr014: Zachary Typinski's career in craft beer culminates in a craft brewery, with Neighborhood Brewing Co.

MicroBrewr 014: Zachary Typinski’s career in craft beer culminates in a neighborhood brewery

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In this episode I talk with Zachary Typinski from the upcoming, Neighborhood Brewing Co. Urbanrest Brewing Co. in Ferndale, Michigan.

Zachary has years of experience throughout the beer industry. He has worked in merchandising and retail, distribution and sales. He’s also a draft certified technician, Certified Cicerone®, BJCP Novice Judge, and an award-winning homebrewer.

Currently Zachary is the Michigan sales manager for Oskar Blues Brewery, and he is in the process of opening his own brewery.

He shares creative ideas for “getting liquid to lips,” and what it takes to bring beer “from grain to glass.”

He shares his breadth of knowledge on a range of topics including:

  • Merchandising
  • Packaging
  • Keeping clean draft lines
  • What it’s like to see his award-winning homebrew go into production and be widely distributed

Listener question:

From Eric Simon: What beer do you want to brew, but aren’t going to because it’s too risky or won’t be popular enough?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

Patersbier

Other resources:

You can reach Zachary Typinski at:

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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Meet your new host: Nathan Pierce.

MicroBrewr 013: Meet your new host for MicroBrewr podcast

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My name is Nathan Pierce, and I’m so happy to say I’ll be your new host for the podcast, taking over for Joe Shelerud. Thank you Joe, I’ll do my best to continue this great thing you started.

In this episode I talk about:

  • MicroBrewr podcast and the transition to a new host
  • A little about the format going forward
  • Update on my plans to start a brewery

Most of this is covered in a recent blog.

Transition to a new host

I was shocked when I heard Joe Shelerud say in session 012 that it would be the last episode. I know he made the right decision for himself, I support him in that.

Still, I felt bad that MicroBrewr was ending. I’ve loved listening to MicroBrewr since the first episode in February. It’s timely for me as I’m planning to start my own brewery. It’s a great resource and it’s building a great community.

Moving forward, I’m coming up with a list of questions that I’ll ask each guest. It’s designed to…

  • Go deep
  • Get inside the industry
  • Get inside the heads of people who work there

I’ll also have guests from other sectors of the industry, like distributors, retailers, and marketers.

I’m still playing with the format, so let me know if you have suggestions or if there’s a question you’d like to ask our guests. Leave of a comment below.

Update on my plans to start a brewery

In session 005, Joe interviewed me about my plans to start a brewery. Since then, I completed the draft business plan and I’m incorporating suggested changes from family and friends. A couple months ago, my partners left the project. I learned a lot from that experience. On my personal blog, you can read about, How to choose partners when starting a brewery. Stay tuned to this podcast for occasional updates.

Please answer one question

If you could ask just one question to every brewer or brewery owner, what would you ask?

Leave your comments below. Thank you so much!

Links and resources covered

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder WS-801 – They don’t make the WS-300M anymore, but this one looks similar. It’s easy to work, records good sound, and it’s small and lightweight. I’ve used it in all sorts of different situations, in several different countries. Perhaps the thing I like best is the built-in USB connector, I think the WS-801 has the same feature.

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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Meet your new host: Nathan Pierce.

Meet your new host for the MicroBrewr podcast

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MicroBrewr podcast has a new host, Nathan Pierce. You might remember me from episode 005, where we talked about my plans to start a brewery close to my home, near Monterey, California. I’ve hit some speed bumps in that process, so it’s becoming more of a longer term goal. More on that later.

When Joe Shelerud announced on episode 012 that it would be the last episode, I was shocked. I was driving in my car when I heard him say it. I immediately paused the podcast and gave Joe a call. Read more

MicroBrewr 012: How To Start Up a Brewery for $125,000 w/ Wild Earth Brewing

MicroBrewr 012: How To Start Up a Brewery for $125,000 w/ Wild Earth Brewing

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The Final Episode of the MicroBrewr Podcast

As a lot of you know, my wife and I are currently expecting our first child just about any day now. With him coming, I’ve taken a step back to analyze priorities since I feel like I don’t currently have enough free time to give to him with everything that I’m currently doing. While doing this podcast has been an absolutely amazing experience, after a lot of consideration I’ve come to the sad conclusion that I’m going to need to give it up to be able to focus on my family. I hope that you understand and I just really want to say thanks for all of the amazing support that I’ve had along the way. This will be the final MicroBrewr podcast and I have an awesome interview with David from Wild Earth Brewing to wrap up the MicroBrewr podcast series!

UPDATE: This is not the last episode!!! See episode 13 for more details.

Meet Dave From Wild Earth Brewing

Dave Kilgour was able to start up Wild Earth Brewing in 6 months, fully funded from friends and family and with a total cost of $125,000.  From moving in the fermenter from his garage with a couple guys from town to being the only employee of the brewery, David has planned to keep costs down while still producing awesome beer for the masses.

In this podcast, we discuss:brewerytaproomlogo

  • The dynamics of starting a brewery in a small town
  • How working in a brewery before starting your own is key to your success
  • Discussion on the financial aspect of nano-brewing and the lost costs to increase brewing size
  • Selecting the styles of beer to offer when opening your brewery
  • The process of scaling up your homebrew batches to the full brewery process
  • How to bottle your beer while keeping costs down
  • The benefits of being able to fully fund your brewery without outside investors

Support Dave and Wild Earth Brewing Co!

Check him out at the links below!

Wild Earth Brewery Website

Wild Earth Facebook Page

Wild Earth Twitter Page

UPDATE 6/27/2020: Wild Earth Brewing website is down. This is from their FB post Dec 5, 2014: …it has become clear to us that in order to meet the demand for our product we must evaluate our operation and explore new business models that will enable us to grow to meet the level of production our customers are demanding. To that end, we have decided to close our current operation in Roslyn at the end of December while we investigate our options.”

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Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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MicroBrewr 011: Starting a Brewery in Hawaii w/ Sean Garvey

MicroBrewr 011: Starting a Brewery in Hawaii w/ Sean Garvey

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Welcome to MicroBrewr Podcast #11!

In this podcast, I got to talk with Sean Garvey who’s currently raising funds to start up a brewery in Hawaii. Since Sean is right in the middle of the money raising phase, we got to talk about his experiences when seeking out potential investors and asking them to invest. We also talk about starting a brewery in a location that experiences a lot of tourism and how to strike a balance between reaching out to locals while also getting the attention of tourists who will be on the island for a limited amount of time. Sit back, sip on your favorite local beer and enjoy!

Here’s a highlight of what we discuss in this interview with Sean:Hawaii-Beer

  • Developing your business plan in “off hours” when working full time
  • How to stay motivated and push forward to your end goal
  • Getting the word out to tourists while also pleasing your local fans
  • How to factor in extra costs when you brew in a remote area
  • The pros and cons of going with a distribution brewery instead of a brewpub
  • The art of raising money and the challenges along the way
  • How to find people willing to invest in your brewery
  • Realizing that most potential investors are probably not even going to read through your business plan
  • Building the team around you that have key strengths to propel your brewery

Links and Resources Covered

Hawaii Market Research

Garveyaz@yahoo.com

Your Free Audio Book

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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Ninkasi Logo

MicroBrewr 010: How Ninkasi Went From a 15-BBL System to the 30th Largest Craft Brewery in the Nation w/ Ninkasi Brewing

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If you’re new to the podcast, we like to talk all things craft beer but tend to focus on starting up a brewery or ways to take your current brewery to the next level. This week I’m really excited to share the story of Ninkasi Brewing and the tremendous growth that they’ve seen since 2006. Ninkasi started as a 15-BBL system and after four expansions has become one of the top 30 craft breweries in the nation. Nikos Ridge is one of the founders of Ninkasi and talks through why he thinks that their brewery has really taken off and lessons that he has learned along the way. Nikos also talks through their community involvement and how operating a brewery is more than just about the beer, it’s about the people who work in the brewery and the surrounding community.

In this podcast, we’ll cover:Ninkasi Brewing

  • How Ninkasi got started and their journey along the way
  • The experience that they’ve gained after going through four major expansions of their brewery
  • Planning for that next expansion down the road
  • The importance of community and examples of different programs your brewery can get involved in
  • Finding the right staff that fits your brewery (and the troubles you can run into if you select poorly)
  • What Nikos believes has driven the tremendous growth that Ninkasi has experienced and what will continue to drive growth in the future
  • Advice for new breweries that are opening up in today’s market

Make Sure to Get a Ninkasi Brew Near You!

If you live or are visiting the West Coast, Ninkasi is distributed through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, California and British Columbia (and coming soon in Nevada). Here are some other resources that we talked about during the podcast:

Ninkasi Web Page

Top 50 Craft Breweries List (2013)

Oregon State Northwest Beer and Cider Sessions – Great resource for those looking to start a brewery

61 Brewers Speak Out: What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a Brewery

Your Free Audio Book

Come Say Hi

I love to connect with the MicroBrewr community so make sure to connect with me through Facebook, Twitter or Untappd.  You can also send me an email using our Contact Page.

Connect on Facebook

Connect on Twitter

Have a Beer With Me on Untappd

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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Canning-Versus-Bottling-Beer

MicroBrewr 009: Getting Distributors to Sell More Of Your Beer and the Benefits of Canning w/ Tyson Starling

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Canning Versus Bottling Beer and Getting Your Distributors to Sell More of Your Beer

In this podcast, I had a ton of fun talking with Tyson Starling from Atlantic Brewing Company.  Tyson started as a credit analyst and after having to foreclose on somebody, decided that this was not the career path for him.  Tyson switched careers to work as a sales rep for a beer distributor in Maine and then was approached to work on the day-to-day operations for Atlantic Brewing Company.  In this episode, we go into detail about the pros and cons on canning versus bottling beer and why Tyson would be canning if he could do it all over again.  Tyson also has some cheap and easy tips on how to get your distributors to sell more of you beer and the importance of branding for your brewery.

Topics that we covered:

  • Why working in a brewery and a bank are more similar than you’d think
  • The importance of picking a distributor since you’re locked in once you make your choice
  • Unique and cheap ways to get your distributor to help increase your beer sales
  • The scary truth about how long your beer can sit in a warehouse before making it to your customer
  • The power of consistency in all of your labeling or branding
  • How to use MicroStar to sell kegs out of state and not having to worry about having your keg returned
  • The pros and cons of canning versus bottling your beer and why canning may be better for your microbrewery

Here Are All the Great Resources Discussed in the Podcast

Microbrewery Canning Versus Bottling

Craft Beer Business – How to get in contact with Tyson

Atlantic Brewing Company

“So You Want To Open A Microbrewery Podcast” w/ Collin McDonnell – Talks about the real life of being a craft brewer

“Branding and Transforming Your Beer into Art” w/ Harvey Shepard – Recommendations on branding and labeling your beer

MicroStar Kegs

Keg Credit

Cask Canning Equipment

“Developing Your Brewery Business Plan” w/ Aaron Brodniak – Goes into the cost of starting a brewery

Your Free Audio Book

I Need Your Help To Spread The Word

If you like this podcast on canning versus bottling beer and increasing your sales through distribution, I would really appreciate it if you would give me a rating in iTunes to help spread the word about the podcast.  All you need to do is search for MicroBrewr in the iTunes store or you can use link this link here (then just click “View in iTunes”).  If you’ve never given a rating in iTunes before, I put together these instructions to walk you through the 2 minute process.  Giving a rating in iTunes will continue to push the podcast up in the rankings which help get the podcast into the ears of more people.  Thanks in advance!

Give the MicroBrewr Podcast a Review on iTunes

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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Raise Money For Your Brewery

MicroBrewr 008: Raise Money For Your MicroBrewery Without Having to Give Away Any Ownership w/ CrowdBrewed

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Raise Money For Your Microbrewery Using Crowdfunding

In this podcast I got to interview Mark Slattery from CrowdBrewed which is a crowdfunding platform targeting the craft beer industry.  While I have heard of crowdfunding campaigns on sites like Kickstarter, I still wasn’t sure on the details of how they worked.  Mark walks us through the process and details how you can raise money for your brewery without having to give up any ownership!  While crowdfunding can work really well for starting up a brewery, Mark also discusses how established breweries can use crowdfunding for expansions or if they want to offer a new beer line.  Besides raising money for your brewery, crowdfunding also has a great marketing aspect since your campaign will get attention and those that invest are going to be even more loyal fans in the future.  By the end of this podcast, you’ll know how crowdfunding campaigns work, how to avoid pitfalls of campaigns that have failed and if crowdfunding is right for you!

Some of the topics that we cover:

  • What exactly crowdfunding is and how it works
  • The difference between rewards-based crowdfunding and equity crowdfunding
  • What sets apart the successful crowdfunding campaign versus those that fail
  • Examples of the best performing rewards that you can offer in your campaign
  • The best time to do a crowdfunding campaign if you’re starting up a brewery
  • How established breweries can use crowdfunding for that upcoming expansion or product offering
  • The marketing value of a crowdfunding campaign
  • The next steps on what to do if you want to start up a crowdfunding campaign

Find Out More About CrowdBrewed and Links to Other Resources

crowdfunding-microbrewry

CrowdBrewed Website

CrowdBrewed Twitter and Facebook Pages

Connect with Denver Beer Guy on Twitter

BrewDog – Scotland Brewery that Used Equity Crowdfunding To Raise Money

J Wakefield Brewery – Broke Craft Brewery Crowdfunding Record Raising $112,000

Your Free Audio Book

Build Your Social Media Presence Before Starting Your Campaign

To help with those crowdfunding campaigns, you’ll want to already have a good social media following to get the word out once you start the campaign.  Since time and money is tight, I’ve put together an e-book with six free social media tools that you can use to build your presence online and get your beer into the hands of more people.  As my thanks for visiting MicroBrewr, simply click the button below and I’ll send you the e-book free to your email.

 

Sign me up!

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Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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MicroBrewr 007: So You Think You Want to Open a Microbrewery… w/ HenHouse Brewing

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Have You Ever Thought that You’d Like to Open a Microbrewery?

Through connecting with the MicroBrewr community and doing the weekly podcast, I’ve been lucky to talk with so many amazing people who are looking to turn their dreams into a reality and open a microbrewery.  The thought of leaving the 9-5 and going on your own path is an adventure that sounds like a dream come true.  Being able to leave the office behind to brew and drink beer all day, what could be better?  Well, we don’t want to kill anybody’s dreams but there is a lot more work that comes when you open a microbrewery than just brewing and drinking beer.  In this podcast, we’ll go through the typical life of a brewer to try to give a good perspective on what to expect if you do take that next step to open a microbrewery.

Meet Collin From HenHouse Brewing Company

Collin McDonnell is one of the three founders of Henhouse Brewing Company.  HenHouse started selling beer two years ago and over that time have been raising money to quit their jobs to go at it full time.  One reason why I really wanted to talk to Collin is that he wrote a great article on the “real life” of working in the brewery where he was very transparent on the not so exciting parts of running the business day to day.  As we went through the podcast, you can tell that Collin’s focus on the details comes from a passion that HenHouse puts into their beer to make sure they are making a quality product that they can be proud of.

Here’s some of the topics that we’ll cover in the podcast:

  • The amount of data collection that is required to put out quality beer that tastes the same every time
  • How much cleaning is really required in the brewing process
  • The benefits of leasing space from another brewery (alternating proprietorship) instead of starting with your own equipment
  • The need to think about how your brewery will be different that others in the area
  • How to pick your partners to leverage their strengths when you open a microbrewery
  • Why maintaining great relationships with regulators needs to be a priority
  • The benefits of working at a brewery before you start your own
  • The power of a vision to keep you focused on the end goal

Here are the Links of Stuff We Talked About and Spots Where You Can Find Out More About HenHouse

HenHouse Brewing Company Facebook Page

Start-a-MicroBrewery

HenHouse Twitter Page

Collin’s Article “So You Think You Want to Open a Brewery”

Petaluma Hills Brewing Company

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)

61 Brewers Speak Out: What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting a Brewery

An Ode to Beer Drinkers by Collin McDonnell

Beer Talks 2014 w/ Collin

21st Amendment

Beach Chalet

Drake’s Brewing Company

Your Free Audio Book

Are You Enjoying the MicroBrewr Podcast?

If you like this podcast on what it’s like to open a microbrewery, I would really appreciate it if you would give me a rating in iTunes to help spread the word about the podcast.  All you need to do is search for MicroBrewr in the iTunes store or you can use link this link here (then just click “View in iTunes”).  Giving a rating in iTunes will continue to push the podcast up in the rankings which help get the podcast into the ears of more people.  Thanks in advance!

Give the MicroBrewr Podcast a Review on iTunes

 You might also like:

MicroBrewr 022: Expanding to… India!, with Arbor Brewing Company Brewpub in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

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Brewery Business Plan

MicroBrewr 006: Developing Your Brewery Business Plan w/ Aaron Brodniak

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Here’s the Podcast to Entertain You While Traveling to the CBC

The Craft Brewers Conference is here and I think that this podcast will be a great way to pass the time as you travel to Denver (if you’re not already there).  I’ve been asked by a number of people if I’ll be there this year and unfortunately I won’t be able to make it.  My wife is currently seven months pregnant with our first and its getting to be that time where she probably wouldn’t be too happy with me if I left for four days.  While I won’t be able to make it, I’ll be there in spirit and keep me updated on Twitter or Facebook on how it’s going.  If you’re enjoying the MicroBrewr podcast, make sure to spread the love at the CBC and tell your friends about it.  Have a beer for me and hope you have a great time!!

Developing Your Brewery Business Plan w/ Aaron Brodniak

This week, I am really excited to welcome Aaron Brodniak to the podcast.  Aaron Brodniak has worked in a number of different breweries and has held the titles of Head Brewer for a microbrewery and Regional Brewer for a chain of brewpubs. He has over 18 years of craft brewing experience and serves as a brewery consultant who assists with both start-up and operational brewery business plans, human resource plans, product development, marketing and so much more.  This week, we’ll focus on the different aspects you’ll need to take into account when developing your brewery business plan so get ready to take some notes on this one!

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Developing Brewery Business Plan

Meet Aaron Brodniak

Here are just some of the topics that we cover:

  • Where to start once you decide you want to start a brewery
  • Some free ways to do market research for your brewery
  • The trick on being able to get information from other busy brewers for your business plan
  • How to decide between a distribution brewery or a brewpub
  • Find out how building relationships is key for everything
  • Major factors to think about when sizing your brewery
  • The power of having a home brewing competitions at your brewery
  • Key differences of breweries that take off versus struggle
  • How a vision or end goal is important to the success of the brewery
  • The typical cost raw materials and equipment for the brewery business plan
  • I had about another 10 bullets points on what we covered since Aaron provides so much great info but figured I’d just let you listen

The Craft Beer Startup Workshop

Start-Brewery-Plan

If you liked what Aaron had to offer in the podcast, I recommend that you check out the Craft Brewery Startup Workshop II offered by Oregon State University. Refine your brewery vision online with fellow entrepreneurs and then travel to Portland, Oregon to work with consultants during a four-day workshop to fine-tune your craft brewery business plan. Also, if you have the best business plan at the end of the workshop, you will be offered a three-day internship with Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene. If you’re serious about starting up a brewery which will probably cost you $1 million and up, I’m sure that investing money in a great course like this will pay off in the long run.

Resources for Developing Your Brewery Business Plan

Here’s a list of the difference resources that Aaron covered. Also, I included some links on how to get in touch with Aaron if you’re looking for a consultant to help you out starting up your brewery.

Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn

Aaron’s Blog

Small Business Administration

U.S. Census

Department of Labor

Brewers Association

The New Brewer (Membership with the BA required)

Probrewer.com (Aaron’s username is malty1)

Brewers Association School Links

CrowdBrewed

Northwest Beer and Cider Sessions, Oregon State

Breweries Mentioned in the Podcast:

Diamond Knot Brewery

Pyramid Breweries

Santa Barbara Brewing Company

Amnesia Brewing

Sirius Brewpub

Karbach Brewing

3Sheeps Brewery

North Coast Brewing Co

Bull City Brewery

New Belgium Brewing Co

J Wakefield Brewing

Henhouse Brewing

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Want to learn more?  To get updates on when new content comes out, make sure to connect with me by clicking the button below.  As my thank you for joining the community, I’ll send you the 6 Free Social Media Tools To Get People Talking About Your Beer e-book for free.

 

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Building a Brewery

MicroBrewr 005: The Start of the Journey of Building a Brewery w/ Nathan Pierce

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Grab a Beer and Join Us in the Journey of Starting a Brewery

Welcome to the 5th edition of the MicroBrewr podcast!  Due to the success and support I’ve seen for the previous podcast, I’ve dialed up the frequency now to weekly.  If you’re new to the podcast, I’m a craft beer fanatic who loves to hear about the journeys of those in the craft beer industry.  With the experiences of some amazing people, hopefully I can give back to this community to help inspire brewers to start a brewery or provide tips on what’s working right now for the lucky people who already run their own brewery.  Even if you’re not in these two camps, these guys and gals have some amazing experiences to share that hopefully can provide some entertainment to your daily commute or work out.

Meet Nathan Pierce Who Will Give Us a First Hand Look at Starting a Brewery

I originally got in touch with Nathan Pierce after starting MicroBrewr who is currently in the process of starting up a brewery.  Nathan worked at the air pollution control district in California before quitting his job to follow his dream and start a brewery a couple of months ago.  Nathan has been gracious to share his journey along the way to help out others that are thinking of starting a brewery and we’ll be coming back in future podcasts to catch up on progress.  In this podcast, you’ll get to ride along for the initial steps of the journey where Nathan is working to turn his dream into a reality.

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In this podcast we’ll cover:

  • Setting goals and how to stay focused on the end result
  • Transitioning to less structure without the 9-5 job
  • Productivity tips and some great ways to stay motivated
  • Where to go for creating a business plan
  • Selectively choosing what information you need to know along the process
  • Dealing with friends or family who don’t support your vision or want you to succeed
  • Following through on your dreams and telling as many people as you can about those dreams to keep you accountable

Here are links that we talked about during the podcast:

Entrepreneur on Fire PodcastStarting Brewery

Storyline Productivity Schedule

Beyond the To Do List

Brewers Association

Connect with Nathan on Twitter

Your Free Audio Book

Join the MicroBrewr Community

Like what you’ve heard and want to get updates on upcoming articles and podcasts?  Click the button below to sign up for the email list.  As my thank you for joining the Microbrewr community, I’ll send you a free copy of our e-book “6 Free Social Media Tools To Get Your Beer in the Hands of More People.”

 

Sign me up!

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

Subscribe on iTunes             Listen to Stitcher