Breweries that open without a bottling/canning line

Just toured a brewery that takes advantage of mobile canning. Was previously unaware of that option, but seems like a good way to keep debt low and control growth responsibly.

 

Going to use the hometown example:

Look at the two best and largest craft breweries in NJ - Carton and Kane. Neither have an operating canning line and both have been open several years. Mobile canning lines are just easier until you can justify the space/cost of your own equipment

 

I think it's a great business plan to start slowly and have no bottle/can distro. Maybe the bank thinks so too, and that is the only way the capital was available to get the brewery started. There is also the critical step of not putting too much capital into the business until you are certain that your beer is well liked. Some upstart breweries have failed because crummy beer was all that they offered. Later on the expansion capital can then come from within the business' profits, IF there are profits.

 

Several breweries in and around my area of VA use the mobile canning option.

 

You live in CO? Just look at Comrade, Cannonball Creek etc. Making the best beer around right? I wonder if they could even produce enough to package...


Also, a ton of the people canning are using mobile canning OR are purchasing second hand canning lines. We have a ton to be thankful for OB for starting.

 

Spring Garden Brewery, now Red Oak, did great in Greensboro for years and years before they started packaging. They owned a handful of brewpubs, and they got their kegs into a lot of local restaurants. You could get Red Oak Amber on tap all over the area.

That's one of the things that has always puzzled me about Front Street Brewery in Wilmington. When I moved to this part of the state 12 years ago, the brewery was the only place you could get their beer. They had a number of decent beers that would have played just fine on tap in restaurants around town, but they had no interest in doing so. When I asked, I was told that they didn't want people to be able to go to just any restaurant and get their beer, they wanted people to come to the brewery to get it (and presumably eat there as well). Seems like a backwards-ass way to run a brewery to me.

I know ownership has changed since then, but they don't seem to have changed their ways as regards where they sell their beer.

 

Beer store shelves are pretty crowded already. If you're product doesn't move distributors won't buy again. Slow moving product also suffers from freshness issues, which only make things worse. QA/QC and beer freshness are also easier to control with kegs than bottles/cans. Newly installed canning/bottles lines often have QA/QC issues to work out before things run smoothly, and a couple early ruined batches of beer could really set a new brewer back both monetarily and their reputation. If brewer can get a few kegs on at local taps it can be a lot safer.

 

I've seen several wineries/vineyards in VA also use mobile bottling. Those tractor trailers are like Transformers.

 

I know some of my favorite IPAs never sit around on the shelf and get old because they were never bottled or canned. Looking at you Barley Browns, Boneyard, Comrade, Cannonball Creek and Hill.

 

As has been previously discussed if you are able to get customers to travel to your tasting room this is a highly profitable business model. The brewery makes a lot of money on per unit sales (i.e., draft pints).

Minimal investment and maximum profit is not a bad way to go. But the BIG if is whether customers are willing to travel to your location to purchase the beer.

Cheers!

 

We were a brewpub serving just Atgens for 7 years. Did bottle releases starting in Dec. of 2009. We opened our production brewery with a canning line a little over 3 years ago

 

Personally I'm not much of a fan. To be honest, I rarely go out for beers on tap. I usually buy bottles and enjoy at home. And when I do go out, it's typically to a small pub for some beer and grub, or at my favorite liquor store that has about 8 taps. In other words, I don't end up trying the breweries that don't can or bottle. There are about 3 in my hometown that I have yet to visit just because I don't feel like driving over there to have a flight. All of my beer loving friends are elsewhere anyway.

Likewise, I don't feel like reviewing any beers with friends, so if I'm not going to review, I don't want to go out of my way and pay for something new. Goofy, I know. Instead, I'll go with a trusty bar that I know will deliver for everyone in the group with all of our different palates and macro/craft preferences.

 

If a brewery doesn't want to put their products in stores, I have no trouble with that. I think any/all breweries as mentioned though should provide means for patrons to take beer home and not only consume on site, and I don't consider growler only as a practical method either. Sorry. They shouldn't call themselves a brewery, but instead a tasting room or tap house.

 

Seen this more than once in Virginia. People grab a small shop and have maybe 3-4 beers going. Will have about 6 on tap with most tapped out and only a few available. They are good beer, but usually a little cheaper as well. They are just looking to get enough money to move to a bigger place. Nothing wrong with living the American Dream.

 

Well, what you suggest is not legal in all states, including Minnesota. Here, a brewery can establish 1 tap room location where they can sell pints to be consumed on site, and they can also sell growlers or 750ml bottles to take out, but nothing smaller.

 

As long as they brew on site, it's a brewery. Tap houses and tasting rooms sound like places to drink beer made elsewhere.

Hell, the best beer I've had over the last few years is almost entirely from places like this, although some obviously can and bottle as well (Treehouse, Trillium) or do very limited local distribution (Alchemist, Lawson's, Trillium). This is certainly the trend and there are several places like this in MA in the last few years (District X, Bog Iron, Castle Island). I think what you will see is that once they have a following local bars will pick them up on tap, and they will use mobile canning systems. Wormtown did this before expanding and putting a bottling line in. It's absolutely the right way to start.

 

. 750ml only...that's a very bizarre state law. But at least you can still buy a 750ml and then give as gifts, trade, or share with friends that don't have ability to go to the brewery to try their beers.