Ever think about going commercial?

More of a dream than a reality...talked to a few fellows here and biggest obstacle I hear over and over again (#1 is the obvious start up money) is the local and state laws that really make a start up jump through some serious hoops. If you are not a person that likes to hear no over and over again, it can be quite daunting.
I have never shied away from hard work, but the effect on one's family has to be a huge determination in starting a new business of any sort. If you can't be 100% dedicated to it and have full family support it is going to be tough.

I like the winning the lottery idea, be able to do it how I want, when I want with who I want to do it with. Those that do, good luck to you...nothing wrong with another brewery or brewpub in the neighborhood!!!

 

Definitely thought about it...after Sean Lawson (Lawson's Finest) jumped in, I was ready to follow a similar business model with a small 1 bbl system and creating a farmhouse brewery. I was friendly with him and he had offered to provide advice if I made the jump. Then as I was building the business model over several months, the plans evolved into a 30 bbl microbrewery...I wanted to be the first brewery canning beers in New England. I ended up giving up on both... it made me realize the giant hurdles to create a decent sized brewery and the giant leap of faith in creating the small scale brewery. I wasn't really there mentally on either front at the time.

I've worked as a pro-brewer for a short spell and know very well the hard work and long hours involved. Hopfenunmaltz kinda nailed it from my perspective. My neighbor across the street owns a brewery...I barely see his truck in his driveway. While he clearly pays his bills, he's definitely not "living the dream"...but the guy always has a smile on his face and a guy I wish was around more to hang out with. While it has been somewhat of a dream and something I guess I still ponder from time to time, I enjoy my 9-5 job since it gives me a good baseline to spend time with my family...also my boss & crew I work with are great people.

Best of luck to Cdenny if you make the jump as well as jbakajust1 & even you scumbag!

 

This is honestly the most difficult part of it all for me. I don't want to look back on my life and regret not seeing my kids grow up. I'm purposefully designing my growth plan to take 5+ years to get where others are in 3, launching bigger than most startups, and creating a family atmosphere so that I can have my wife and kids bring dinner and do homework and hang out on nights I am working later.

 

Justin, I have a feeling that if you play your cards right, you can do it right. Glad to hear you're building that into your plan because the hours (especially like around brewfest season) can be daunting. My guess is that your first year will be the biggest challenge, then hopefully you'll find that groove. One challenge for my neighbor is proximity to his brewery. It's an hour drive for him...so proximity could be a key piece. Sean Lawson's set-up is truly the glorified hb set-up with his brewery entrance 10 steps from his back door (great for snowy winters in VT). Those issues are not so much a challenge for him...but work is always staring at him out his window too

 

@CDennyRun, you should read this thread for some business insights: http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...rewery-what-to-know-and-what-to-avoid.288355/

Cheers!

 

I would guess there are very very few home brewers who haven't thought about. Probably not very many who haven't spent a little time probrewer.com. I have been approached to open one by a friend when he found out I won some blue ribbons. It can be done with hard work and some capital. I am retired and have looked into it a bit. I have the finances to do it also. I always very quickly realize that it would take a ton of work and my favorite hobby now becomes nothing more than a job. As much as I love to brew I know I will either not brew that much as I take care of the business side or I will brew all the time and it will become a lot less fun after my 100th batch of the same beer. Since I am sitting fat (literally) and happy it is hard to think about 60 hr weeks with little pay. But man does the thought of owning a "successful'" brewery pulls at you strong.

 

Similar to me.

The best would be to invest with a friend and be involved rather than committed. That way I could take off every month and travel.

 

Good luck to those who take the plunge!

I like to homebrew. It's an interesting and rewarding hobby, but I have no desire to operate a brewery. You gotta want it! I can make it happen, but don't want it to happen.

And quite frankly, I don't think it would be fair to the rest of the people that truly want it. I mean, there is no doubt I brew better beer than anyone by a substantial margin, but it would deeply disturb me to dethrone Sean Hill and a legion of his inferiors.

 

How I would go commercial:
1. Become independently wealthy because there isn't a lot of money to be had.
2. Find an employee friendly brewery that could make use of my lab skills and let me talk shop with the brewmaster from time to time, and possibly get involved in QA/QC tasting panels. I do not want to be responsible for keeping people employed, hiring and firing, worrying about the bottom line, pimping product, lifting heavy stuff, and other stuff that I find physically or emotionally draining. I will be able to go home for lunch to visit with my dog. I will do this dream job for minimum wage, because in this dream, you'll recall, I am wealthy.

 

I would love to if I had the money. But if I had the money I would also want an apiary for mead, and a distillery, and probably a vineyard as well....

I would worry that if brewing was my bread and butter, I would soon start seeing it as work, not a fun hobby..

 

Some local guys have talked about their utility costs, which run in the $6k/month range inthe winter, for a 4k bbl/year brewery. The rent may be cheap, but beware of old structures built in the day of cheap energy.

 

Sturgill is the man.
My dad almost opened a brewpub about 15 years ago before permits fell through. I've personally thought about opening a small-scale brewery. Not a ton of great brewers here in Upstate SC but Terrapin has a great model for a college town with their outside area at the taproom.

 

I can appreciate this point. I'm driving 600 miles per week to get to and home from work. At this time I'm not in a position to move closer but I wouldn't rule the possibility out down the road. So it's currently a lot of wear and tear on my vehicle, about $80 per week in gas and tolls, plus about 2.5 hours of commute time per day added to my already long shift time. I handle it well to be honest, but I can definitely agree that living in closer proximity to the brewery I work at would create many positives for me.

 

I think about going commercial and owning/ operating a brewery every single day. The reason I work my terrible jobs (besides to live ) is to save to eventually open my brewery. It has to happen and I'm willing to give up everything except my wife to do so. So I'm lucky that she's in on it. Cheers.

 

I actually had the opportunity to go commercial back in 1991...even had financing and investment parters eager to be involved. I finally decided that I loved brewing too much to make it a business.
I don't regret the decision at all, and 43 years after my first batch, am still happily brewing my own every three or four weeks and saving a ton of money versus buying commercial beer (most of which I find is no better than homebrew anyway).
FWIW, the location I had picked out for my operation actually opened a few years later as a brewpub.

 

Ha, that's funny, I have a very similar story, same time frame. I was working with some guys to open a brewpub, which we never did, but the spot we picked opened up as a brewpub a few years later. And it is still operating today, it's the oldest brewpub in the area, it's at least 20 years old. And it's never really had good beer, mediocre at best. The restaurant end of it has been carrying it. Just goes to show you. You don't need to know how to brew good beer to be successful, they got the location and the food right.

 

IMO, the food side of the brewpub business is more important than the beer side. Give people food they enjoy eating and some OK beer to drink and you will have a successful business. Oh, and decent service too!

Cheers!

 

Went pro a year ago this week. 1 barrel at a time, 6 times a week. At the unripened age of 23, it's been a challenge to compete in a growing local beer scene. I love the creative nature of brewing on a small scale and our customers are spoiled by the fact that there are 5 different beers on tap each week. I am still able to enjoy the process even though it is repetitive. Everyone knows the hours and pay leave a lot to be desired. Try being apart of a 2 man brewery.

As an employed brewer you will want more from the owner in terms of creative freedom and equipment. If you become an owner that brews you will want more time for those same things.