If you were opening a brewery...

Stouts would be the prevailing style but it is my personal opinion that a brewery opening without a hoppy IPA and a IIPA could not survive.

 

Of the available options, I would go for a Stout, Belgian/French Ale, and Kolsch.

 

Imperial Stout
Hoppy IPA
Berliner

Go big or go home!

 

Are you actually opening a brewery?

 

you need to get off of BA and out in to the real world.

 

BA Barleywine, BA Stout, Triple IPA, Adjunct Lager.

 

If you can only have 3 do you want to have the tanks spending time on lagers?

 

I would go with the Imperial Stout, the Belgian, and the Wheat.
My brewery would be dedicated to beers I have a passion for, not what I think the most popular, or best sellers are.
If that did not work then maybe I should not be in the brewing business.

 

When's Beer Advocate going to open a brewery, eh?

 

DIPA
IMP. Stout
Saison

 

Session IPA (get the customers use to this then hit them with the high octane version), Kolsch (to convert the light beer drinkers of the community), Beliner (because sours are my fav)

And based on economics these are likely the 3 easiest and cheapest to brew (minus the wheat) to get money in your pocket.

 

I'd say the following would be my business strategy:
Session IPA
Stout
Wheat

I know they are all styles most BA's would buy and all three could be considered gateway beers to your more intense future offerings. I know it surprised Avery back in the day but their White Rascal "wheat ale" quickly became a huge income source due to it's draw to most people's palates.

I'd get financially comfortable and build a base so you can continue to do what you love and get crazy later on.

 

7.5% IPA
9.0% Imperial Russian Stout
Belgian/French Ale

Any new business is going to have to generate massive capital quick. The choices above aren't the most original, but they sell, and a new brewer could make them truly special. Making less popular beers, or more original beers could follow once you have your cash cows laid down and established.

 

I think you need to go with an IPA and a stout to start. Unless you have a demographic that allows to do something out of the box it makes sense to make beer that will keep the lights on. For the 3rd option I went with a lager. This would be where a brewer can create their own niche.

Breweries like Ommegang and Russian River are not common.

*Note: The poll doesn't have an option for multiple options of the same style. If that was an option I might have considered just being a specialty brewery for a certain style like Stillwater with saisons, or Singlecut with lagers.

 

German style Lager
7 - 8% IPA
An Amber Ale

Lagers are very drinkable and appeal to a lot of people. But I'm not going to brew anything with rice, I want the fuller flavor that the original lagers had.

IPA's appeal to many craft beer drinkers, it's pretty hard to imagine a brewery without an IPA.

A nice malty mellow amber rounds out the trio.

That's for starters because (1) it provides enough diversity to my lineup, and, (2) I like them. If the stuff doesn't sell I'll drink it myself.

Next on my list would be a porter, brown ale and Belgium style ale. After that I'd work on seasonals and a couple more IPA's.

 

I personally would do a 6% stout porter. It gives you room to grow and move up to a RIS and then you can do lots with it. I would do a session APA/IPA and then a stiffer IPA. I think 7.5 is a little low for that, but it is doable.

 

While I voted, 7.5%IPA, Stout, & Wheat, it would also depend on the season. If it were fall, I'd want a pumpkin or spiced beer, in the winter a variety of stouts and porters...etc. I would want to start with at least 5 or 6 beers, one of which would be part of a series going forward.

 

I'd also do a malty brown, amber or a Vienna lager before any of the listed styles. But that's my preference.