So you want to be a brewer

[hopfenundmalz]

At a wedding reception I talked to a guy who is going pro. He has been brewing dice Christmas, on a Mr. Beer system. He has made four batches, all awesome. 8)

[klickitat_jim]

Dang, got what it takes. He will knock it out the park.

[anthony]

The days I am brewing are the days I am happiest. All the CIP, transferring, carbonating, keg-filling, sample-glass washing, scheduling, opening/closing, growler filling, etc. are all the things that wear me down.

Nothing compares to the feeling of eyeing that hydrometer and making a note of the starting gravity before I pitch some yeast. Serious anticipation, pride, and a feeling of a job well done. Then coming in 8 hours later to a serious gurgle in the air-lock bucket is just icing on the cake.

[pawtucket_patriot]

@majorvices

As a general rule I try to dissuade people from getting into the industry. Especially people who say “I’m going to open a brewery!” because they think they will make lots of money. I know a lot of brewery owners and none of them are rich and all of them made more money before they quit their day job. I make less money now than my first job out of college in 1991, and I work more hours!

Oh, I totally agree.  I was in my LHBS a few months ago, and one of the sales people I know there had just been helping out this customer who was buying his first kit.  This guy had never brewed beer before in his life.  After the guy paid for his kit and left, the sales rep said to me: “that guy scared me!”  I asked why, and he said, “he says he’s going to open a brewery.”  :o

[boulderbrewer]

Yep, looking over from the tap house side, it is a great job. Nobody realizes at 7 pm that you have been there before 7am. I would not give it up for anything.

[majorvices]

@anthony

The days I am brewing are the days I am happiest. All the CIP, transferring, carbonating, keg-filling, sample-glass washing, scheduling, opening/closing, growler filling, etc. are all the things that wear me down.

Nothing compares to the feeling of eyeing that hydrometer and making a note of the starting gravity before I pitch some yeast. Serious anticipation, pride, and a feeling of a job well done. Then coming in 8 hours later to a serious gurgle in the air-lock bucket is just icing on the cake.

I’m with you. I love brewing. Don’t care for much of the other stuff. Luckily I have employees that now clean all kegs (I haven’t cleaned a keg in months) and also employees that take care of all tasting room duties. Still wash dishes from time to time, but only to “lead by example”, as they say. Wish I had the hassle of filling growlers.

[majorvices]

@majorvices

As a general rule I try to dissuade people from getting into the industry. Especially people who say “I’m going to open a brewery!” because they think they will make lots of money. I know a lot of brewery owners and none of them are rich and all of them made more money before they quit their day job. I make less money now than my first job out of college in 1991, and I work more hours!

Oh, I totally agree.  I was in my LHBS a few months ago, and one of the sales people I know there had just been helping out this customer who was buying his first kit.  This guy had never brewed beer before in his life.  After the guy paid for his kit and left, the sales rep said to me: “that guy scared me!”  I asked why, and he said, “he says he’s going to open a brewery.”  :o

The worse beer in the industry is from people who had the idea to start a brewery before they learned to brew. And it’s epidemic. And it really hurts the craft as a whole.

[boulderbrewer]

@majorvices

I’m with you. I love brewing. Don’t care for much of the other stuff. Luckily I have employees that now clean all kegs (I haven’t cleaned a keg in months) and also employees that take care of all tasting room duties. Still wash dishes from time to time, but only to “lead by example”, as they say. Wish I had the hassle of filling growlers.

After about a thousand the charm of growlers wears off.

[bluesman]

@majorvices

As a general rule I try to dissuade people from getting into the industry. Especially people who say “I’m going to open a brewery!” because they think they will make lots of money. I know a lot of brewery owners and none of them are rich and all of them made more money before they quit their day job. I make less money now than my first job out of college in 1991, and I work more hours!

I have a 23 year old kid working for me now who wants to open a brewery someday. He wanted to come by to just watch for a day and by the end of the day he was working and hired. I explained to him before the first day that it wasn’t probably what he thought it was going to be and that it was hard as hell work. But I really thinks he loves the job, so there are some people out there that are just meant to be brewers. I like to think I one of them, too.

Agreed.

Business is tough…and risky. I established a home inspection business that did well. I’ve recently dissolved that business to start a brewery. Starting a business is no easy endeavor. It takes guts, and passion, not to mention lots of hard work. For me, it really boils down to one thing, and that is self satisfaction. Working for someone else is a lot less work (in many cases), but building a business of your own is much more gratifying in the end. It’s definitely a passion, a desire and a LABOR of love.

[majorvices]

@boulderbrewer

@majorvices

I’m with you. I love brewing. Don’t care for much of the other stuff. Luckily I have employees that now clean all kegs (I haven’t cleaned a keg in months) and also employees that take care of all tasting room duties. Still wash dishes from time to time, but only to “lead by example”, as they say. Wish I had the hassle of filling growlers.

After about a thousand the charm of growlers wears off.

I’m sure. But I could use the $$$$. Plus, I’d pay someone to do it.

[majorvices]

@bluesman

@majorvices

As a general rule I try to dissuade people from getting into the industry. Especially people who say “I’m going to open a brewery!” because they think they will make lots of money. I know a lot of brewery owners and none of them are rich and all of them made more money before they quit their day job. I make less money now than my first job out of college in 1991, and I work more hours!

I have a 23 year old kid working for me now who wants to open a brewery someday. He wanted to come by to just watch for a day and by the end of the day he was working and hired. I explained to him before the first day that it wasn’t probably what he thought it was going to be and that it was hard as hell work. But I really thinks he loves the job, so there are some people out there that are just meant to be brewers. I like to think I one of them, too.

Agreed.

Business is tough…and risky. I established a home inspection business that did well. I’ve recently dissolved that business to start a brewery. Starting a business is no easy endeavor. It takes guts, and passion, not to mention lots of hard work. For me, it really boils down to one thing, and that is self satisfaction. Working for someone else is a lot less work (in many cases), but building a business of your own is much more gratifying in the end. It’s definitely a passion, a desire and a LABOR of love.

You will succeed because you are as hard headed and ugly as me! Plus you are a good brewer. Or so I’ve been told.

[denny]

@hopfenundmalz

At a wedding reception I talked to a guy who is going pro. He has been brewing dice Christmas, on a Mr. Beer system. He has made four batches, all awesome. 8)

Jeff, send him the link to the article before he hurts himself!

[three]

If I was an owner of or an investor in the brewery that this author is employed I would let him go.  If it’s his brewery he will fail.  There are plenty of people that have this as a passion and have no problem putting in whatever it takes.  I know the owner(s) of breweries here in Indy that were passionate and I mean PASSIONATE about their homebrew(ing).  Best damn homebrew I ever had.  Anyway, they followed that passion and have hugely successful brewing businesses.  When I run into them you know what?  They still have that same passion and love for what they are doing. And they are working their asses off…

[majorvices]

@three

If I was an owner of or an investor in the brewery that this author is employed I would let him go.  If it’s his brewery he will fail.  There are plenty of people that have this as a passion and have no problem putting in whatever it takes.  I know the owner(s) of breweries here in Indy that were passionate and I mean PASSIONATE about their homebrew(ing).  Best damn homebrew I ever had.  Anyway, they followed that passion and have hugely successful brewing businesses.  When I run into them you know what?  They still have that same passion and love for what they are doing. And they are working their asses off…

Those people aren’t the ones the author is talking about though. It’s the guy who never even set foot in a brewery or who has 4 Mr. Beer kits (as mentioned above) under his belt and has decided to open a brewery or apply to Stone.

And really glad you aren’t my boss. You’re pretty quick to fire someone. Just sayin’.

[three]

@majorvices

Those people aren’t the ones the author is talking about though. It’s the guy who never even set foot in a brewery or who has 4 Mr. Beer kits (as mentioned above) under his belt and has decided to open a brewery or apply to Stone.

And really glad you aren’t my boss. You’re pretty quick to fire someone. Just sayin’.

It’s his attitude that gets me. It can’t be contained to just “I’m only this way at the end of a long shift”.  That’s when the real whoever you are shows itself.

From what I have picked up in this thread.  “You’re hired”!  When I open up my new brewery.  After I finish up this 6 gallon batch of…

[tonyp]

I hate reading articles like this when there are several successful breweries near me in NJ that started with nothing. Cape May Brewing started with a 12-gal homebrew system and they are now on their 3rd or 4th expansion and just installed a 15-bbl brew house and a brand new tap room, all in less than 2 yrs.

There are several other similar stories and hearing about underdogs making it is much more satisfying than listening to some jaded unfulfilled disgruntled employee with an obvious chip on his shoulder complain about people asking him questions about beer and brewing.

It can be done, and if i had the extra disposable cash I would try it myself. So what if you fail, trying and failing is a hell of a lot better than never trying at all because you’re scared or you were turned off by an angry pessimist.

[duboman]

I think they article is a pretty good reality check although jaded as mentioned.

I’ve been seriously considering this for about a year and also have two good brewing friends that are both about a month away from their grand openings

There is not a day that goes by where reputable drinking friends and strangers are telling me my beer is great. I even had discussion with a few venture capitalists that would bankroll the project. I’ve handed out 100’s of bottles of beer to be enjoyed by I don’t even know how many friends and strangers and get the same comments

The real issue is the reality of it all. I love brewing beer! In the end though, right now, I have one kid off to college in a year, another entering highschool and another coming into middle school. I can’t quit my on my current business And there are not enough hours in the day to successfully run 2 businesses, one being a start up brewery/taproom/pub.

One day perhaps it will all come together but right now I will love my passionate hobby, enjoy the responses I get and help out my friends in their new ventures as time allows and live vicariously through them:)

[thirsty_monk]

@majorvices

@anthony

The days I am brewing are the days I am happiest. All the CIP, transferring, carbonating, keg-filling, sample-glass washing, scheduling, opening/closing, growler filling, etc. are all the things that wear me down.

Nothing compares to the feeling of eyeing that hydrometer and making a note of the starting gravity before I pitch some yeast. Serious anticipation, pride, and a feeling of a job well done. Then coming in 8 hours later to a serious gurgle in the air-lock bucket is just icing on the cake.

I’m with you. I love brewing. Don’t care for much of the other stuff. Luckily I have employees that now clean all kegs (I haven’t cleaned a keg in months) and also employees that take care of all tasting room duties. Still wash dishes from time to time, but only to “lead by example”, as they say. Wish I had the hassle of filling growlers.

Is that what I need to do now?
Employees?
My original Business Plan was to work 3 days a week.
Boy I was wrong.

[klickitat_jim]

I’m going pro as soon as I figure a way to clear $50k a year on three 5 gallon batches a week. That’s only about $10 a pint. Would need low overhead though. Hmmm, maybe a roadside card table and a picnic tap.

[jeffy]

@klickitat_jim

I’m going pro as soon as I figure a way to clear $50k a year on three 5 gallon batches a week. That’s only about $10 a pint. Would need low overhead though. Hmmm, maybe a roadside card table and a picnic tap.

Mom!  Mom! There’s a beer stand!  Can I have $10?