Today my article on How To Save Your Brewery gets published over at Brewbound.

I reached out to industry positivity guy Aaron Gore to debate my opinions and conclusions.

Aaron is the business development manager at Bevana, a unique business in the craft beer space. And one I think might be the smartest partner for the coming years.

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Eric Addison opened a craft beer oasis West of Fort Worth in Hudson Oaks, TX. Or where he likes to think of as "Michelob Ultra" country.

Pathfinder Brewery opened at the height of the brewery building frenzy in TX. After losing not only his original name but lease space to another brewery he ended up building his own building from scratch. Which may wind up being the best case scenario.

After opening, he expanded outside the brewery with self-distribution, won a U.S. Beer Open gold and struggled to find relevance among of sea of breweries deserted of craft beer fans. Yes, I said struggled to find relevance AFTER winning a gold medal for his beer. 

Not surprisingly, he's got some opinions, thoughts and feelings about his brewery, the Fort Worth marketplace and craft beer overall. I love how introspective and thoughtful Eric is - he’s the kind of guy I think should have been more successful but somehow it just didn’t play out that way. 

Well, I’ll let him tell the story….

Pathfinder Brewery's website
Pathfinder Brewery's Facebook Page

Pathfinder Brewery's Instagram

News Story About Their Closing

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Philip Davis isn't some mamby pamby little wanker that just opened up the Brewery-builder's playbook and picked one of the 3 standard brewery models.

He didn't open up in an industrial park, didn't pimp himself out to a group of stuffed shirt investors and he didn't read the report to find out the moisture content of the endosperm of the grains he brewed with. He sure as fuck didn't use Ai to design his recipes or automation to brew his beers. He was a dynamic artist and he had something to say. Maybe something to scream, whisper and insinuate since he considered himself progressive rock.

It took Philip years to dream-up, design and build his farmhouse brewery on 33 acres. But like you'll hear over the next hour and a half, it only took 6 months to learn what the rest of us all know. Specialization is dead. Most of the population doesn't get what we do. Profit isn't in the cards.

Philip did things his way on his terms. He was driven, artistic and creative. He also has a likeable personality and an infectious blend of hubris and self-reflection. I think you'll like Philip, but I know you'll love the story of his brewery and what he learned about how NOT to start a damn brewery.

And now, on with the show.

Hawkins' Website 

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Hawkins' Facebook 

Special Appearance by Ruvani de Silva

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Josh Kress is a cool guy that followed his heart, chased his dreams and made his piece of the world just a little bit better. His passion should inspire us all to linger a minute in the mirror today and take a hard look at why we do what we do. 

George Thornton had many fantastic milestones in his career in beer. From humble beginnings slinging beer kits to home brewers at a San Diego homebrew store to building a thriving, symbiotic brewery/homebrew hybrid. He won AHA Homebrew Shop of the Year in 2018 for fuck’s sake. 

George will explain how he sees rampant commercialism and growth for growth’s sake as a primary reason for the eventual demise of Home Brewing Company. See, he opened the homebrew shop in 2012, expanded to a brewery a few years later and closed them both in 2022. 

He’ll share his nightmare landlord stories, his endless pivots and their endless capital requirements. But, I think, most of all he’ll share a pointed insight into what an over-crowded market can do to the small guy. He’s got opinions and insights from the West coast that are relevant to the beer industry as far away as West Virginia. 

I was the most struck by George’s attention to detail and almost overwhelming ability slash compulsion to pick apart the status quo, think around the problem and improve incrementally where he could. This in an invaluable piece of the entrepreneur pie. But like we continue to hear, it wasn’t enough to keep George and Home Brewing Company in business. 

This is the story of George’s dream and how the first phase of it ended on May 22, 2022. And we’re lucky enough that he shared it with us. 

Home Brewing Co's Website

Home Brewing Co's Instagram

Home Brewing Co's Facebook

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Few people have been or will ever be as connected in the craft beer industry as Chris Black.

If you haven't met him or heard of him, then you surely caught wind that Downtown Denver had a little beer bar called Falling Rock Taphouse for 24 years.

In 1997 what we think of as the craft beer industry hadn't really begun yet. With only around 800 breweries in the US, opening a beer bar with 69 taps of what we call craft beer was an anomaly. And while it's hard to believe in 2023, opening a craft beer bar in Downtown Denver sounded like a risky and unproven idea.

But it's no exaggeration to say that Falling Rock and Chris Black were an integral part of crafting the shape of our industry. While he had a vibrant and loyal business year-round, Falling Rock was a mandatory stop for everyone visiting the Great American Beer Festival down the street from him every year. Unlike the average beer bar in your town, Falling Rock didn't ride the wave of craft beer, it was the moon that created the tides.

From humble beginnings in Houston to ascending to the top of the craft beer heap, he has seen and heard more about beer than J. Edgar Hoover did about our personal lives. His understanding of the business of craft beer is as wide as it is deep. And yet, in June of 2021, after steady declines and a grim forecast of the future, Chris, his brothers and their loyal fans and suppliers closed the taps on his iconic taphouse for the last time.

This is the story of Chris Black and the rise and fall of what we can only hope was his first craft beer bar - the Falling Rock Taphouse. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed spending a couple hours talking with one of the few people I'd call my craft beer hero.

And when you get a guy like Chris to share his time and his insights, you give him a microphone, sit back and interrupt as little as possible. And that's the treat you'll get to experience in the fourth segment. It runs a little longer than I normally do but I couldn't bear to cut any of his opinions and insights.

And now, Chris Black.

Falling Rock's Website

The Death Of The Cool

Falling Rock's Facebook

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Just a quick update on Memorial Day to let you know that Season 5 starts next week.

Mike Detar is a creative motherfucker. 

Whatever he did in whichever career in which he did it, he was going to throw passion, fire and grit everywhere he went. Like many of us who are slaves to our creativity, he worked with a mix of attention to detail and a ‘grip it and rip it’ philosophy that took him right to the edge of innovation. 

When he opened his brewery in Washington State, he quickly found out that he was going to need every one of his unique talents to fight for profitability. Against rising expenses, city permitting, distribution, the beer drinkers in his local market, liquor laws, his partners. And, of course, a worldwide pandemic. 

For part of his story he lost his money, his brewery, his friend and even his wife.

But now he’s on to the next chapter and while not sure where the path leads, he knows he’s got the experience and tenacity to walk it with confidence. 

Sit back and listen to the story of the rise and fall of Spokane Washington’s Hidden Mother Brewery. 

Hidden Mother's Facebook Page

Instagram

News Story About Their Closing

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Adam Cole got the call that so very many people in this industry dream of. 

Some rich asshole picked up the phone and tagged Adam to help him open an overbuilt, beautiful facility with a high-end restaurant. He got to design the brewery, pick out the equipment, set his brew schedule and design his own recipes. 

Best of all, he was given sweat equity for his investment of effort, intelligence and management. He was part of the ownership structure with everything that comes with it. 

The brewery opened, the beer started flowing and customers started drinking. A lot. They were off to a solid start but I have podcast because of what came next. You know, the part where the nightmare started. 

Costs skyrocketed. Labor was a mess. Sales plateaued and then declined. Partners left. The restaurant closed. Then the rich asshole bolted to Florida…….

I’ll let Adam tell it from his perspective but it’s a unique story from the other 40-something I have shared with y’all. 

Here is the story of Adam Cole and NewFangled Brew Works from Harrisburg, PA. 

Announcement of NewFangled closing

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In 1993 Alan Sprints opened a brewery in Portland, OR. He did his brewery his way making unique and interesting beers unlike what he found on his local shelves. With a culinary background he was, and is, a true artist, contrarian and inspired creator.

Hair of the Dog produced beers that were, and if you’re lucky enough to have some in your cellar, still are, full of flavor, high in alcohol and complex in all the right ways. Alan and his brewery were a major part in creating the strong beer category and pushing craft beer away from fizzy yellow crap. 

His unique beer and attention to quality and detail took him and his brewery around the world. He collaborated with breweries in multiple countries and sold his beer internationally.

As he built his business and his notoriety he had multiple opportunities to sell. He turned down each of them, including the one from Lagunitas. 

When he decided to cease operations, drop the mike and ride into the sunset in 2022 he did so with a smile. After nearly 29 years, Hair of the Dog closed with beer in bottles, beer in tanks and beer in the heart of the visionary that created it. 

Thank you for joining me as I share the story of Alan Sprints and Hair of the Dog Brewing. 

Hair of the Dog's webstore

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