Current Events > Owning a brewery in a college town fucking sucks lol

(+) Yeah! (+)

90% of the shit I make I wouldn't drink because the average drinker around here wants beer that tastes like anything but beer.

Do you shit out 10$ a can IPAs with a name referencing some pop culture thing?

The only reason so many breweries are able to exist is people want to drink beer that tastes like things other than beer

who cares, the profitability has to be insane

Etna posted...

Do you shit out 10$ a can IPAs with a name referencing some pop culture thing?

No, our IPA 4pks vary between $14-$18

TheGoldenEel posted...

The only reason so many breweries are able to exist is people want to drink beer that tastes like things other than beer

This is objectively not true.

TaylorHeinicke posted...

who cares, the profitability has to be insane

Doesn't matter

OudeGeuze posted...

This is objectively not true.

you mean to tell me every city in america can support 2 dozen breweries that all sell the same thing?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I got into this industry to learn and make high quality beverages, not dump hundreds of pounds of fruit puree into a "sour" and make what's essentially canned cocktails instead.

Whats an example of a beer that tastes like anything but beer?

I hate our local swill. It's this "Blonde" stuff that has no body or flavor at all, just noxious upfront burn.

It's ridiculous that people pay 7 bucks for a pint of piss that's a tier below Natural Light.

Then why not quit and get a real job?

TheGoldenEel posted...

you mean to tell me every city in america can support 2 dozen breweries that all sell the same thing?

Works fine for the wine and cider industry

OudeGeuze posted...

I got into this industry to learn and make high quality beverages, not dump hundreds of pounds of fruit puree into a "sour" and make what's essentially canned cocktails instead.

Do you only make sours?

AloneIBreak posted...

Whats an example of a beer that tastes like anything but beer?

this, so i can drink it

someone here mentioned this one beer like a year ago, i think it was raspberry cheesecake or something with actual cream cheese in it. it sounded gross but also so cool at the same time. i really wanted to try that one

AloneIBreak posted...

Whats an example of a beer that tastes like anything but beer?

https://450northbeerrelease.com/collections/5-28-beer-release/products/ big-slush-slushy-xxxl

Had to break it up, remove the space before big-slush

RenescoStCewl posted...

Do you only make sours?

The majority of my taplist is sour, seltzer and IPA because that's all this market drinks. When I've tried making traditional, classic styles (outside of lager) nobody drinks them other than your rare actual beer nerd.

Things like Saison, English milds, ESB, Baltic Porter, biere de garde, etc are not profitable for me to make despite being actual beer and not fruit puree/lactose bombs.

OudeGeuze posted...

https://450northbeerrelease.com/collections/5-28-beer-release/products/ big-slush-slushy-xxxlhad to break it up, remove the space before big-slush

Pro tip put a space between the quote block and your link

https://450northbeerrelease.com/collections/5-28-beer-release/products/big-slush-slushy-xxxl

What would you offer me, a man that quit drinking 7 years ago

OudeGeuze posted...

The majority of my taplist is sour, seltzer and IPA because that's all this market drinks. When I've tried making traditional, classic styles (outside of lager) nobody drinks them other than your rare actual beer nerd.

Things like Saison, English milds, ESB, Baltic Porter, biere de garde, etc are not profitable for me to make despite being actual beer and not fruit puree/lactose bombs.

Sounds like youre able to fund your niche passion products by making things that are popular

sounds like living the dream imo

Etna posted...

Do you shit out 10$ a can IPAs with a name referencing some pop culture thing?

lol, thanks for reminding me of the time I tried a local brewery's IPAs... literally pop culture blended with southern stuff themed. Only plus side was they let me forget all about em, til now.

OudeGeuze posted...

The majority of my taplist is sour, seltzer and IPA because that's all this market drinks. When I've tried making traditional, classic styles (outside of lager) nobody drinks them other than your rare actual beer nerd.

It sucks but you got to make what you're market wants. That's kinda how business works.

You could try selling your other beers in neighboring areas

Simple solution brew a small batch of good stuff call it something like private reserve. In my experience some people go crazy wanting to try special secret brews.

Smackems posted...

What would you offer me, a man that quit drinking 7 years ago

Water

OudeGeuze posted...

Doesn't matter

then sell and leave. this all sounds self-inflicted

TheGoldenEel posted...

Sounds like youre able to fund your niche passion products by making things that are popular

sounds like living the dream imo

Nope because I usually have to dump them out via age because they aren't being drank.

Can you get smaller capacity equipment to do small batches of stuff you want people to try?
Have you reached out to restaurants in the next town over to see if they would be willing to tap some of your more traditional stuff?

I would also suggest that maybe if you arent able to make a name for yourself doing the more interesting beers, maybe youre not as good a brewer as you think

there are multiple successful breweries near me, in a college town, that near exclusively brew traditional styles

PoopPotato posted...

Can you get smaller capacity equipment to do small batches of stuff you want people to try?
Have you reached out to restaurants in the next town over to see if they would be willing to tap some of your more traditional stuff?

No space for a smaller brew system.

Don't distribute because I make significantly more money in house on my product. I tried distributing more traditional styles for half a year and most places within an hour/hour and a half drive from me didnt want traditional beer because trendy beer turns taps faster.

TheGoldenEel posted...

I would also suggest that maybe if you arent able to make a name for yourself doing the more interesting beers, maybe youre not as good a brewer as you think

there are multiple successful breweries near me, in a college town, that near exclusively brew traditional styles

There's only two breweries in town that thrive off traditional beer styles. One is an authentic German brewery owned by actual Germans with a ton of investors, the other is a neighborhood brewery about 20 minutes away from campus.

I hate sours so much

TaylorHeinicke posted...

then sell and leave. this all sounds self-inflicted

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Itp: you'll be a slave to capitalism and you'll like it

Freddie_Mercury posted...

I hate sours so much

Ill drink a sour or IPA now and again, but I live for stouts and tripels and the like.
My area is increasingly saturated with craft brewers and the two biggest ones have crazy amounts of sours lol. One even does hard seltzer, which I will never fucking understand.

But Ive noticed even bigger brewers are less likely to stray from IPAs and/or sours these days, and it breaks my heart.

Freddie_Mercury posted...

I hate sours so much

I like em on occasion.
Not a big fan of IPAs, I'll be excited when the demand for them decreases and makes room for the more traditional ales and lagers

OudeGeuze posted...

Itp: you'll be a slave to capitalism and you'll like it

Sadly that is how business works. If you do it as a hobby fine, but to keep a business going you need money and profits are the best source. Like the saying goes if your business is in the red your business may soon be dead. Profits in the black, pat yourself on the back then get back to work you lazy good for nothing slacker! Standing around patting yourself when you should be making more money!

Or something like that.

ElatedVenusaur posted...

hard seltzer, which I will never fucking understand

All market research and my own personal sales data suggests you're leaving money on the table if you aren't. My sales are up 21% this year, with seltzer making up up 8%. I only started making them in March too.

Damn that's like my dream job. Well maybe not owning. Not sure if I'd want the extra headaches of owning a business. But making beer for a living.

I think that sounds so frustrating, but I cant say at all Im surprised that CE is reacting like this.

Dreepapult posted...

Damn that's like my dream job. Well maybe not owning. Not sure if I'd want the extra headaches of owning a business. But making beer for a living.

It's 90% cleaning 10% making beer. It's not nearly as fun as people thinks it is. Hope you enjoy researching cleaning solutions and procedures. It's also one of the most underpaid professions in America (brewing, not owning).

Well that's depressing lol

DespondentDeity posted...

I think that sounds so frustrating, but I cant say at all Im surprised that CE is reacting like this.

It is and the gold mine comments are funny. My business makes a decent amount of money but I'm not rolling in cash lol. Material costs (grain, hops) are rapidly rising and I actually pay my employees decent wages (my bar staff makes $8/hr on top of about $300 in tips/night) and my brewers make $60k each.

I'm probably going to raise my bar hourly to $10/hr because of inflation.

Freddie_Mercury posted...

I hate sours so much

This. Literally the only type of beer I won't drink

OudeGeuze posted...

No, our IPA 4pks vary between $14-$18

Could get a dirty 30 for that price

It's a business. It's supposed to be for "them" and not "you". If that's what the people want, you sell it or go out of business. Really doesn't matter what you'd prefer to be making. Especially if you're an employee and not an owner.

"No, it's the majority of my clientele who are wrong"

Stop putting lactose in sours

OudeGeuze posted...

Itp: you'll be a slave to capitalism and you'll like it

Your situation is literally a benefit of capitalism. You aren't liking what you're doing. Capitalism allows you to sell and move wherever you want to either do something different, or keep doing what you're doing but in a different place.

Not sure why you were met with so much vitriol in the comments lol how did you get into brewing?

OudeGeuze posted...

Itp: you'll be a slave to capitalism and you'll like it

No one's forcing you to brew beer. If you don't like it sell the business and do something else.