Homebrewing Hubris By: Kay Witkiewicz



Ben’s experiences at Harvest Moon Brewery and Café are spot on representations of what craft brewing is all about. As enthralled homebrewers it’s easy to romanticize our hobby and imagine what it would be like if only we had perfect temperature control, ideal oxygenation rates, and CO2 purging—in other words, what it would be like if only we had our very own brewery. If you didn’t realize it already, craft brewing is quite a different game from homebrewing, and just because you’re a good homebrewer doesn’t mean you’ll be a successful craft brewer. Like you, I’ve dreamt about one day running my own brewery—and I still have that dream now that I work for Twisted Pine Brewing Company—but let’s play devil’s advocate and examine some reasons why making the jump from home to craft is precarious and perhaps not so prudent.



Your Friends Are Not Your Target Consumers “Dude, this is awesome!” You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it. Whether it’s from friends, family, or mere acquaintances, chances are someone has praised your homebrew as the best beer they’ve ever had. Maybe so, but just because you know 50 people who would buy your beer the moment it arrived in the store, doesn’t mean you should open a craft brewery. Homebrewing is all about brewing beer you and the people around you would want to drink; craft brewing is all about creating a consistent product that someone 3,000 miles away who doesn’t know anything about you would pay money for. Although these two aims are not irreconcilable, today’s craft beer market is goading people into believing that they are one and the same. With over 2,000 craft breweries in existence and another thousand or so in planning, it’s easy to rationalize that there can never be enough beer to go around, so why not add yours to the mix? After all, people tell you it’s oh so tasty. Before you high-tail it out of 9-to-5-ville to pursue your beer-soaked dreams, do what Ben has done: get some experience in a commercial brewery to better understand that this is a business filled with goals, targets, and rigorous repetition. If you can deal with all that and realize that you have to please more people than just your friends, maybe opening your own craft brewery is not such a bad idea after all. Economies of Scale



So, you’re convinced you want to endure the rigors of not only opening a brewery, but running it from dawn until dusk, often earlier and often later, every single day. Fair enough, except chances are you’re going to have to ditch your signature double Amarillo, double Simcoe IPA that made you a homebrewing legend. It’s a lot easier to procure 4 ounces of Amarillo or Simcoe at your local homebrewing store than it is to contract with a major hop supplier, such as Hop Union, well in advance for a 44-pound box, the smallest standard increment, of either one of these hops. Simply put, your homebrewing recipes may not be commercially viable. And if they’re not commercially viable, you have encountered a monumental scourge of brewing for money: encroachment on creativity. As homebrewers, 5, 10, even 15 gallons are measurements of freedom to explore flavors, hops, grains, combinations we can dream about because our livelihoods don’t depend on them, but as craft brewers, every drop of 310 gallons (10 barrels, basic brewhouse capacity for a start-up) is money earned or lost. A homebrewing-sized pilot system to test your newest creations before they go into commercial production is still a viable option, but there are only 24 hours in a day, all of which you might spend whipping your craft brewery into shape. There are things you can do on a homebrewing scale that may be impossible to replicate on a commercial system—unique recipes, creative innovations, leisurely approaches. Even if your homebrew is up to snuff beyond the laudations of your friends, brewing it by the barrel may be a significant existential challenge.



The reasons not to open your own craft brewery are few, but they are weighty. Don’t think that you’re the next Sam Calagione, Garrett Oliver, or Matt Brynildson just because your friends tell you so. Don’t assume that your award-winning, or otherwise amazing, recipes readily translate to a system 60 times your size. Guess what, there are plenty of great brewers in this country—some open breweries of their own, some stir someone else’s mash, some remain at home—and while you may be one of them, having your own commercial operation may not be for you after all. It amazes me that some homebrewers seemingly feel justified to super-size their operations and put everything on the line simply because someone didn’t say anything negative about their beer. If you’re going to take your homebrewing prowess to the next level, at least understand what you’re getting into.