“You get to know your city on an intimate level. I’ve gotten to know so many people that walk through our taproom doors that become regulars and friends. ”
Ahhhh beer, how I love thee. Is there anything more refreshing than a Mexican beer with a lime on a hot day? Is there anything more satisfying than a dunkelweizen in the fall? Anything more perfect than a complex IPA or red ale? The answer to all of these questions is of course, no. If only we could be surrounded by beer all the time. Most beer aficionados have considered how amazing it would be to open up a brewery and make beer for a living. Few people have actually done it. Today’s guest, Drew Pool, followed through on the dream and opened up Wren House Brewing Company in Phoenix, AZ.
“Everyone jokes in the brewing industry that we’re actually glorified janitors. We spend most of our time cleaning and maintaining equipment. Very little of it is the creative side where you’re actually thinking of new recipes and flavor profiles and brewing.”
“We spent weeks down at city hall talking with everyone we could trying to find out how we could open the brewery.”
Interview Contents
3:00 - Drew’s desire to start a brewery.
5:30 - Getting the knowledge to start a brewery.
7:15 - The role of a brewer.
10:00 - Laying the foundation to be able to open a brewery.
14:00 - Initial projections vs. how the first two years actually ended up.
16:00 - Margins in the brewing industry.
19:00 - Licenses and selling your beer.
19:45 - Finding a location to open the brewery.
25:45 - Buying equipment.
28:00 - Working with partners.
31:30 - Brewing what’s popular vs. what you like.
33:30 - Cost of equipment.
36:00 - The ingredient cost for brewing beer.
46:30 - Inventory on hand.
50:00 - Getting awards.
54:45 - Liking what other people aren’t that into.
58:00 - Developing your palate.
1:01:20 - The art of not becoming an alcoholic.
1:04:00 - The best things that come out of owning a brewery.
1:06:30 - Advice
Links
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Marcus Batson
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
