4 Things NOT Working for a Small Brewery Owner

A few days ago while scrolling on TikTok, I was served up a video that began with a gentleman in his car explaining that he just opened a brewery 10 months ago and wanted to share four things that are not working. I knew immediately that I liked the guy because he was real and was taking a new school approach to his business by being willing to document the struggles, alongside the highlights. None of the challenges he shared have a quick fix, but I wanted to pretend I was at a bar with him, spitballing on how I would approach each.

Here’s the video from Ryan Dunlap of Argenta Brewing Company (Portland, ME) :

These challenges are relatable to everyone in the business, self included. The last thing I’m trying to do is act like I’ve got it all figured out, but here’s what came to mind after watching his video:

1. “We struggle getting consistent business when we don’t have events going on. And we kind of rely on events to keep business moving.”

A lot of breweries are struggling to get people to show up to their events, so the fact that his are bringing in people successfully is a great sign, perhaps even an opportunity to build upon. That being said, it’s important to look at the premise of these events and ask yourself if they’re the same type of events that bars rely on to generate business, like Trivia nights. If you’re behaving more like a bar than a brewery, you’ll be thought of like one by your customers, and treated more like a competitor when you try to sell your beer to bars in your town. More on this in #3.

To build those non-event days, I would focus on all the ways to experience your beer at the taproom that make the customer feel special and are hard to replicate:

• Chicago’s Dovetail Brewing offers each style they serve on draft in a different shaped glass, making each beer extra unique and memorable.

• Forest & Main (Ambler, PA) currently offers unique serving methods including three beers on a side pull faucet and three beers on a hand pump.

• Note the extreme freshness of certain beers (e.g., ‘Kegged on 12/15’), especially for year round flagships.

• When you see a returning face at the bar, thank them for coming back. Bring them a sample of a new beer you're excited about and explain why, before they even have a chance to order.

• Don’t like serving flights? Beer fans in the discovery phase sure do, so if you want to support new fans, offer a curated way to sample and build a little story-telling around the experience. Customers who you educate about beer are more likely to become loyal to yours.

@not_ryandunlapHow to assemble a czech beer faucet #lukr #czechbeer #portlandmaine #lager #howto

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2. “Too high of a level of stress, which comes from stressing about money”

This was the toughest one to comment on since not a lot of detail or context is provided. Nothing I say can change a situation where a brewery is undercapitalized. That said, there’s two very different pieces of advice I would offer: