The Ultimate Small Town Brewery And Winery

[shawnonious]

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[oettinger]

If the taste is already there: Catchy product name, unique bottle art.

[Badfellow]

Bear in mind, the federal licensing process with the BATFE for beer, wine and liquor production takes about a year. State licensing isn’t so bad- depending on the state, of course. But the feds are assholes and serious sticklers, and the process is neither streamlined nor cheap.

Not to dissuade you. I would rather encourage any sort of production of alcohol.

[shawnonious]

....

[Artful Drunktective]

Things I look for:
Quality beers on tap- rotated seasonally.
Comfortable and casual ambiance. No need to be fancy!
A decent appetizer selection is a huge draw. It is a contender to make me want to spend several hours in an establishment if I can relax and enjoy some drinks while nibbling on some wings or nachos. Otherwise I would have to eventually leave to find food.

The small town I lived in for quite some time had basically one "bar" to hang out at. It was more of a restaurant but had Happy Hour specials and all that jazz in the afternoons. I went there ...
A. Because it was the only place to go.
B. Conveniently located and in walking distance.
C. It had the aforementioned quality beers on tap accompanied with citrus etc. A Hefeweizen with a lemon wedge, a Blue Moon with an orange slice. Made all the difference for me. Often times also offering beers I couldn't find in the stores.
C. Great appetizer selection and bar specials.
and D. it was casual, affordable, and reliable.

In all reality, it was a freaking dump when I really paid attention to the nitty gritty details. Stained ceiling tiles. Dusty ledges and corners in the bathroom etc. But I still didn't care because it had all the right things to make it a pleasurable drinking experience.

[Artful Drunktective]

On a separate note, if you're gonna do the whole brewery thing...I think a sampler beer platter is key. I have been to many a brewery where you can try all the beers on tap and it's pretty rock star IMO. Who wouldn't want to have a sampling of all the delicious beers you have to offer? It's brilliant.

[Nausea]

I would love to spend liberally at your establishment, brandonman. May your dream come true.

[Patchez]

You'll need to be solid as hell on your brewing equipment. Have enough batches so you can save any smaller issues that arise during your brew that effect consistency. You'll have to abandon any off brews and start over so expect looooonnnnngggggg hours after the pub closes. Think "living" there.

If you become popular you will have to upgrade the size of your brew house. In doing so there is a huge, steep learning curve in getting to know the new rig. Expect a year till you've mastered it.

I have a beer buddy in MI who has made the leap and is still running a keggle set up. He knows the system inside and out. The downside is he's brewing 7 days a week till all hours to keep up with demand. He''s got the room to upgrade and keep his old system in place. that will help him learn the new set up by doing his year round beers in bigger batches with simpler mash bills till he gets a feel for the system. It will help him determine what changes need made to keep the flavors profile the same when boosting volume on a recipe. You'd think it would be a simple formula but brewing is rarely simple when you make sweeping changes to the process.

Atmosphere end of the spectrum you'll have to find a happy place for the 2 things most people love/hate a bout a brewery. Kids and dogs. For myself I dislike kids in a brewery but love a dog friendly joint.

Also if you want people to stick around think bar games. Darts, ring swings, maybe giant jenga. Perhaps board games, both lite and heavy, like Monopoly and Risk for lite on up to Terraforming Mars and Lords of Waterdeep for heavier games. There are quite a few that have beer and brewing themes as well. I saw one recently called Hallertau about hop production.

[Badfellow]

I would definitely have bar games available. You can charge patrons to duel with flintlock pistols. Or better yet, build a Thunderdome where people can blow off a little steam by fucking each other up with baseball bats and chainsaws. Have a league with Thunderdome Thursdays. Just make sure they all sign waivers.

As for my other free piece of advice, install a wood fired pizza oven. Pizza is not going out of style anytime soon. In the 24th century, there will be pizza made from soy cheese and grasshopper sausage. Mark my fucking words and buy or build yourself a wood fired pizza oven. Pepperoni is god.

[Nausea]

You also need one of these for people like scream ale to tinker with while we all drink:

[scream ale]

You also need one of these for people like scream ale to tinker with while we all drink:

Aw man the twisty ball thing!

[Merchant Seaman]

You really need ax throwing

[Artful Drunktective]

I'm a fan of bocce ball. I posted in the "bars we miss" thread a bar I liked that had a bocce court in the back, albeit it was nothing special. Still fun though.

Also...beer gardens are pretty awesome. I wouldn't care what's on tap as long as I can get cold (non-domestic) beer in a frosty glass if there is a nice beer garden to enjoy on a beautiful day.

[Badfellow]

Bocce is a great drinking sport. I’ve even seen indoor greens with fake turf. I know, man. It’s not the same as real grass but it’s still fun to smoke- er, I mean, play.

[Patchez]

Bar room shuffle board is a must along with the darts.