010 - Building Your Business Plan: Design & Build Strategy

05/08/23 • 57 min

Episode 010 harkens back to Episode 003: Foundational Elements, and continues with the critical decision making of Ownership, Kitchens, and what kind of brewery approach you will be using. Beginning with a thorough discussion of strategies and pitfalls of various locations, our guests work their way through approaches to design, working with contractors, architects & other professionals, functionality above and beyond such as solar or water sustainability practices or equipment, and more. Dustin, Andy & Derek offer best practices as well as examples of challenges created by issues at this juncture on their journey.

T. Dustin Hauck, Principal, Hauck Architecture

With over twenty-five years experience in the profession, Dustin has participated in all aspects of architectural practice. As principal of the firm, he is the driving force behind all of the firm’s projects and designs, responsible for project management and document production. A local resident of San Diego, California, since 1985, Dustin began his architectural career in 1996, and founded Hauck Architecture twelve years later. His background includes a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University, study at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland, and hands-on experience in the construction industry while assisting his family in their many construction endeavors. Dustin’s combination of thorough analysis, client considerations, and attention to detail constitute the foundation of Hauck Architecture’s approach to every project, whether it’s a green home design, a sustainable restaurant renovation, production brewery, or ADA code compliance upgrades.

Derek Wasak - Founder, Lead Consultant - Plato Brewing and Consulting Inc.

Derek is a 14 year veteran of the craft beer industry, an award winning Head Brewer, and has direct experience planning, designing, building, and operating multiple craft breweries. Most notably, he has worked at Smuttynose Brewing (NH), Stone Brewing (CA), Duckfoot Brewing (CA), as well as others in Southern California ranging from 1000 bbl-180,000bbl/yr+. Derek is a graduate of UMass Lowell, Siebel Institute, World Brewing Academy, and Doemens Academy and specializes in brewery business planning, equipment and space planning, expansion planning, and project management. After spending most of his career as Head Brewer he decided to step off the production floor to start Plato Brewing and Consulting in 2020 to utilize his operational experience and help others realize their dream of opening a Brewery as well as save them time and money throughout the process.

Andy Hooper, Director of Business Development for Barnum Mechanical

Andy is the Director of Business Development for Barnum Mechanical, a design-build engineering contractor. He is an award-winning Brewmaster with over 15 years of experience in brewery design, sustainability, wastewater treatment, and process engineering. He holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and holds a Master Brewers’ certification from the U.C. Davis Master Brewers extension program.

About StartABrewery

StartABrewery is a collaboration amongst a fun group of craft beer industry veterans who are often invited to speak at beer business / brewing education programs. Each has offered to share their knowledge and experience to support the craft beer community as a whole by helping fledgling breweries in planning.

Conceived and coordinated by Candace L. Moon, The Craft Beer Attorney, and Laura Lodge of Customized Craft Beer Programs, StartABrewery is provided as an educational resource for those dreaming of opening a brewery, those who are taking steps to make their dream a reality, and those who are opening their brewery doors and living it.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Positive Fat Bass Intro Loop by WinnieTheMoog
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6093-positive-fat-bass-intro-loop
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

T. Dustin Hauck, Principal, Hauck Architecture

Derek Wasak - Founder, Lead Consultant - Plato Brewing and Consulting Inc.

Andy Hooper, Director of Business Development for Barnum Mechanical

About StartABrewery

Previous Episode

009 - Your Business Plan: Kitchens + Tap Room, Brewpub or Production Brewery?

Episode 009 carries forward the critical decision making from Episode 008 into the biggest of pictures about your business, digging into the food component (kitchen) as a major factor in determining whether you’re planning a tap room (only), a brewpub, or a packaging brewery. With decades of experience individually, our guests together represent a very diverse collection of perspectives on this topic. From the headaches to the financial benefits of a kitchen, and diving into the situational possibilities for production breweries and tap rooms without food, this discussion covers a ton of useful ground for the start up or expanding brewery.

MATT POTTS, FOUNDER/CEO OF DESTIHL:
Matt Potts is the Founder, CEO and General Counsel of DESTIHL®. Matt also served as DESTIHL’s original Brewmaster from 2007 until January 2022 when he passed on the mash paddle. Matt received his Bachelors in Ag Science from the University of Illinois in 1991, his juris doctorate in 1993 from DePaul University College of Law and became a licensed attorney in 1994. While practicing law, he started homebrewing at the end of 1995, and he & his wife, Lyn, eventually opened their first brewpub, Elmwood Brewing Company (‘EBC’), near the law office in 2001.

In 2007, Matt attended Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, securing his Associate in Brewing Technology certificate, and then started up a new brewpub and full-service restaurant concept, DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works, in Normal, IL. In 2013, DESTIHL opened its first production brewery in Bloomington, IL, reaching capacity by late 2015. In 2017, DESTIHL Brewery opened its new destination, regional Brewery & Beer Hall facility in Normal, which is now expanding its capacity to over 60,000bbls/year and has a brewhouse capacity of over 150,000bbls/year.

DESTIHL’s award-winning beers are now distributed in almost 40 states, plus Canada and Sweden, including its industry-changing Wild Sour Series, which was one of the first sour beers packaged in cans, its DeadHead® IPAs (including 2021 Gold and Bronze Medal winners in the coveted Juicy/Hazy IPA & Imperial IPA categories) and many other beers. DESTIHL started doing some contract brewing in 2018, but due to so much word-of-mouth growth for these services, it is now launching a new, separate division of its brewery called CANOPOLISTM, which is focused on contract brewing.

Matt served on the Board of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild from 2010-2020 and Chairman of the Guild’s Government Affairs Committee from 2017-2020, which was instrumental in securing many changes to Illinois laws over the years to secure production cap increases, self-distribution & beer transfer rights and many other important rights and protections for the growth of all Illinois breweries.

Chris Black, Co-Founder Falling Rock Tap House

Chris Black is a 40-year veteran of the Craft Beer Wars. From his start working at an early Beer Bar to stints working for Importers, Distributors and Breweries, to his ultimate goal of owning one of the World’s most well-known Beer Bars, The Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, CO for 24 years, Chris has experience in all three tiers and a passion for helping people set up a great experience for their customers. Essential elements include Good Design and Layout, Sound, Lighting, Seating and most importantly, setting up your Draught System properly.

Tom Hennessy, Founder Colorado Boy Brewing

Tom Hennessy has opened seven breweries of his own and helped open over 130 more with his Colorado Boy Brewery Immersion Course. He is the founder, along with past partners Tom White, Greg Atkin and Rick Post, of Scalo Northern Italian Grill in Albuquerque, Pranzo in Santa Fe, and IL Vicino Wood Oven Pizza in New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas. His video Frankenbrew, from 1995 has become a cult classic in the brewing world. His three previous brewing books include The Brewery Operations Manual , The Affordable Brewery, and Colorado Boy SOP. Tom lives, brews and writes in his mountain town of Ridgway, Colorado, with his wife Sandy.

About StartABrewery

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Po...

Next Episode

011 – What are you brewing?

Episode 011 brings together decades of ingredients and processes experience for a thorough discussion of “What are you brewing?”. Neil Witte, Erik Fowler, and Niko Tonks are all brewers who in time have specialized in quality, yeast, and hops. The scope of their work within the industry and connection to both the brewing and business side is apparent as they offer practical advice about everything from recipe costing, house yeast, secondary hops markets, and ultimately to the proper way to brew and serve a nitro beer.

Erik Fowler, Director of Education & Craft Hospitality, White Labs

Erik has been with White Labs since 2014. Before coming to White Labs, he worked for a prominent regional brewery, a nano-brewery, and several beer and wine focused retail outlets. He has led education classes on yeast handling, sensory techniques and QC. Erik holds his Cicerone® certification as well as a certificate in the Business of Craft Beer from San Diego State University.

Neil Witte, Associate Director of Exams for the Cicerone Certification Program, Founder/Owner of Tap Star & Craft Quality Solutions

Neil Witte is the Owner/Founder of TapStar and Craft Quality Solutions. He's a 23-year beer industry veteran, draft beer specialist and one of 19 Master Cicerones.

With TapStar, he takes the industry draft quality standards he helped develop as a co-author of the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality Manual. and certifies quality standards at draft beer retailers. He then promotes those retailers who serve the highest-quality draft beer with consumers.

With Craft Quality Solutions, he travels the country helping restaurants, bars, breweries and distributors through such services as draft system design, installation, troubleshooting, and service; distributor draft department consulting and training; on-premise sales team draft system training; and brewery field quality and sensory program consulting and training.

About StartABrewery

Niko Tonks, Central Region Sales Manager, Yakima Chief Hops

Niko Tonks is the Central Region Sales Manager for Yakima Chief Hops. He started his brewing career at Live Oak Brewing in Austin, Texas in 2011, co-founded Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis in 2013, and joined YCH in the fall of 2022. He has extensive experience with technical brewing, recipe development, and R&D brewing. He lives in Southern Minnesota and enjoys a fine pilsner beer.