Out of the garage and into a bar near you, the boys at Fulton Beer officially launched in the Twin Cities this evening with their tapping of Sweet Child of Vine at The Happy Gnome. I wasn’t able to attend, unfortunately, but I’m really looking forward to trying their stuff.
FOX 9 covered the event, you can watch the video here. And for more info on where to find them, check out their site for a list of bars and restaurants where they’re tapping.
However, one thing that caught my attention that could possibly be more important than their beer (can’t believe I just said that) is the brewery’s Ful10 microloan program, an innovative initiative that will hopefully help prospective business owners (like, say, fellow homebrewers who’ve always aspired to make the commercial leap) get a running start when traditional channels like banks can’t (or won’t) make loans available. From their website:
At the end of each year, Fulton invests 10% of our profits in our Ful10 fund. When we find a business that could be greatly helped by the amount available in the Ful10 fund, we invest in them and develop a repayment plan that works for both parties. This can take many forms, such as a loan with no regular payments and only a lump sum due after several years, or variable payments made as the business can afford them.
Ful10 makes financing available to entrepreneurs unable to obtain it in other ways. In fact, Fulton was made possible because of this very same type of investment. We were grateful for the opportunity that made it possible to share our beer with the world. Now, it’s our turn to help other entrepreneurs do the same thing.
October 29, 2009 at 8:45 am
Do they brew their own beer or is it contract brewed without them?
October 29, 2009 at 9:03 am
My understanding is they’re initially contract brewing through Sand Creek, with plans to open their own brewery here in Minneapolis.
October 29, 2009 at 9:19 am
There are different arrangements you can have when contract brewing. One of the guys mentioned leaving the TC area at 3 am to be ready to mash at 6, so I would assume they are conducting the actual brewing operations using Sand Creek’s brewery.
In general, it’s really cool that the stigma associated with contract brewing is dying off. The capital investment required to open a brewery is considerable, so contract brewing is a great way to establish brand identity and build up your revenue before taking the plunge. Also, you can be more selective when purchasing equipment and ramp-up to full scale production.
October 29, 2009 at 9:26 am
Totally agree FD. From everything I’ve read or learned in talking with folks who’ve actually done it, opening a brewery is obviously no small matter (involving lots of cash and time). With contract brewing there’s still a significant investment in these areas, but I like the idea of working on distribution and marketing to build a solid customer base before committing to a physical location/brewhouse. However, I think there’s definitely something to be said for having that physical space for customers to interact with you and your product…all part of strengthening the brand experience.
October 29, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Since it’s such a dreary day today, I’ll throw this out for your contemplation…
Is making good beer more about the recipe or the process? How big are changes in flavor going from system to system?
October 29, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Good point.
I would consider myself an average homebrewer, so in no way is my opinion backed up with any professional experience or expertise. It would seem to me that both recipe and process are vital to a good product. Also, process and recipe are developed together. Just because I have someone’s recipe, it doesn’t mean I’m going to brew their beer…there are far too many variables. You can even argue that brewing system and process are two different things, which also affect each other. So if you move from contract brewing in someone’s facility to brewing on your own equipment, there will be a lot of adjustments to recipe and process.
Ultimately, I would say that process is more important. Anyone with a great recipe, ingredients and equipment can still make miserable beer; and a great brewer won’t suffer bad recipes and trash ingredients (it takes a lot of restraint here to not cheap shot a couple big breweries).
October 29, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I wish we could have 2 different terms, because “contract” brewing isn’t really what brewers who go to Sand Creek and brew themselves are doing. Contract brewing is Finnegans having Summit make their beer for them. I realize that “you gotta do what you gotta do”, but…
I didn’t realize until I went to Great Taste of the Midwest, that they only invite brewers with on-premise equipment. One friend told me that he’ll get invited when they have a “dirty little contract whore” tent. It’s too bad cause there’s alot of good stuff being made at Sand Creek. The list of guys who brew there is longer than you would think. Some guys have a vision of what they want and they are patient enough to make it happen. There’s no shame in using someone else’s place starting out. Establishing label recognition (read: fans)is huge.
October 29, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Hmm, interesting question Dave.
I spoke with a craft brewer at GABF who told me when they purchased new larger volume brewhouse equipment it took them nearly 70 batches to perfect the original flavor profile of their flagship beer customers knew and loved. Granted, I’m sure the first beer they made using the new system wasn’t far off, but the brewers themselves weren’t satisfied with it. Based on that, I’d say system means a great deal in the grand scheme of things.
October 29, 2009 at 4:16 pm
That is exactly how brewers develop “house” strains. It’s all due to the system. Even great brewers with a different system can produce very different beers from the same recipe.
October 29, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Nice answers all. I think sometime the skill of a brewer outside of developing a recipe (which, IMO is quite easy) is underestimated.
One comment to Frank: I don’t pretend to know how Sand Creek runs, but what they are doing is contract brewing. Maybe the Fulton guys are way brighter than I am, but it would be a struggle for me to walk into someone’s brewery and make a beer in a reasonable amount of time, and I’ve been doing this for 12 years and worked on numerous systems. It just doesn’t work that way. You may be part of the process, but you are not an integral part at the beginning. And, lest anyone misunderstand, I certainly am not trying to take anything away from what the Fulton folk are doing.
October 29, 2009 at 5:33 pm
One last thought, and then I’ll shut up…When people ask me about brewing, I always tell them this: it takes more than brewing good beer to make you a brewer. Look at it this way: in a pub setting, maybe 20% of your time is spent actually brewing (depending of course, how busy you are). 1 day a week. Same goes for a small production brewery (unless you buy really small equipment). You get to be an old guy like me, and you’re lucky if you know where the brewhouse is!
Best of luck to the Fulton guys. It’s nice to see younger people with an interest in beer. As I’ve been known to say on a couple of occasions, brewing is the best job in the world that sucks.
October 29, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Went to the Fulton launch party last night. The beer was very, very good! Too bad it was a Wednesday night because it could have easily turned into an all nighter. Excellent beer boys!
October 29, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Great to hear Jasper, now I’m really excited!
October 30, 2009 at 9:20 am
[...] their grand opening tasting at the Happy Gnome, you can read more about this new brewery on the Captain’s site. So there you have it, i figure I still have room for about 5 more depending on size so I want to [...]
April 1, 2010 at 10:06 pm
This is real beer.
Worthy Adversary will kick your ass. Tell those Johnnies that I’m way glad Lent is almost over!!!