When they revamped their branding in late 2016, the owners of Drekker Brewing Company–brewer Darin Montplaisir, president Mark Bjornstad, engineer Mason Montplaisir and CFO/Head of Nerdery Jesse Feigum–could have chosen historic or Nordic beer label imagery to complement their new digs. The spacious and sun-drenched former locomotive repair shop in Fargo where they brew is older than the state of North Dakota. They named it Brewhalla, a riff on the name for the Old Norse hall of the gods.

(MORE: The Mothership is Calling)

And they certainly could have had their pick of artists to design their branding. Drekker is plugged into the local art scene, welcoming creative types during seasonal indie craft markets, a bustling Christmas market featuring local makers, and monthly Creative Mornings sessions featuring TED-style talks, art projects, and networking over artisanal coffee.

Instead, they chose Punchgut, an introverted scribbler and gig poster master who prefers to let his work (a gleeful mix of the macabre and the adorable) and his eclectic resume do the talking. The artist works in a cocoon of deconstructed pop culture imagery and bad taxidermy in a Fargo garage studio. He’s been named-checked in “High Times” and “The Wall Street Journal.” His work is featured in both “The Art Of Modern Rock” and the Disney film “Sky High.”

“He’s more like the anti-gallery guy,” says Bjornstad, who is cheerful and garrulous

with a Seth Rogen-esque chuckle. “We were dreaming up this brand identity that was kind of 90s skateboard punk with pogs and some death metal influence, and a kind of pop culture, Trapper Keeper vibe. Punchgut was the only person that we thought could pull that off.”

Intense Collaboration Between Brewery and Artist

This rapid-fire volley of cultural touchpoints and vivid imagery is the way Bjornstad and Punchgut communicate…usually via text, often at 2 in the morning, but occasionally in an off-the-cuff session in the office tucked under the Brewhalla rafters. That’s where each beer starts as a recipe and collection of words and images that Feigum and Bjornstad scrawl onto a whiteboard. One of their first collaborations was on a chocolate milk stout called Milk Maiden.

“‘It’s ‘The Sound Of Music’ – but she’s dead’” says Bjornstad, recalling his instructions to Punchgut. “Use the colors of Swiss Miss.”

Punchgut obliged, creating a smiling fräulein in shades of cocoa and baby blue. She’s a skeleton, naturally.

Not every artist could follow this image-packed shorthand. But Punchgut is into it.

“My brain starts churning on this stuff,” he says. “And they knew exactly what to feed me to get me going.”

Every step is collaborative. Sometimes Feigum and Bjornstad have a concept nailed down and Punchgut just pops in the final piece of the puzzle. Sometimes Punchgut pitches an idea that spins them off into a different direction. Sometimes they hash it out together, alternating between keeping things bold and being deliberately contrary, like when they pair adorable beer names like Tickle Monster with creepy images.

“I love contrast, and I think that’s why I work great with Drekker; we do this kind of funny, wink-eye stuff that also has a lot of dark imagery in it — but also a cute side to it.” says Punchgut. He grins. “And it angers the right people.”

(Related: Epic Brewing Embraces Denver’s Graffiti Artists)

The entire office laughs. Just a few minutes before, Fegium looked up from his computer and read them a note from a customer who wondered if they knew that a “666” was lurking within a beer label.

They do indeed. While there are undercurrents of darkness (and teenage dudeness) present in most labels, there’s also a higher purpose at work here, both in the beer and in the branding.

“We want you to be challenged by the weird beer, we want you to be challenged by the strange artwork,” says Bjornstad. “We’re not trying to create everybody’s favorite beer. We’re trying to challenge what beer can be. We think it would be a mistake for us to put that much context into the beer and then not encourage the customer to find something weird or ugly or strange on the outside. We’re trying to create experiences.”

Punchgut routinely hides little Easter eggs –Illuminati symbols, occult references, conspiracy theories – for die-hards to find. Characters move from the background of one label to the forefront of another or pop up in gig posters, stickers or a kitschy blacklight poster. It’s all part of the sprawling beer universe they’re building together.

“They’re creative on their end with brewing and we’re creative on the labels, so it’s one of those few times where it’s a 100 percent team effort,” says Punchgut. “They’re always open for experiments.”

Punchgut’s Label Art Connects Drekker’s Beers

Each label stands alone as its own work of art. But the artwork also sorts the beer into its designed place in the Drekker Brewing Company hierarchy.

“We talk inspiration, but also where it has to fit within the brand,” explains Bjornstad. “I’m trying to envision what beers is this going to be alongside, if it’s part of a family in our portfolio.”

For example, their juicy New England-style IPA Ectocasm and double IPAs Cuddle Buddy and Freak Parade are stylistically similar beers. So the labels are similar as well, bursting with neon colors and elaborate monsters.

Ongoing beer series are stylistically similar too. The labels that grace Drekker’s sour beer series become fuller and more complex as the beers do. Brain Squeeze beers are brewed with lactose and sea salt. The artwork for these fruity, creamy smoothie sours features oozing, dripping, candy-colored brains against relatively subdued background.

“We want you to be challenged by the weird beer, we want you to be challenged by the strange artwork,” says Bjornstad.

The wild ales of the Slang du Jour series are complex and dessert-like, inspired by sfogliatella pastries, cinnamon and maple sugar-infused blueberry pancakes and brewed with graham cracker crumbs for luscious key lime, cherry and bumbleberry pie flavors. The central figure is enveloped by swirling lines and whipped cream airiness.

(Related: 9 Artists Using Beer to Create Fine Art)

For Chonk, a rich sundae sour, Bjornstad envisioned equally decadent artwork — “a drippy, stretchy, oozing river of syrup all over the place.” An appropriately rotund cat surveys the scene.

Sometimes the art even revives a beer. Bjornstad penned the recipe for Pizza Toots, a New England-style IPA, as a groan-inducing “sacrificial beer” to test the new Brewhalla brewing system. It made the grand opening line-up as a one-off, but Punchgut wasn’t too impressed with the artwork that the owners tossed up on the menu board in a pinch. So for Christmas, he sent them a present – a new label.

“I sent it out to everyone like, ‘Guess what we’re gonna re-brew!’” Bjornstad recalls, sotto voce. “And it’s just one of the most fun, lighthearted, cute labels we’ve ever done. We get comments about that beer all the time. I’ll be at a coffee shop and the label will be cut out and stuck on the back of a laptop.”

Punchgut’s Beer Art Attracts Attention

The DIY stickers and Punchgut’s connections introduce a new audience to the Drekker brand, and to craft beer in general. Many make a pilgrimage to Brewhalla to find the source of the intriguing beer label artwork.

“New customers come in and express awe and excitement when they see the menu boards behind the bar,” says Ali Belfiore, a Drekker beer slinger and graphic designer. “Our repeat customers are always looking forward to what Punchgut will create next.”

Drekker ships beer to the 35 U.S. states that allow it, so beer fans that can’t make it to Brewhalla check the full line-up via social media. Many now follow the artist on Instagram for a sneak peak at new beer labels.

“I like to see Punchgut along his creative process,” says Kat Verley of New Town, North Dakota. “He will post his label art in succession, so you can see how he works from start to finish.”

Other than the occasional complaint about 666 depictions, few people seem to mind the dark imagery. Which is good, because it’s an integral part of the brewery’s brand. The owners of Drekker Brewing Company had Punchgut paint a giant grim reaper mural in the event space at Brewhalla for the same reason that they feature similar imagery in their beer labels.

“Some places put, like, a culture quote on the wall. We paint a reaper mural,” says Bjornstad, chuckling. “It has a very simple meaning for us. We’re just trying to live this amazing life with experiences that build us up and bind us together, trying to live faster than the reaper. It’s coming for all of us, so live the life you want to live now.”

The post Hidden Symbols, Easter Eggs and the Dark World of Drekker’s Beer Art appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

The craft beer wave arrived late to this particular stretch of Southwest Florida shoreline–Fort Myers Brewing Company established the first local option back in 2013–but the region quickly developed a distinct style shaped by the subtropical climate and the availability of local produce. The beer scene is sustained by year-round residents and energized by a constant stream of travelers from throughout Florida, the Midwest and East Coast.

Beaches, Baseball and Southwest Florida Craft Beer

Lee County – which contains the urban center of Fort Myers, sociable Fort Myers Beach, the quiet beaches of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, laid-back Boca Grande, Estero, and Bonita Springs, bohemian Pine Island, and more than 50 miles of white sand beaches, sleepy residential communities, swamps and wild spaces in between — welcomed an estimated 4.8 million visitors in 2018 alone . The annual migration of travelers charmed by sunshine, easy access to the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico and a relatively low cost of living means that Southwest Florida operates on its own calendar.

(More: Minor League Baseball Beers)

Floridians flock to the beaches, waterfront restaurants, bars and taprooms during the summer months. The high tourist season — which locals simply call “season,” (as in, “We’re swamped during season”) — starts in November, when snowbirds from the East Coast and Midwest open up their winter homes around Thanksgiving. It kicks into high gear in January, February and March, when the hotels, campgrounds and RV parks are packed with sun seekers, surprisingly subdued spring breakers, and fans who arrive to watch major league spring training baseball in Fort Myers.

Nate Sorum, who is a snowbird from Minnesota himself, serves beer at Hammond Stadium, the spring training home for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins might be on the field, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the crowd is Midwestern.

“It’s a larger portion of Minnesota fans, but the Boston Red Sox also have a stadium here in town, so we get people who love baseball,” he explains. “A large group of retirees here are East Coast – Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philly. It’s a melting pot. Ninety percent of people there are on vacation, and they want to try Florida beers.”

Snowbirds, Locals and Millennials Flock to Fort Myers Breweries

Sorum’s numbers are an estimate based on his experience, but the tourism stats are anything but anecdotal. Lee County’s 2018 Annual Visitor Profile and Occupancy Analysis reveals that 80 percent of travelers have visited Southwest Florida before. And many of those visits are much longer than the typical whirlwind tour that most Americans pack into just a handful of vacation days. This is a place where baseball fans return to the same hotel year after year, RVers meet up for winter-long annual vacations and a retired gentleman breakfasting with his friends describes a “quick visit” to Fort Myers as a mere six weeks. As a result, many taproom visitors fall somewhere between a traveler and a local, a kind of seasonal regular that brewery staff recognize as a key part of their business model.

“We have a lot of regulars that come between January and Easter,” says Jordan Weisberg, brewmaster at Point Ybel Brewing Company. “With the surge of breweries in all of those peoples’ home towns, now that’s their thing — to seek out breweries.”

(More: A Beer Geeks Travel List)

“We have people that come from places that are used to good craft beer,” agrees Fort Myers Brewing Company co-owner Jen Gratz-Whyte, as she surveys the busy taproom and patio that’s brought fresh energy to Gateway Industrial Park, a growing area east of Interstate 75 not far from the airport. “You look around and it’s young families, young people and snowbirds. We’ve got something for everyone.”

About 10 miles southwest (and in another industrial park area) Palm City Brewing co-owner Marianne Bowen weaves through students from nearby Florida Gulf Coast University, young professionals in sleek sheath dresses and John Candy look-alikes in Hawaiian shirts. Her husband, Palm City’s brewer and co-owner Ryan Bowen, leads a tour group.

“When I started this, my research dictated (the average customer) was a 25 to 50-year-old-man, but with our clientele, you can throw that out the window,” Ryan Bowen says. “Our first customer was a 75-year-old man. He comes in every week and gets our porter every time he comes.”

Fort Myers Area Brewers Make Use of Local Produce

That’s just one of the many excellent porters and stouts on tap in Southwest Florida. Two more include Point Ybel’s rich and subtle Grey Mangrove smoked porter and Somebody Else’s Dream, Fort Myers Brewing Company’s sumptuous chocolate stout, which both medaled at the 2019 Best Florida Beer Competition. But since they’re not exactly the first thing a customer craves in the heat of a Florida afternoon, two styles consistently emerge as the most regionally distinct go-to beers in Fort Myers and Sanibel — fruited sours made with regional produce and juicy, hazy New England IPAs.

(Related: The Sour Beer Pickle)

“In Florida, we‘re kind of known for what’s called the Florida Weisse, which is a kettle sour using local fruit,” explains Point Ybel’s Jordan Weisberg.

The availability of local produce makes a fruited sour more cost-effective here than in other parts of the country. And long-established regional tastes makes the style an easy sell, even for new beer drinkers.

“Everything in Florida is based on tropical fruits – mangos and papayas and pineapples,” explains Palm City’s Ryan Bowen. “I think that’s just the culture of the area.”

Tropical Tastes Popular for Southwest Florida Beer Lovers

Point Ybel was the first to introduce sours to the Southwest Florida market, starting with a jackfruit sour soon after its establishment in 2014. It’s since expanded to include kettle sours infused with passion fruit, pineapple and strawberries, hand-zested lemons, oranges and key limes, and earthier flavors like apples, pumpkins and beets.

“The hot weather makes you crave something light and crisp and as close to light refreshing juice as possible,” explains Point Ybel’s Jordan Weisburg. “A fruited sour and a New England IPA are both in that realm of juiciness.”

While Point Ybel consistently serves a variety of sours, Palm City Brewing typically offers at least a half dozen New England-Style IPAs. The style is both a brewery standby and a successful gateway beer.

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“Having a softer mouthfeel, a higher level of drinkability and those tropical aromas really help,” says Ryan Bowen. “We get a ton of crossover drinkers who like it because of those characteristics.”

Tropical tastes pop up in other styles throughout the region as well. Look for favorite Florida fruits in Fort Myers Brewing Company’s Mr. Brightside Salted Lime Gose (a must-try for margarita lovers) and Prickly Pear Gose, as well as Bury Me Brewing Company’s Sangre de Fresas strawberry cream ale and other fruit-infused takes on blonde ales and the brewery’s flagship Creamation Cream Ale.

Southwest Florida Ale Trail and Local Bars Support Local Breweries

For all its gleefully macabre imagery (fans can select “Rent a Hearse” on the website to ensure that beers at their next event are carried and served in a tricked-out funeral ride), Bury Me Brewing Company’s beers are easy drinking and accessible. They’re available both in the taproom and at House of Brewz, a craft beer and funky pub food joint (with some overlap between the two ownership teams) created to capture walk-up interest at Fort Myers Beach, where dining out is practically a pastime.

“If they don’t have time to visit a lot of breweries, I’d recommend some of those craft beer bars that carry a lot of locals,” says A.J. Gurgal. He’s something of an expert on the subject, having co-founded the Southwest Florida Ale Trail, which features 19 breweries in Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties.

(Map: Breweries Near Me)

Gurgal says that a few flights at Keg & Cow in Cape Coral or the Southland Taproom or World of Beers in Fort Myers can help travelers get a good overview of the local scene; Cape Coral’s No. 3 Craft Brews and Beer Bar is another popular spot. With more breweries bottling and canning and so many local tap handles at restaurants, bars and ballparks in the region, it’s increasingly easy to try beer from Southwestern Florida.

“We have 561 draft lines and most of them are in Lee County,” explains Fort Myers Brewing Company co-owner and brewer Rob Whyte. “We’ve really tried to keep it super local and grow slowly out.”

That’s a strategy that’s worked well for the brewers of Lee County. This combination of local tastes, neighborhood taprooms and the natural environment make beer from Southwest Florida unique. And in a country where one in five jobs is connected to tourism, the experience of enjoying local beer practically sells itself.

“You’re sitting outside drinking a nice, fresh craft beer under a palm tree,” says Jackie Parker, communications manager for Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”

The post Southwest Florida’s Beer Scene is as Sunny as its Forecast appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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“The building is 37,000 square feet, so we’ve got about 19,000 on the main level and 18,000 in the underground parking garage,” says Papendick, gesturing around the downtown Rapid City, South Dakota, property that’s been Hay Camp’s base since 2017. “We knew it was too much space for what we could use for our brewery, so went for this mixed-use venture, to focus on businesses that focus on craft. “

The space they chose was constructed as an Oldsmobile/Cadillac dealership in 1948. You don’t have to be an architecture expert to notice that the building’s curvy windows and awning make it look a little like a flying saucer.

“To us, that just kind of screamed ‘Mothership’,” says Papendick.

The nickname stuck.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

Populating the Mothership

Hay Camp Brewing Company’s tavern and commons area anchor the main floor. Local carpenters fashioned reclaimed wood into tables and cozy booths. It’s a welcoming place to settle in with one of Hay Camp Brewing Company’s small batch, handcrafted beers, which include the Bitter Warrior (an English-style bitter), the toasty Better Brown and the brewery’s flagship, Victory Stout, which is smooth and chocolaty.

Photographs by Kevin Kinzley, who was raised in the region, showcase some of the West’s most striking scenery. The space also features paintings by Rapid City artist James Van Nuys,  a weathered bison skull and black-and-white photographs of the street outside, taken when Rapid City was known as “Hay Camp” and the young supplied cattle feed for booming Black Hills gold rush towns in the 1870s.

The brewery’s 3,000-square-foot event space can hold up to 350 guests, so it’s a popular spot for parties and weddings. Regional and national concerts – from hip-hop to bluegrass – draw both locals and tourists in town to see Mount Rushmore and other Black Hills attractions.

“Rapid City and the Black Hills are kind of a strange market because we’re so tourism-heavy in the summertime,” explains Papendick. “So in the down months, you really have to rely on your locals and some other means for production so that you keep things rolling. I think the event space has really helped us out from that perspective.”

But the brewery and event space are only the foundation of this craft community.

“We also have an artisan distillery in the building,” says Papendick. “We’ve got a plumber and woodshop. There’s a band playing later tonight that plays black metal, but they’re renting space in the building where they have their studio and practice space. “

The basement is configurable storage. Two offices are housed under the Mothership’s roof, an arrangement that enables musicians, carpenters and plumbers to share space with chemical engineering consultants, architects and a team of medical schedulers.

(TRAVEL: Epic Craft Beer Road Trip Along the Pacific Coast)

The Science of Hay Camp Brewing Company

It’s unusual for a brewery to oversee an experiment that combines art, skilled trades, medicine and science. But it’s logical for Koth and Papendick, who came to brewing from science and engineering backgrounds. The avid homebrewers founded Hay Camp Brewing in 2012, arranging their brewing schedule around their coursework at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. (Koth has a Master of Science in Geological Engineering and Papendick has a doctorate in Chemical Engineering.)

Now Papendick schedules concerts, beer and yoga sessions, burlesque shows, beer dinners and an ongoing STEAM Café event where attendees discuss science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. Meanwhile, Koth uses his analytical skills to craft consistent beer.

“We’ve got technical backgrounds, so we use that to really hone in some quality craft beer,” explains Papendick. “We try to stick with some traditional styles, but I like to think that we do them really well and keep a nice balance.”

Of the 10 beers in the Hay Camp lineup, most are malty, true-to-style session beers, with the piney Centennial IPA and crisp Mother’s Temptation IPA, and a kettle soured, dry hopped American sour beer to round out the selection. In keeping with the owners’ precise natures, beer is served in Spiegelau glassware at 42 degrees Fahrenheit for an optimal taste experience.

Casking experiments like the Black Magic Sour Stout, an anise-infused Cascadian dark ale and aging Russian Imperial Stout in rye whiskey barrels inspired an investment in a six cask system, temperature controlled closet and bar-mounted beer engines. South Dakota’s new self-distribution laws enabled Hay Camp Brewing Company to sell outside its taproom for the first time in 2018. But don’t expect Papendick and Koth to stray too far from their base.

“We are hyperlocal,” says Papendick. He currently delivers beer to a half dozen clients within blocks of the brewery.

Consistency and community are the cornerstones of Hay Camp Brewing Company’s philosophy. But if you want to try this beer for yourself, you’ll have to head to the Mothership.

The post The Mothership is Calling: Hay Camp Brewing’s Mixed-Use Space appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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President Ben Jackson and vice president Paris McFarthing wanted their brewery to be a gathering place for the community. But the co-founders didn’t realize it would play such an active role in the neighborhood’s development.

The Flow of Development

Fort Wayne is moving away from its past as a manufacturing city and reinventing itself as a community with a revitalized city center. A 20 million dollar investment in its riverfront neighborhoods, which include many of the city’s 86 parks and much of its 90-mile trail network, has moved development north of downtown. That’s where Hop River Brewing Company sits ready to greet the next wave of artists, entrepreneurs, outdoor enthusiasts and young professionals flocking back to Fort Wayne.

(MORE: 4 Small Breweries Happy to Stay Small)

The brewery is located along the Historic Wells Street Corridor. McFarthing describes it as “a local, eclectic avenue.” It’s just blocks from where a major riverfront development will offer opportunities for outdoor recreation and entertainment in 2019. It was a strategic choice.

“We’re taking advantage of a location that’s just outside of downtown, but still sort of industrial and up-and-coming,” Jackson says. “A brewery in the neighborhood is a harbinger of increased economic growth. It’s more of a long-term investment. It’s this great anchor around which the community can build.”

Hop River Brewing’s Prime Location

The brewery’s location made it a logical place to host a planning meeting for the project. But when the first meeting was packed and the local historical center and several other nonprofit organizations approached them to use the taproom for meetings and events, Jackson and McFarthing realized this was more than just an opportunity to sell beer.

“We had this ‘aha moment’ where we said ‘Why aren’t we just doing this all the time?'” McFarthing says. “This is great way to connect with people. Because at the end of the day, it’s very hard for people to support you if you don’t support them. Inviting people in is really our way of supporting our community.”

(Meet You Upstairs: Great Brewery Rooftops)

Now the taproom is a favorite location for fundraisers and meetings. It’s also a regular stop for pedal and paddle events that pull guests off the trails and out of Fort Wayne’s three rivers and into the neighborhood for a beer. On any given day at the brewery, you might find neighbors working on craft projects, making enrichment treats for shelter pets or brainstorming new ideas over pints of bright, super sessionable Magnitude 6 Pale Ale and the malty yet refined Maestro Vienna Lager.

Collaborative and Inclusive

A spirit of collaboration is evident on tap too. Hop River Brewing Company guest taps feature beer from other Fort Wayne brewers. And the brewery has collaborated with Junk Ditch Brewing Company on a Saison. A popular lemon shandy was developed for a local music festival and a recent batch of Midnight Retreat Imperial Stout was aged in bourbon barrels from Three Rivers Distilling Company across town.

(MORE: The Precarious Future of Wild Hops of the American West)

The family-friendly atmosphere — complete with board games, pinball machines and a kids’ menu — is also a draw. “There’s not many places you can go and drink beer and also bring your kids in an atmosphere like this,” bartender Dusty Stephens says. “At least not in Fort Wayne.”

In The Right Place

The goal is to make the beer list as low-key and accessible as the taproom vibe. The delicate Kolsch and the piney, hoppy Lasers in the Jungle IPA are best sellers. But Hop River Brewing Company also emphasizes easy drinking options like a mild and mellow pilsner, a strapping Scottish ale and crisp American-style lagers to meet Indiana beer fans where they are — both at the taproom and in bars and restaurants around the state.

“We’re sized to be a production brewery,” McFarthing says. “At the end of the day, we just want to be where people drinking beer are.”

They’re already in the right place. By the time the neighborhood is in full bloom, Hop River Brewing Company will already have taken root.

The post Hop River Brewing Taps Into Fort Wayne’s Watershed Moment appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

The only other drinking establishment in town serves locals raised on interchangeable domestic beers. Those who do have a preference for a particular brand are often fiercely loyal. Many of them are barley farmers from the surrounding counties who have contracted with big brewers for decades. For them, ordering beer made with your own grain is just good business.[newsletter_signup_box]

So how do you sell craft beer in a macro beer town? And how do you turn a profit in a small town when your taproom seats 48 at a time? If you’re Drumconrath Brewing Company — which, when it opened in 2017, was the first North Dakota brewery to operate in a city of less than 1,110 people since 1890 – you ignore the trends, make approachable beer and convert the adjunct beer drinkers, one person at a time.

Location Matters for Drumconrath Brewing Co.

Drumconrath Brewing Company’s owner and brewer Sam Corr has a gift for meeting customers where they are, both literally and figuratively. He set up shop in a 2,160-square-foot outbuilding on the outskirts of town, a move which saved him a pile of money — operating with as little debt as possible was a major goal — and put him close to I-94 and in the path of a steady stream of pickups leaving work at the end of the day.

It’s about the least visually sexy location imaginable, but since the local economy is heavy on agriculture, manufacturing, construction and transportation, being able to come in with muddy boots is an important selling point.

(MORE: 2018 Summer Craft Beers)

When the white collar professionals come back home after work, they stop in too. Beer fans from the Fargo metro make the trip on the weekends and the regulars have made Wednesday night trivia a new local tradition. The taproom is only 736-square-feet, so people end up getting to know each other, whether they intend to or not.

“The Drum is more like a place to be social than a bar,” says Drumconrath Brewing Co. regular Ryan Goodman.

“It feels like ‘Cheers’ where he knows everyone by name,” adds fellow trivia night regular Lance Getz.

Corr does seem to know everybody’s name. “And I can tell you who’s gonna come in on what day, at what time and what they’ll have,” he adds.

Attracting New People to Craft Beer

When asked to describe his crowd, Corr grins.

“It seems like I’ve got nothing but regulars,” he says. “I’ve got engineers, I have auto body repair guys and farmers and cleaning ladies, doctors, lawyers — pretty much every walk of life. It’s like the truest pub in the area where people just come and hang out. Everyone’s equal in here. You come in, you have a good time and enjoy beer.”

(Discover: Breweries Near Me)

When new customers insist they’ll “just have a light beer, thanks,” (which happens a lot), Corr listens and nods thoughtfully. He considers their tastes and preferences and then he usually pours them a sample of his smooth, accessible porter, Alex the Greater Scottish Ale — “Scottish Ale in general is a beer that converts people,” Corr says with complete confidence — or his St. Patrick’s Day märzen instead. Corr’s malty Irish-style red ale flagship, Ribbonman Red, is the beer many of his regulars cite as their gateway into craft beer.

He says he never judges people for liking what they like. But after a few months in business, he developed the super light and approachable “Dudwizer,” to have a little snarky fun and help macro beer drinkers take a baby step into local beer.

Corr’s impossibly likeable personality helps him coax hesitant beer drinkers out of their comfort zone. He’s bearded and burly, but projects a sort of laconic, everyman charm that once prompted beer festival attendees to think he was the guy hired to lug the beer around.

“He is one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve met,” says Drumconrath regular Jeff Salmonson. “And he really makes everyone who comes in there feel welcome and definitely feel like you should come back to visit.”

Increasing Brewing Capacity and Offer New Beer Styles

When they do come back to visit, Corr will be ready. He tripled his brewing capacity after his first year in business. Next, he’ll upgrade his system so he can expand distribution, since current taproom production keeps his cold room “next to empty” most weeks.

(Seek: The Independent Craft Brewer Seal)

He’s expanding on his love of malt forward beer with an oatmeal IPA, experimenting with a super dry brut IPA and his summer wheat with lime and mango is due out any day.

And if you haven’t visited yet, don’t worry. You’ll be a regular in no time.

The post Drumconrath Brewing Co.: Serving Craft Beer in A Macro Beer Town appeared first on CraftBeer.com.