What led you to open your own micro-brewery?
Well first, it should be noted that the brewer is André. He’d been brewing at home for awhile and he did so well that I thought it was a sin for him to brew in secret! After that, it took about 5 years before the microbrewery opened its doors.
This brings me to my next question. What challenges have you encountered?
Full of tragedies! But seriously, we had plenty of energy and we were young but we didn’t have many funds and no experience in this type of project. He had to work hard and we would often find funding only to lose it then regain it again. There were also some partners who came and went. The financial advisors did not understand why we wanted to do this because the brewing scene was not what it is today.
Why open in Shawinigan?
I come from the area and I wanted to raise my children and live my life in this area. Back in the day, I would go down on weekends to visit my father in the woods and I thought it would be cool if a microbrewery as in the area. The industrial city of Shawinigan was being remade in beauty and the quality of life was easier there.
Is there a possibility of a second location?
A franchise tempts me more or less. It will require a lot of involvement because the owner (me) must hands on and make sure the same quality as the original is being maintained. So to make a 2 hour drive to watch a new location while sharing my time with the Trou du Diable in Shawinigan and my family, this is not something that interests me for now. Although this is not definitive, for the moment it is not in our plans.
What excites you about the brewing scene in Quebec?
What I like most is the trend of Quebecers to be more open to microbreweries. The fact is that there is now an option or alternative available to people which is very interesting. It also opens the door to tourists and it gives people a certain pride in having a local brewery.
What are your plans for the year 2011?
We would definitely like to expand. We currently are 5 in a space of 20 'x 20'! We are always growing and we would like to stabilize this year. We would like to have space for a shop, perhaps a showcase so people can see us at work and also offer guided tours. Obviously, this is still in the early stages of planning. What is certain is that we are targeting 2012 for our new facility which will greatly increase our ability to bottle. We also seek to grow our ability to make oak-aged beers. We are at 32 barrels and we hope soon to be 60.
In distribution, what explains that your beers are available only in some places?
We prefer to offer our bottles only a few places for now because the demand does not meet what we can offer at the moment. We prefer to offer more cases to a few places then to thin out the selection across the city. In Montreal, there’s Dépanneur Peluso, Les Délires du Terroir and William Walter in Mont-Royal. There’s also La Barik in Trois-Rivières and in Shawinigan, there are a few select locations where our beers are available.
Is it possible to buy directly from bottles at the brewery?
Not for the moment except for special events like our 5th anniversary.
Speaking of bottled beers, beers what we can expect to see in the coming months?
We have a few projects. L’Amère Indienne and P’tite Buteuse are two of them. We’ll also have l’Impératrice which is an imperial stout oak-aged in bourbon barrels as well as le Nez de Poivrot, a maple barleywine oak-aged in Jack Daniels barrels. Also, we hope to offer the Dulcis Succubus on a regular basis.
A few quick questions:
What is your preferred style?
Currently, I would say IPAS. I also like stouts and this style is one that I will always try when I go to a brewery for the first time.
Your least favorite style?
Brown beers and Belgians @ 7% or 8%. It lacks hops!
What styles have you never brewed or haven’t for a long time?
Black IPAs for sure. There was also barleywines but that’s done now. We would also like to play with lagers, but we lack time and space to do so. When our new plant will be built, we will definitively brew some. We should be brewing soon Roggnroll, a Roggenbier we had brewed for our 2nd anniversary and which drew inspiration from the band that played at our party.
Finally, what role do you think social networks can play in your business?
It is a very good way to reach our customers. We see Facebook as the hook that draws people to our website. There may be 2000 members but if only half can be aware, this is a big plus. Also, we hope to revampe our website soon.
Isaac and André enjoying a Cantillon Rosée de Gambrinus after an afternoon’s work.
No comments:
Post a Comment