Everyone wants to start a brewery. No one wants to invest in one.
Lisa Morrison leads a conversation with Irene Firmat, Jamie Floyd and Charlie Devereux
While this statement may not be entirely true, the audience responses to the opening questions at last week's Oregon Entrepreneurs Network PubTalk suggested that it may not be far from the truth. The event was a panel discussion featuring Irene Firmat of Full Sail Brewing, Jamie Floyd of Ninkasi, and Charlie Devereux of Double Mountain talking about three points: 1.) What does it take to start a brewery, 2.) Should I invest in a craft beer startup? and 3.) What's the outlook for the industry?
The panel was moderated by Lisa Morrison, who opened the session with a question to the audience: "Who is here because they want to open a brewery?" The question was met with a sea of hands shooting into the air. The follow-up question was met with a much different response:"Who is here because they want to invest in a brewery?" Silence fell on the room as a few brave potential investors raised their hands.
A Migration Towards a Niche Market
McKean Banzer-Lausgerg from Migration Brewing talks about Portland's competitive landscape
In a recent post published at The New School, Ben Edmunds, a columnist for the site, prompted us to think about the point at which Portland would be considered a saturated beer market. Framed in the article as the Portland Beer Apocalypse, Ben offers his take on this very real possibility, saying:
"I fear for the Portland brewpubs. Already forced to compete with a tough restaurant scene, brewpubs are strained by large outlays of cash and credit for brewing systems, as well as the challenge of running both a brewery and restaurant." He goes on to say, "I fear that good beer and the best intentions may simply not be enough to make a brewery succeed. I hope I am wrong, but I’ll be surprised if the city can handle forty-plus breweries and brewpubs sustainably."
Drink Beer, and help PSU students headed to Uganda!
As some of you know, my wife, Jessica, is part of a Portland State University student group heading to Uganda next week as part of a three-week field seminar studying International Community Development. And, as you may imagine, the cost of travel, tuition, and immunizations isn’t cheap. So before the group departs, they’re holding one last fundraising event – which doubles as a bon voyage party – at the newly opened Breakside Brewery in North Portland.
With the support of some generous local breweries, Scott Lawrence, one of Breakside’s owners, has agreed to open early on Saturday with some great beers on tap. Stop by between noon and 3:oopm, grab a pint (or two) and support the PSU student group as they prepare for this amazing opportunity. Featured beers will include:
A Trip to Sisters, and Three Creeks Brewery
View from the road, driving through Sisters
If you haven't been to Sisters, OR, you're missing out. We rented a house just outside of town for Memorial Day Weekend this year, where views from our deck afforded us some of the best mountain views I've seen in Oregon. When we weren't exploring the surrounding parks and trails, we spent most of our weekend relaxing and enjoying the view. We didn't want to do much else. There was one exception, however.
Sisters is home to Three Creeks Brewery. The Brewery is located just southeast of downtown in what looks to be a rehabbed old barn. The build-out is beautiful. Separated into two parts: a restaurant and a bar, we grabbed a table in the bar on Saturday afternoon and ordered a taster tray.
