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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Custom BrewCrafters to expand, bottle

Just saw this posted on BeerAdvocate. I have always liked the folks, the beer, and the business model at Custom BrewCrafters, a little brewery in a little town (with a big falls) in upstate New York. To see them doing so well (about 22% growth a year over ten years? Nice!) is a great indicator that things are indeed hitting a tipping point.

You can get a look at the plans here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lew, this may not be fair, but do you have any words about Blacksburg, VA? How do the bar owners feel, if nothing else? Rivermill, the Cellar, etc.

Loren said...

Awesome news. CBFanwish @ BA is probably their biggest pimper. BTW...is that picture really a barn? Guess it's not out of place in that area of NY.

:-)

Lew Bryson said...

Loren,
It does look like a barn, doesn't it? The story seemed to imply that it was a pre-existing building...some kind of dairy store? Radical exterior re-design? Dunno.

Lew Bryson said...

Rebecca,
I haven't talked to anyone in the area; I never know what to say. I guess this where my not being a journalist comes out. I can't bring myself to call and ask "How are you coping?" when the only story is that story.
That said, it's got to be tough in the student bars, especially a brighter, fun place like Rivermill, or some of the more nightclubby places.

I remember something Jerry Bailey at Old Dominion told me after 9/11. He said their beer sales in the area right around the Pentagon plummeted for about two weeks. The bartenders in the area said everyone was drinking liquor, shots of liquor. I wonder if something like that's going on in Blacksburg.

okbrewer said...

To piggy-back on both directions of this thread: Lew, Keep your eyes on Krebs Brewing Co., makers of Choc Beer. They too are expanding and will be distributing to Arkansas, Missouri, and...NEW YORK! Seems someone in NY contacted them about getting the Choc Beer up there!

In the other direction, a more somber note: Today is April 19th, the 12 year anniversary of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Bldg. in OKC. Some things never change...

Lew Bryson said...

That's good news about Krebs, Bob. Folks, Choc is one of the good things about OK's backwards beer laws: Krebs has made a tasty, interesting session-strength beer, largely because the law made them. Kind of the same reason British brewing has tended towards session-strength beers, though there it's taxes, not regs. Best of luck to them. (Hey, Bob: another funny synchronicity like you and I have been having lately: I'm wearing the Huebert cap today, first time in months. It just happened to fall out of the closet, so I put it on. How's he doing? I hope either the beer's better or he's out of business...)

And thanks for the reminder of April 19th, Bob. I'll be thinking of you and your family, and saying a prayer for the people in the empty chairs.