Craft Beer Adds Extra Dimension: Bar and Restaurant Owners Can

Craft Beer Adds Extra Dimension:
Bar and Restaurant Owners Can Tap Profits
With the craft-beer industry on the rise, Rebecca and Anton Romirer considered
opening a brewery and cafe for when the last of their four children headed to school.
A natural choice given that Anton is half Austrian and able to trace his roots back to
a Romirer family pub from the 1800s in Kobenz, Austria.
Meanwhile, Rebecca understands the
food business. As the owner of a Greek
restaurant in New Zealand, Rebecca had
already proven she could keep customers
coming back for her cooking and great
service. Even Anton had experience in
the bar and restaurant industry in Austria.
Brewing beer and running a restaurant
seemed fitting for the pair. They would
use their existing building to house the
brewery, but have a Bier Kafe upstairs to
replace Rebecca’s Greek restaurant. As a
bonus, the location afforded them access
to plenty of Waikato glacial-fed water,
ideal for beer making.
A QUESTION OF TIME
What the couple lacked was one critical
factor: time. As Anton said, “Neither of us
could take the time to go away for
brewmaster training.”
Another time constraint they faced is that
it typically takes new breweries several
years to achieve consistent batches of
quality beer.
Anton Romirer and his lookalike display
their Austrian roots. Anton’s advice to
anyone contemplating starting to brew
craft beer: “Listen to your customers and
follow your heart, and in turn your
customers will pick up on your passion.
Attractive market data, heightened consumer demand and personal determination
meant the Romirers would not abandon their dreams to put their venture, Crafty
Trout Brewing Co., on the map. Instead, they agreed to be the first partner of
Natural Brew Inc., a company with SmartBrew technology that promised to shave
those time investments and minimize risk, without sacrificing beer quality.
2013 vs 2012* U.S. Craft Beer Market
Why
Craft
Beer?
Craft Beer Sales Grew 17.2%; In General, Beer Fell 1.9%
Craft Beer Represented $14.3B of $100B U.S. Beer Market
For 10 years, Craft Beer Has Averaged 10% Growth
By volume, Craft Beer Grew 18%; General Beer Fell 2%
* source: Brewers Association, 2014
Although new to the Romirers, the SmartBrew team included all the experience,
innovation and energy the couple needed.
Meet Brian Watson, a Kiwi who is an award-winning brewmaster and international
beer judge, and made a name for himself by creating beers and by founding,
installing, managing and promoting breweries in Europe, Australasia and the
Americas.
An equally important part of the SmartBrew team is a Canadian entrepreneur and
mechanical engineer. Meet Peter Toombs, who in his role as a manufacturing
executive at DME International has provided brewery systems to more than 600
breweries, ranging from small brewpubs to large-scale regional breweries.
BREAKING THE SET-UP RULES
The partnership presented the Romirers with a solution for launching their venture
quickly and successfully. SmartBrew outfitted the Crafty Trout Brewing Co. with the
technology, equipment and training for craft-beer brewing.
Together, they overcame start-up hiccups and fine-tuned the system development.
Add to that Anton and Rebecca’s research-and-tasting trip, guided by brewmaster
Brian and their shared understanding of flavours and the human palette.
And, within nine months of conceiving their brewing idea, the Romirers were
producing flavour-rich, high-quality beers and ciders.
How SmartBrew Lets Venues Showcase Craft Beer
♦ Brew fresh batches quickly (7-12 days)
♦ Brand your own craft beer
♦ Works with or without an on-site brewmaster ♦ Benefit from SmartBrew expertise
♦ Technology minimizes room for error
♦ Small footprint saves valuable space
♦ Easily double capacity as demand grows
♦ Control the beer varieties you produce
♦ Meet consumer demand for craft beer without investing in full microbrew costs
♦ Serve your own local, high-quality beer, not mainstream or extract-based beer
♦ Automation reduces risk at finicky stages (e.g., carbonation, fermentation, maturation…)
“From inception to perfect batch—no, make that batches—has been faster than
expected,” says Anton. Based on learnings from partners like the Romirers, now
SmartBrew installers take no more than three days to set up the SmartBrew system,
and within 10 to 14 days the first batches of fresh beer or cider can be ready.
The time savings continue into daily operations. A year after opening Crafty Trout
Brewing Co., Anton remarked, “Even the turnaround time for our batches is fast and
mostly hands-off using this automated system. The SmartBrew does it all. Cleaning.
Fermenting. Carbonation. Monitoring. And much more.”
BREWING LOCAL PROFITS AND BUZZ
Apart from time savings, the improved margins are attractive and the system’s
expandable, which led the Romirers to grow their beer selection of Crafty Trout’s
premium brands.
After starting out with three beers and a
cider, the Romirers had nine varieties by
May 2014: Hook Vienna Amber; Line IPA;
Sinker Porter; Lure Granny Smith Cider;
Downrigger Imperial Pale Ale; Jigger
Spiced Hopped Cider; Spinner Special
Batch; Poacher Hefe Weizen; and Spool
Quince Hopped Cider.
Rebecca and Anton pair their drinks with
tantalizing dishes and desserts in the Bier
Kafe. According to Anton, “Our craft beer
delights local clients and tourists alike.
Visitors to the Bier Kafe or Crafty Trout
Brewery are eager to taste high-quality,
local beer.” American tourists with much
exposure to craft beers have been
especially receptive.
A selection of Crafty Trout Brewery Co.
beers and ciders served at the
Bier Kafe’s outdoor patio in Taupo,
on New Zealand’s North Island.
People hear buzz about the brewery and its dining fare through feedback from
previous visitors, via social media and by word-of-mouth recommendations from
local businesses, tourism operators and accommodation providers.
When visitors tour the Crafty Trout Brewing Co. to learn how the complex flavours
are brewed, they find out that fresh worts and quality ingredients, rather than malt
extract feed the SmartBrew system. Seeing the technology at work in a brewery
fascinates people of all ages, but what surprises them most is to see a craft brewery
controlled by an iPad.
For Anton and Rebecca, the thrill comes from meeting new customers and
welcoming locals back through the Bier Kafe or Brewery doors. The owners never
tire of seeing the “joy in customers faces when they experience Crafty Trout beers
and ciders.”
That added dimension to their business stems from brewing quality craft beers,
which they admit SmartBrew made possible. Anton says he recommends the system
to bar owners, restaurateurs, clubhouse operators, hotels and others. “I fail to
understand why anyone would not want one. From the company’s attention to detail
to the ease of expandability, the SmartBrew is second to none.”
Want to become one of SmartBrew’s first partners in the U.S.?
As of spring 2014, bars and hospitality businesses, with or without brewmasters,
can readily enter the craft-brew market by accessing the SmartBrew technology
and its fresh wort from Australian, German and New Zealand breweries.
SIGN UP TODAY or find out more by visiting www.smart-brew.com