So who is the Southern Cross Brewing Company?

[idzy]

Who are these people to make their business commercially viable? What a disgrace! Don't they understand that all 'true craft breweries' run at a loss and eventually should go bankrupt?! Fooey fooey to the sell outs!

 

[Coodgee]

I have entertained the idea of starting a small "micro-brewery" cafe/pub kind of place. It struck me as a potential option to, rather than purchase all that brewing gear, reduce the start-up cost by having my own recipes brewed on contract at an established brewing facility. The downside is that you don't have the shiny kettles and mash tuns in the background but you could still call yourself and a bewing company and have your own beers on top. Really successful micros end up doing this anyway when they get popular (such as newstead brewing co).

 

[MastersBrewery]

I have entertained the idea of starting a small "micro-brewery" cafe/pub kind of place. It struck me as a potential option to, rather than purchase all that brewing gear, reduce the start-up cost by having my own recipes brewed on contract at an established brewing facility. The downside is that you don't have the shiny kettles and mash tuns in the background but you could still call yourself and a bewing company and have your own beers on top. Really successful micros end up doing this anyway when they get popular (such as newstead brewing co).

The problem being most contractors are pretty solidly booked, well loved and established micros are finding demand for their more popular offerings out weigh the production. So to keep loyal customers they regularly contract out a % until demand is great enough that upgrading facilities is financially feasible.

 

[NewtownClown]

My problem with this approach is the lack of integrity by hiding the true provenance of the product.
You may order the beer because the label gives the impression that it is a house brand (contract brewed or not), something local and unique to that venue when in fact it is not. The same beer may be purchased in another venue under another name with an equally misleading label.
They are treating the consumer as fools.

 

[NewtownClown]

I have entertained the idea of starting a small "micro-brewery" cafe/pub kind of place. It struck me as a potential option to, rather than purchase all that brewing gear, reduce the start-up cost by having my own recipes brewed on contract at an established brewing facility. The downside is that you don't have the shiny kettles and mash tuns in the background but you could still call yourself and a bewing company and have your own beers on top. Really successful micros end up doing this anyway when they get popular (such as newstead brewing co).

Unless you have a number of micros near you that have spare production capacity and are happy to produce small batches for you, a large contract brewer will be your only choice. The size of batches you will be committed to will demand you having customers beyond your pub/cafe and there isn't much profit in selling contract brewed beer wholesale.
Starting with a brewhouse with the capacity to supply your retail customers, with enough spare to package and get out into the market, may be a better idea. You'll make a larger profit and have greater control over your batches. As your brand out grows capacity, your option could be to utilise a large contract brewer for your packaged product (kegs/bottles), some of them even take care of the logistics in supplying your wholesale customers.

 

[spog]

My problem with this approach is the lack of integrity by hiding the true provenance of the product.
You may order the beer because the label gives the impression that it is a house brand (contract brewed or not), something local and unique to that venue when in fact it is not. The same beer may be purchased in another venue under another name with an equally misleading label.
They are treating the consumer as fools.

Being up front and honest solves all the issues," brewed under contract" on the label or a sign over the bar fixes the issue.
Mind you as blackboards are all the rage these days ,one stating the hopeful intent of some day doing it on premise would go down well,I know it would get me onside.

 

[NewtownClown]

Being up front and honest solves all the issues," brewed under contract" on the label or a sign over the bar fixes the issue.
Mind you as blackboards are all the rage these days ,one stating the hopeful intent of some day doing it on premise would go down well,I know it would get me onside.

I doubt you'd be still onside if you were to visit a number of venues in an area and find a beer that it supposed to be exclusive to each venue is the SAME beer at each. The only thing being "exclusive" is the name.

"Up front and honest" would have to include signage that states the beer with a unique name and label is exactly the same as the beer at the venue up the road with a different name.

I have no problems with contract brewing - there are many fine "gypsy" brewing companies producing some of my favourite beers.
I recently brewed a beer at 4 Pines, Manly for a venue to sell exclusively. It was very popular and I was approached by another venue to do the same.
I could have reproduced the same beer and given it a different moniker, but where is the integrity in doing that? Pretending two venues are selling two different beers, when in fact they are the same, is treating the consumer as idiots.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Most consumers do have the wool pulled over their eyes, no matter what the product, when you see no name brands in the supermarket shelves they could be exactly the same in two or three chains carrying the retailers names as well as the branded version being on the same shelves in those chains, put a hold on integrity and make money. No body is going to hold that against you.

On the contract brewing the consumers of the contracted beer will have wanted to hear or seen some sort of advertising, they aren't the same as a home brewer who's curiosity will get the better of him and give it a try.
Advertising costs money because it works, and is needed, how many crap products have been successful due to an aggressive and clever advertising campaign.

At the end of the day for a beer to be successful it isn't up to the landlord of a public house to get into advertising, why should he, when all the major breweries spend a fortune on advertising and he knows that will sell.
For a contract brewery to be a success for me, I would set my sights on the micro's who can't keep up with demand, and dip my bread in their soup.

 

[klangers]

Why do (commercial) breweries exist?

To make money.

Why do (commercial) contract breweries exist?

To make money as per their brewing contract.

If the brewing contract doesn't have quality KPIs in it - such as diacetyl, dissolved oxygen, bitterness, colour, taste - then why would the contract brewer bother about meeting them? It's going to cost them more and if the foolish customer didn't specify anything then there is no legal recourse.

That said, I don't necessary condone that lack of professionalism.

 

[///]

If the brewing contract doesn't have quality KPIs in it - such as diacetyl, dissolved oxygen, bitterness, colour, taste

Your assuming customers know all those big words just quietly ..,

 

[technobabble66]

+1 to idzy mardoo and AJ. Good to go with tugger's word.

Anyone heard of 8 Wired?? They brewed off guys like this.

I love the shiny shit, but ya gotta pay for it somehow, spanky! It's a business, y'all.

Word.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

One Mile Brewing Company should get the Biggest Balls award, set up in Darwin with a population of about 130,00 (and only about 120,000 more for the whole of the Territory ) mostly Red Necks and Aboriginals who would drink the usual commercial beers.
One has to wonder how long they can survive never mind being profitable, don't know if the brewery is run just by the 2 owners on a part time basis, but where can they expand to?
Shanghai would be a good option plenty of craft beer drunk there, but a small brewery wouldn't be able to keep up with demand, so hats off to those guys they must be doing it for love not profit. Good beer too by the way.