Episode 51 - Picking the Right Events for Nano Breweries

BYO Nano Brew Podcast

Events are a great way to bring regulars and new comers into your taproom. On this episode we talkk with three brewers who are working to bring new and exciting experiences to their breweries. From celebrations around new events, to yoga, live music, crafts, and working with charities, events are commonplace again four years since the start of the COVID 19 Pandemic. This episode explores what works, what doesn’t and how can nano breweries reach new customers while keeping the existing ones.

Brian Kulbacki is a 2012 Graduate of the American Brewers Guild Brewing School, where he took their Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering course for Breweries in Planning. Prior to that he graduated from Boston College with a double major in Marketing & Finance. He has worked in marketing for the New England Patriots/Revolution and the Lakewood BlueClaws, as well as finance for Major League Baseball and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He has also managed operations for a family business. Brian founded Departed Soles Brewing Company in 2014, which in 2015 opened its doors to become the first brewery in Jersey City, New Jersey since prohibition, and the first brewery on the east coast to craft gluten free beer in dedicated equipment, along with traditional glutenous beers. The brewery has won medals at GABF, the World Beer Cup, and Best of Craft Beer Awards, among others. The brewery is now run by Brian's dog, Bogan.

Greg Fagen is Co-Founder of Heroes Brewing Company in Rochester, NY. As an avid home brewer, Greg honed his skills and passion for craft beer. He's won 10 medals as an amateur while teaming with fellow beer creators in their garages. Heroes Brewing Company opened in December 2020 after a long 6 year pilgrimage to make the dream of owning a commercial brewery come true. Our is unique in that we partner with local charities and non-profit organizations for every beer we make and we make a donation to them from the sale of canned products. To date we have partnered with over 80 organizations who have benefited from the sale of more than 50,000 cans.

Our philosophy is simple: Heroes don’t look like they used to. They look like you do.

Steven Fuller has been owner of Wackadoo Brewing in Colorado for the last four years. He joined the Army at 17-year-old and spent 14 years as an active duty infantryman and 5 years as a sniper. He completed 3 tours in Iraq, was a Drill sergeant for 3 years, and now says his brewery is the only one in America to be a part of a VFW, that would be VFW 6461 in fountain Colorado.

The brewery also donates 100% of its profits every month to 11 different Veteran nonprofits or Veteran service organizations.

A word on content. This episode specifically be talks about self-harm experiences and prevention. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Lifeline. Additionally, in the United States you can visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of services. Individual countries also have their own resources. It’s OK to not be OK and you’re not alone.

The BYO Nano Podcast Episode 51 is sponsored by:

BYO Nano+ Membership
Get access to hundreds of hours of on-demand videos covering small craft brewery strategies with BYO’s new Nano+ Membership. Learn from craft beer experts watching replays of past NanoCon seminars plus a complete library of in-depth workshops. You’ll also have full online access to all of BYO’s digital content and an annual print magazine subscription. Check out byo.com/nanoplus for more details.

BYO Nano Brew Podcast Episode 51
Host: John Holl
Guests: Greg Fagen, Steven Fuller, and Brian Kulbacki

Contact: [e-mail]
Music: Scott McCampbell