The Good, the Bad and the Ugly… wah, wah, waaaah!

The Good

I saw this article today and it got me all excited. It’s an piece from BusinessWeek talking about the micro brewery/craft brewery scene. In a nutshell, the article points out how profitable the craft beer scene is. As a homebrewer who aspires to “go pro”, this is exciting news. Starting a business is a huge step for anyone to take. The restaurant business is one of the worst business to get into. There’s a ridiculously high failure rate associated with the restaurant business and as a result, not to many investors.

Despite the optimism of the article, opening up a micro brewery only is fraught with it’s own share of pitfalls. In today’s climate, the price of raw materials (malt, hops, metals, glass, building materials) have all skyrocketed. Then you actually have to craft a good beer. Thankfully, the American palette is changing and craft beers are starting to get more of the spotlight. They’re becoming an easier sell.

As I look to the future for myself, my wife, and my family, it seems the dream of having our own craft brewpub is not so far out of reach after all.

The Bad

I forgot to mention in a previous post on beer happenings in the Bay Area, Rogue Public House in connection with the Epicurian Connection is holding a Beer and Cheese Pairing Event on Wednesday, February 13, 2008. On the menu are 10 cheeses paired with 10 beers. The wife and I went to this event last year and we had a great time. Most importantly, we got to try something we never have had prior, beer and cheese.

So, why is this under the “The Bad” section? The event is sold out! I called them Monday afternoon and I was informed the event had sold out already. I was put on a wait list but I’m not holding my breath. I hope that there’s a cancellation and that I am able to go but you never know. Better to expect the worst but hope for the best.

The Ugly

I met with Sammy, and my culinary consultants Judy and Joanna. After a bit of discussion, we decided to postpone the Malternative: Beer & Dessert Pairing Event. We’re not canceling, just pushing the event date from the 15th to the 29th.

There were a number of reasons for this but the main culprit was bad planning. Sammy and I wanted to give our friends an alternative to the traditional Valentine’s Day activities but I guess our friends wanted to stay traditional after all. What I completely didn’t even notice was that this weekend is President’s Day weekend. That means everyone’s trying to get out of town for some skiing or for a break. That in itself was the proverbial straw that broke this camel’s back. So, the team decided they wanted to push this back to give everyone who wanted to go a chance to make it.

Trying to organize these events can be difficult, challenging, and a drain on resources. This goes far beyond monetary resources, I am talking specifically about time. Judy lives and goes to school in San Francisco while the rest of the team is here in San Jose. It takes time to choose the beers, develop the menu and coordinate production. Hopefully when the event does launch, our friends will think it was worth the wait.

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