My new brewery...

[unclepumble]

Just seen this lot for sale?
Good price too.

Have you thought better of commercial brewing Jon.

UP

 

[leedsbrew]

I hope it's just cos of an upgrade!

Where did you see it unc?

 

[graysalchemy]

I have Just found this on his website

The End of Rough Draft
Sadly, the venture that was Rough Draft Brewing has been been closed down. This is as a consequence, albeit indirectly, of the current economic climate. The plan for Rough Draft was to spend three-four years developing the business in my spare-time whilst I was working for a very supportive employer in a full-time role elsewhere. Sadly, the recession has forced my employer into Liquidation. The brewery, fun as it is, is not yet positioned to allow me to draw any salary form the business. Currently, I have no full-time job and when I do get one it is likely it will be away from home. This means that running the brewery is no longer possible.

I have shut down all brewery operations and am currently looking for a buyer of either the brewery as a unit, or of the assets separately.

Thanks for all of the support shown to me in recent months.

Take care

Sorry to hear that Jon.

Hope things get better for you. :thumb:

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

I have Just found this on his website

The End of Rough Draft
Sadly, the venture that was Rough Draft Brewing has been been closed down. This is as a consequence, albeit indirectly, of the current economic climate. The plan for Rough Draft was to spend three-four years developing the business in my spare-time whilst I was working for a very supportive employer in a full-time role elsewhere. Sadly, the recession has forced my employer into Liquidation. The brewery, fun as it is, is not yet positioned to allow me to draw any salary form the business. Currently, I have no full-time job and when I do get one it is likely it will be away from home. This means that running the brewery is no longer possible.

I have shut down all brewery operations and am currently looking for a buyer of either the brewery as a unit, or of the assets separately.

Thanks for all of the support shown to me in recent months.

Take care

Sorry to hear that Jon.

Hope things get better for you. :thumb:

Oh bollox Jon, this is bad news

 

[Mark1964]

very sad but thats the way this **** country is these days loads of ventures going under its a shame :x

 

[dennisking]

I only hope that some time in the future you can start up again. Having sampled your beer it is as good if not better than a lot of micro's I have sampled. All the best.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Sad to hear this Jon, all the best regarding a new employer.

You had the bollox to give it a go... :thumb:

BB

 

[beer taster]

Where did you see it unc?

its advertised here

 

[Jon474]

Thanks for the kind thoughts. It is sad. I watched all my brewery kit being loaded on to a lorry on Monday. Still, it has gone to a good bunch of lads from Derby - The Golden Duck Brewery - so I hope to see it being put to good use very soon. Ironic then that Junction 51 - my newest beer - won the award for Best Bitter at the Doncaster Beer Festival last weekend. I was told this on the day they took all the kit away. Oh well.

Sadly, there was no way I could keep the brewery open. I could either work on it full-time...and run out of money personally, because the brewery could not yet support me and the family...or get a full-time job elsewhere and have no time to run the brewery during the working week...and then the brewery would run out of money because I would have no time to sell beer. Catch 22.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

Anyway, at least I can now come to the Hot Break as a genuine home brewer! Time to decide on a recipe...

Take care
Jon

 

[graysalchemy]

Well done : :

Take my hat off to you. :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

Damn fine attitude that, Jon! :thumb:

Hope the job works out, and you never know what the future holds, there's nothing to say you won't get another stab at commercial brewing in the future.

:

 

[Hawks]

I missed the original post of this so just read from start to finish.. I am truly gutted for you, but great attitude and spirit shown throughout :thumb:

I look forward to hearing about you setting up again in the future !

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

Theres a beer at Ickle brew with your name on it at all times Jon. Sorry to hear the bad news. At least the kit will be put to good use intact

 

[cutnrun]

I was really sad to read through all this.

I am origionally a nortallerton boy and my parents now live in Kirkby fleetham 3 or 4 miles from Leaming bar.

The first couple of pages i felt really proud that a local boy had made good and gutted that you had to give it up.

Well fingers crossed things pick up for you and i may one day get to sample a pint!

 

[Jon474]

Well, looks like I can still do some brewing, thanks to a very generous offer from Dave Wall at Wall's Brewing Company in Northallerton.

Dave has offered me the chance to brew my beer when he has spare capacity in his very busy and successful brewery.

First off, I am hoping to make some batches of the award-winning Junction 51 and of my two best-sellers, George Perkins and Leeming Gold. I hope to start brewing again in mid-June.

In addition, I met with Hambleton District Council this week to hand back the keys on my old brewery. Part of that process was a discussion about where I could build my next brewery. HDC have suggested a site in Stokesley that is becoming available in Summer 2013. Am I interested? Yes, yes, yes! The biggest lesson learned from the last year...I can't do this alone. I need someone to look after the selling and marketing side of the business.

Right, time to dust off those recipes, and get out those designs for the pump clips? Rob, I'm going to need some vials of WLP002 on 11 June...any chance?

Take care
Kind regards
Jon

 

[graysalchemy]

Glad to see you have got that fighting spirit. :thumb:

Marketing and selling is one thing that people think will naturally happen with a business, but is probably one of the hardest aspects of business.

Glad to see you are back on your feet again :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

Jon, you've probably already looked into this but depending on where you locate there may be grants available for plant/labour etc. I see to remember some years back there was a forum member who applied to extend his pub with a brewery on site where a big %age (£40,000 IIRC) of the start up was met by grant funding...can't remember where it was though...Yorkshire somewhere, we had a NCBA meet there :hmm:
Good to see you're still trying

 

[calumscott]

:

We like good news! :thumb:

There are companies out there that will do the online sales bit for you. I think the model is they take delivery of your stock and warehouse it and flog it on your behalf for a cut of the proceeds. Not sure if it stacks up at the microbrew size mind.

Marketing is hard. There's no escaping it. Get it right though and its the big time.

We were just saying on another thread somewhere that there is a bit of a groundswell for "cool" craft beer. Good quality, innovative flavour and punchy marketing.

I'll take a couple of bottles when they're ready... :thumb: :drink:

 

[gjohnk]

Looking at this thread, I like the idea of a new microbrewery/home-brewer using an existing brewery's equipment/set up.

Is there potential in hiring a brewery in this manner but still selling it yourself?
Any one know the requirements for this?
Obviously you would still need a personal license, perhaps also a premises licence as you would be storing your bottles/firkins at home and selling them from there (I was thinking as well as selling direct to pubs also telephone/online sales).
Would environmental health or planning be required though? You arent making a 'food' product but you will be storing and passing on.

Anyone have a clue?

 

[oz11]

Looking at this thread, I like the idea of a new microbrewery/home-brewer using an existing brewery's equipment/set up.

Is there potential in hiring a brewery in this manner but still selling it yourself?

There's a few "cuckoo breweries" out there. Some start off that way while they get their own premises/plant sorted. Others, like these guys, seem happy with their cuckoo arrangement. You could contact them for advise.