Now look what I have gone and done...

[Dronfieldbrewer]

Here's the short version of a long story:---

I have been brewing beer at home for about 3 yrs now with my little kit (100litres), cobbled together from scrap and bits of bent stainless. I have learned how to brew by trial and error. In those passing years, I have slowly developed skills that I never knew I had and in the process produced beers that I have been proud to give to friends and relatives.

The last few brews have been very well received, judged by local brewers and found to be really good. One brewer even asked me for the recipe for a bitter as he thought my beer was better out of a bottle than his out of a hand pull....my ego was totally stroked...

A few months ago, I looked at going pro from home, converting the garage into a micro, supplying the odd beer festival and the local pub, this was kicked into touch as the red tape brigade got their little teeth into me....planning permission, food licenses, problems with insurance, the last straw was the local council wanting to speak to the water board about effluent licenses, I also thought long and hard, do I really want to live in a brewery, the odd smells, the possibility of rodents etc. The wife would not take to kindly to it long term I am sure, all for a few quid per brew...

Any way sometimes things just happen... A chance meeting over a beer with an old friend, the little whisper from him that he knows a local brewery that is looking for help, crumpled phone number thrust into my hand...a phone call and 2 meetings later, deal done:-

Next week, 1st brew going through..Just ordered a load of casks (open wallet surgery), hops ordered, malt being delivered. Registering Dronfield Brewery with HMRC..."Oh **** this is real!!" wish me luck!! 4Bbls (144 gallons) being launched at the general public at the end of next month...

 

[LeedsBrewer]

:clap: :clap: Congrats mate, that sounds great. Hope all goes well :thumb: :)

 

[calumscott]

Awesome!! You missed one vital bit though...

...where can WE get our mitts on yer beer??.

 

[johnnie]

Nice one. Hope it works out.

 

[pittsy]

well done , i really hope it works out , we can all dream maybe 1 day a west midland hefeweizen bier

 

[dennisking]

Well done Rob, should pop over and speak to Shane about he's last year.

 

[eggman]

:clap: :clap: Well done Rob :hat:

 

[misfit]

Good luck :thumb:

Hope everything works out for you :

 

[bobsbeer]

Well done and good luck with the new venture. :thumb: :clap:

 

[Springer]

Good luck Rob. :
S

 

[carl_saint]

Great stuff mate! Was born in Dronfield (well chesterfield, but lived in Dronfield!) so great to see it put on the map!

 

[jonnymorris]

Fair play. Best of luck.

 

[mmaguy41]

Sounds great, look forward to seeing how you get on, let us know where we can get the beers

 

[joe1002]

Well done Rob, good luck :

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

In the short run, I have only 1 outlet that I can count on, I am sure that with a lot of effort I will be able to get rid of the first brew and develop regular custom here in Dronfield, there are over 40 bars and pubs locally serving real ale in one guise or other, if going a bit further afield, there are plenty in Sheffield, Chesterfield etc...I will be brewing once a month initially as I still have another business to run for now.

The deal I have done really suits me. I pay upfront an agreed amount for a time slot in the brewery and for use of all equipment and the cleaning stuff required, they have a spare fermenter that is designated to my brews, my malt is kept separate as are the hops...My brewery is registered to their premises, I go and brew on the designated day under the watchful eye of the head brewer, I then visit as often as I like to take samples. when ready, I rack off into my casks these held separately from the main breweries stock..I then sell the beer, delivering from the beer store in the brewery for what ever I want to sell it at

In return I assist the brewer in general around the brewery, new recipes for the main brewery are brewed on my little kit as a pilot plant...so a win-win...I get to play with a 4Bbl plant and develop my own brewery without the massive investment in a 4 Bbl brewery, they get an income from a redundant fermenter and the use of a pilot plant. If it goes **** up, I sell the casks to another brewery and walk away, if it goes well I buy more days at the brewery, if it goes really well I set up my own brewery....Its brilliant

 

[dennisking]

Win win.

 

[JimmyB78]

Sounds like a great set up, hope it works out for you!

 

[carl_saint]

Sounds brilliant! I'm very jealous!

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

The moral of the story is..if you give lots of people your beer for them to judge, sooner or later sommat will happen...

I have to thank everyone on this forum for their support and kind words over these past few years, the bank of knowledge and enthusiasm held with you all is massive as is the friendship offered by all parties...I could not have done this without you :drunk:

 

[mattrickl06]

Good man - thats a great story.

If you need any advice with the books, tax or anything else financial drop me a mail :