EP-085 John Barley of Solemn Oath Brewery
Sometimes it feels like every small craft brewery is in constant expansion\u2014and the numbers back up that general sentiment. More capacity, bigger brewhouses, contracting out, and bringing canning lines in\u2014there\u2019s an endless number of dependencies when you\u2019re building out an expanded space in the hopes of meeting demand or chasing a growing market. And on the surface, these expansions seem obvious, almost simple. Afterthoughts in a market where success still seems inevitable for many.\xa0 But behind those expansions are a thousand tiny decisions, and a few really big ones, that add up to hope and anxiety, victories and defeats, self-doubt and over-confidence. But somehow, through all those ups and downs that any small business owner is all too familiar with, you have to have the unwavering faith that it\u2019ll all work out.\xa0 Today\u2019s guest is John Barley of Solemn Oath. I was there when they first fired up the brewhouse in 2012. I\u2019ve been there alongside their many phases of growth over the subsequent few years. And today, I want to bring you a story about the project that pushed them, the entire team really, to their limits. Over the past year, they\u2019ve replaced the brewhouse, their cold storage, brought in a canning line, and even mundane things like the boiler, condenser, all the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that makes the expansion possible\u2014an expansion that, for a while, looked like it might be too much.\xa0 But here he is, on the other side. Not unscathed,\xa0but perhaps appropriately scathed. And better off for it.