https://www.urbangrowlerbrewing.com/
Sunday-Wednesday-Thursday Noon – 7:00 PM
Friday-Saturday Noon – 10:00 PM
Monday-Tuesday Closed
How did you get started on this brewery adventure?
We met about 15 years ago and shortly after we met we knew we wanted to do a business together. We couldn’t figure out for awhile what business we wanted to do, but eventually we came to the conclusion that we should open a brewery. Right before the brewery opened we got married as well. Deb has been home brewing since the 90s and for 6 years we immersed ourselves in the industry to learn everything we could before opening the brewery. Deb did an apprenticeship at Summit Brewing and also went to school to get her Masters in Brewing in California. It was a big change in lifestyle, we lived off $80 a week and we saved our pennies in order to save up. The one thing that really stood out for us when we toured various breweries is that we were ignored, not taken seriously and the art was offensive to us. We knew we wanted to do things differently at our brewery and we wanted everyone to feel welcome, family friendly, and market to women but never at the exclusion of men.
Can you share about your experience getting a business loan for the brewery?
Just to give a little history, we both had very successful careers, very employable and created a business plan. We had a national award winning business plan, award winning beers, masters in brewery, award winning IPA at the MN state fair and more. We started going to banks, thinking this would be a no-brainer and provided our 160 page business plan, dressed in suits and we were pretty much discounted right from the beginning. After 3 banks we started to dress more as brewers to see if that made a difference. After continuously being turned down we asked “Well, what is it?” Other brewers with less experience were getting the same loans we were asking for. They started to ask “How can you carry those heavy bags of grain, how will you ladies handle the late nights at the brewery, what happens if you get divorced, etc.” They told us the brochures advertising loans to women was just for marketing. After being continuously rejected, a friend connected us with a farmers banker in Mankato called Pioneer Bank and they provided our funding. None of the banks in the Twin Cities would fund us but this bank in Mankato would.
What can businesses and banks do better to support women?
We told the banks that we did everything that was asked of us to do but it wasn’t enough and we still were denied. Why was it easier for these young men to get loans with less experience than us. One of the things banks could do is take the name off of the loan application, it doesn’t need a name or a gender on the application, it can be anonymous.
How difficult was it when you decided to give up your stable careers, to open the brewery?
One of our friends asked, “Will you have regrets if you don’t do it?” and our answer was “Yes”. We thought about the worst that could happen and realized we had to pursue this dream. Also Jill was working crazy hours and always available to her customer and couldn’t turn work off. Deb and a friend of hers had Jill close her eyes and imagine leaving her job and what did her life look like. Jill visibly changed before their eyes and relaxed and was much happier and made the decision to officially quit her job.
What are each of your roles within the brewery?
Jill is the front of the house, social media and marketing, I’m about people and the connection with the community. Deb is the master brewer, and in charge of the kitchen and brewery.
How do you come up with the different varieties of the beer?
It doesn’t really matter what kind of beer we like, due to it being a business, you have to brew beer that people will want to drink. We are ultimate hosts, we want people to enjoy themselves and to share and bring people together through beer. Sometimes fruit beer can appeal to people who like wine, we try to create a variety of types of beers. Another cool thing we have is a plow to pint series, where we partner with small gardeners to use local ingredients for our beers. Deb has a spiral notebook full of beer recipes that we use and we have an instant pilot tap market right in our taproom.
How long did it take you to go from selling in your taproom to a can and sell in other places?
It took about 2 years, which was part of our business plan. We do our own canning and it was quite the investment to setup. We also self distribute our beer, the only way we can get in places is if people ask for us. When people ask for us it really helps get our foot in the door. Can sales is where most of the growth is for us.
Where can people buy your beer now?
Many liquor stores in the Twin Cities, some in St. Cloud and in Rochester and between here and there. We were in a lot of bars and restaurants but due to COVID-19 the draft beer has gone to be very minimal for sales.
What can people expect when visiting Urban Growler during COVID-19?
Our taproom is closed currently. Right now, we are only serving people out in the beer garden which is big, we have expanded into our parking lot. We don’t do table service, it’s basically take out and enjoy your food and drinks at the beer garden. We wipe down terminals between every interaction, we require masks until people are seated at their table. We like to say that we are physically distancing people so they can socialize safely. We have had many people say that they feel very safe at our brewery.
What type of food do you serve?
We have great food that goes with beer. Burgers, salads, veggie bowls, southern fried chicken sandwich, Fridays we have fish fry, family meals for takeout, brownies and more. Many of our sauces include our beer in the recipe and it enhances the taste. We also have root beer floats and beer floats. We also have family friendly options and non alcoholic drinks.
Can you share about the neighborhood that Urban Growler is located in?
It is called the creative enterprise zone, there are a lot of artists, drumming, glass blowing, coffee grounders and more. The tag line is “Making it Here.”
Do you have any regulars that come to the Brewery?
We have many regulars, and many of them are now our friends for life and we never knew before 6 years ago. We have a really great group of support and those regulars continue to show up every single week even when COVID started.