When life gives you lemons some people make lemonade. In the case of the rising Crooked Run Brewery, life was handing out barley and hops so why not make something better? For young entrepreneur Jake Endres all he has ever wanted was to run a brew pub which could sell what he loves to make, beer.
This isn’t your normal weekend warrior home brew crafting kit. Crooked Run has grown relationships to local farm sources, including Stoney Brook Farm, as well as begun growing hops on site. All of the local sourcing has created a fresh and unique flavor. The beer is so good it’s already won a few awards, including the recent 2012 Upstate Brewers Cup. Underlying the fantastic libations is the mindset that doing what you love can be rewarding.
After graduating college Jake Endres found himself in a position that many recent graduates experience in today’s job market. He was ready to start a career in a recession. In fact he’d still be in that position if it weren’t for new legislation by the State of Virginia regarding alcohol producers.
“A law passed the State legislature [House Bill 604] a few months ago which allows breweries to sell what they make on premise. Previously all beers had to be packaged in growlers for sale only”. This law allows breweries to avoid the stringent Virginia requirements to provide 50% of sales through food, the restaurant-pub regulations. “I’ve never wanted to own a restaurant; I just want to sell my beer. With the removal of the regulations on breweries the start-up costs went down. I have been brewing since I was 21 and decided to just go for it.”
The entrepreneurial spirit extends to the help he is receiving to get going. Longtime friend Jordan Clough, owner of the growing edible landscape architecture company YardCraft, helped plan and design the hops trellis and grounds layout. “I got my inspiration from Dutch hops systems which were efficient and allowed harvesting without impact on the trellis structure. We found plenty of material source for bamboo which fit in nicely with the budget.”
With some help and advice from other local nano-brewers, and a few calls with ABC officials who weren’t aware of the new regulations, Jake is now at the final leg of getting operations going. “I want to sell the beer directly on our brew pub farm, complete with a tasting room and to connect with people at local farmers markets.” The community aspect of Crooked Run is extended into the plans for some of the profits they hope to make. “We want some of the revenue we make to go directly towards conservation and watershed protection in our area.”
Jake hasn’t begun commercial production yet. He is contemplating the next steps in scaling up from the handful of kegs he makes for friends and family today to a three-tier 55 gallon brew system and sheltered green room which can keep brewing year long. “My goal is eventually to have 5 or 6 unique brews that identify us available for patrons” as he handed me his American brown ale, Nature’s Warden, which has big hoppy rich flavors. To get there Jake has taken to social media and his latest goal will include a Kickstarter campaign which can help scale up his operation. (More information when available).
I really enjoyed the Trappiste Belgian style I was handed next and it was striking how much the lack of aging improved the tastes. Sitting out on a great summer day in Waterford, the small town which is the home for Crooked Run, I could tell that the combination of the great drink and scenic surroundings would be a hit for any beer lover.
Crooked Run will get started with a passion for brewing, a limited amount of grounds, and the attitude that Jake wouldn’t let his life be dictated by the job market. It’s this mindset combined with the removal of antiquated and small business stifling requirements that continues to provide inspiration and optimism to the inheritors of the US economy.