How do you become one of the largest breweries in one of the most
beer-loving states in the country these days, and not sell a single drop to
drink in your taproom? The incredible growth of Seattle's Georgetown
Brewing Company, and the way they've done it, could leave a lot of beer
lovers and business owners scratching their heads.
And yet, Manny Chao and Roger Bialous have successfully zigged when
everyone else has intentionally zagged. Bodhizafa IPA won gold at the Great
American Beer Festival in the most-entered category, yet remains relatively
unknown outside the Pacific Northwest. It wasn't even until 2017 that
Georgetown beers were sold in anything other than kegs. At a time when beer
enthusiasts decry the death of flagship beers, Manny's Pale Ale remains
more than two-thirds of production for the 17-year old brewery.
All this might seem odd, but there's more. Situated among other warehouses
in an industrial section of Seattle, the taproom was still consistently
busy when I visited this past fall. People waited to buy cans and growlers
to go and as I sat down with Roger to talk about the brewery, I admittedly
did not know the extent to how much what he'd say would surprise me. It's
easy to get locked in on what's common and successful in today's beer
industry, not so much to recognize just how special some histories and
business plans can be.
This is Roger Bialous, co-founder and owner of Georgetown Brewing. Listen
in.
