Not long ago, when a brewery opened its doors, it was more often than not the first brewery in town or at least the neighborhood. Being the “local” brewery meant that there was little competition.
Those days have changed.
It’s not uncommon now for small towns to have a number of breweries competing with each other. In some urban areas like Denver, it seems there is a brewery every few blocks. Many brewers in saturated markets are looking at ways to differentiate themselves from the competition. Combining spirits production with brewing adds a new twist.
Ska Brewing Company is not the first to take on this idea, but they might be the first to coin the term “brewstillery.” They hope that combing their distilling business with their brewing business will add new customers – for both.
Each state has different regulations regarding ownership and licensing of beer and spirits manufacturing, but as more and more brewers are finding, there are creative ways to make it happen.
Full story on Ska here.
Find out more about setting up your own Brewstillery here