Q&A: Exhibit 'A' Brewing expanding to Maine, getting innovative with beer
Photo | Google
Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co. in Framingham
Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co., based in Framingham, announced at the beginning of May it would begin selling its beer in the Maine market. Ahead of that expansion, General Manager Kelsey Roth spoke to WBJ about how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted business, lessons learned and why Maine is the best next step for the brewery.
What spurred the decision to expand to Maine, and what will Exhibit A’s Maine offerings consist of?
As we grow and increase our production, it gives us a chance to explore new markets. Maine has a great craft beer scene, and we are very excited to see our beers alongside so many other great beers and pouring on draft in our favorite bars and restaurants. We will be focusing on our core beers: Goody Two Shoes Kölsch, The Cat's Meow IPA, Hair Raiser DIPA and Briefcase Porter. We expect to ship some specialty beers there on occasion as well.
What does the expansion mean for Exhibit A and its customers?
Well, the best part is you'll be able to find our beer in more places. We all love visiting Maine whenever we can, so on a personal level we are thrilled to see our beer up there. And we are excited to be able to introduce our beers to people who may never had a chance to get it before. On a business level, being able to produce more means we are able to hire more people. Our production team is now up to seven people, and we're keeping them all pretty busy. But increasing production also means we need to focus even more on quality control. So part of that process involves expanding our quality control laboratory, as well.
How has the pandemic shutdown impacted business?
The biggest hit we are seeing is the loss of taproom business and the loss of draft accounts like bars and restaurants. While we have been able to shift some of that business to can sales, both from the taproom and wholesale, it means our costs go up significantly as well. However, we are grateful we are still able to come to work each day.
Have there been any standout lessons learned from the pandemic’s impact on sales or operations?
The biggest lesson we learned is all companies, no matter the size, need to be agile and be able to shift quickly. The companies that are going to come out on the other side of this are the ones that have been able to adapt, be creative with solutions, and don't have too many eggs in one basket. We feel our position of having a healthy balance of taproom business mixed with wholesale business is what allowed us to pivot quickly to adapt to a drastic and sudden change in the market.
How do you decide what kind of beer to brew? Is it personal taste?
A lot of factors go into deciding what beers to brew. Some of it is market driven or season driven, such as what styles are popular right now or if it's summertime fewer people may be looking for dark heavy beers and want lighter fruit driven beers. But some of it is what the staff wants to drink. We had been talking for a while about doing a blonde coffee beer and recently we had a chance to brew one with our friends from Share Coffee in Hadley called To Go Cup. It's a bit of a nod to the new to-go culture we are adapting to right now, but it's a light, easy-drinking beer with a touch of coffee great to drink on nice warm days. It's available for sale now from our taproom and at local liquor stores.
Are you excited about any new and upcoming offerings, whether in product or programming?
We are excited to just have people back at the brewery enjoying a beer. Our management team has been working really hard with the City of Framingham to get our beer garden ready for when it is safe to reopen, and exactly what that would look like to ensure a safe and healthy environment for everyone. A lot is going into the layout, systems, staffing and safety protocols and we are feeling pretty good about how it's coming along. We look forward to once again raising a pint with everyone from a safe physical distance.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Staff Writer Monica Busch.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments