Friday, May 6, 2011

East End Brewery Needs Your Help

East End Brewery Co. Growler
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the East End Brewery Co. wants to expand operations and move out of their Homewood headquarters and move into a larger building in the Larimer neighborhood. The total budget for the expansion is $500,000, half of that amount is for the purchase of the new building and the other $250K goes toward brewing equipment and installation.  Owner Scott Smith and his wife Julie are hoping to raise $100,000 of pre-sold beer to close the funding gap.

Instead of collecting investors to close the funding gap, Smith is seeking the support of loyal East End customers.  He is looking for 100 customers to front the brewery $1,000 in exchange for $1,000 worth of vouchers for East End products.  Smith's rationale for the $1,000 request is that a typical customer might spend $500 a year on East End beer (avg person would buy two growlers of beer every other week over the course of one year). An "investor" would also be privy to special benefits such as a private opening for the new brewery, a T-shirt, first chance to try limited brews, and have their names on the wall stating "Good Beer Investors."

Scott has provided the Blast Furnace with a link to FAQs that discusses in detail the investment program. Individuals interested in the investor program can visit http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/926.  East End Brewery products can be purchased at the brewery or the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District.

East End Brewery opened its doors in 2005 and consists of one full time and two part-time employees and a couple of volunteers.  They have steadily grown since 2005, brewing 1,800 barrels last year.  This definitely has me interested in stopping by sometime soon.

This contributor, after further thought, has drunk the Big Hop IPA at the Saloon in Mt. Lebanon.  I'll leave the reviews of the beers for some of the aficionados on the blog who have been to the brewery and consumed the large growlers.  I suppose if I drank $500 worth of local beer a year it would be nice to be appreciated by the maker and have my name on their wall for eternity.  Buy Local!
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8 comments:

  1. Bigelow_BlvdMay 6, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    This sounds too good to be true...a free t-shirt, first to taste new beers, and have my name on a wall! Somehow this seems like an advanced pyramid scam. I would love to invest in this, but in reality it is a donation. I really don't see the big picture benefit for an investor.

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  2. stellerMay 6, 2011 at 11:21 PM

    expanding operations means more BIG HOP!!! the best beer ever! i have the growler in the picture, def soon to be iconic haha

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  3. mark hoehnMay 6, 2011 at 11:50 PM

    someone asked me about this it is NOT an investment only $1,000.00 dollars in prepaid beer. You would have no equity stake what so ever! Might be great beer though that i don't know not a drinker.

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  4. Ben StateMay 9, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    I've been thinking about getting into home brewing and I'm a big advocate for microbrews and local products in general. I've only had East End beer once or twice before, but this is tempting. Anyone interested in a Blast Furnace field trip to the East End Brewery for some field research? Maybe we could get together a group "investment" in the name of PGH Blast Furnace so that our little blog can live on in perpetuity?

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  5. R KornMay 9, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    Defintely need a research day, maybe golf in the morning then the brewery in the afternoon. We have to be professional though, since it would be business. Also can discuss topics and potential Blast Furnace feature pieces and potential interviews

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  6. stellerMay 9, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    I have been there before, they have limited hours... unless that has changed since I last visited. From what I can remember they are only open from 5-7 pm on Fridays, and I think 4-6 on Saturdays. Its funny because the workers encourage you to drink as much as you can while you're there, because the drinks are free (as long as your purchase a growler or two). The growlers are also moderately priced, so it's a great time all around, and you get to bring some 'souvernirs' home with you.

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  7. Ben StateMay 10, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    Every time I check the blog, I see the above picture and just want to guzzle down that growler.

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  8. R KornMay 11, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    oh yes, Big Hop. A favorite from the Saloon

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