Practical Rebels
Welcome to Practical Rebels: A Branding & Marketing Pod. Join the team at HatchMark Studio as we pull back the curtain and talk branding, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more with our friends, our partners, and our favorite industry experts.
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Practical Rebels
38: From Beer Gardens to Burrows: Building Authentic Spaces in Pensacola
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What happens when you blend craft, community, and Belgian traditions? 🇧🇪
@brettschweigert and @bethschweigert didn’t just start another brewery when they opened the doors to @oddcolonybrewing in 2019 on Palafox Street. They built a safe haven for beer lovers, a place both old and new friends could gather for storytelling and a community third place that is thoughtfully, beautifully designed.
Since then, the couple has expanded their venture into East Hill with @theburrow.oddcolony, adding a full food program to go along with their locally brewed suds. From honoring Pensacola’s history to creating a space for markets, fundraisers, and important conversations, the Schweigerts are redefining what it means to be a local business.
Our friends joined us on this episode of Practical Rebels to discuss their vision, intentions, and how we can create spaces that bring people together.
Meet Beth and Brett Schweiger
Speaker 1All right. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Practical Rebels podcast. How are y'all doing out there? Can't hear you, but I'm just asking how you're doing out there because it's a Friday. We're having fun. V's over here smiling. We have two special guests. How are you doing, v?
Speaker 2I'm good. I just love the tone you're setting for this conversation.
Speaker 1It's a good day, man. You know what? You can't take things too heavy, because we're all going to expire one day, right?
Speaker 2Oh my God, that is a true story Within one minute.
Speaker 1And so I want to introduce.
Speaker 2Who was that?
Speaker 1You know everything's light because you know what On the other side, I don't want to be there. So everything's fine, everything's manageable. We're still Earthside, yes.
Speaker 2What's up boys? Who's joining us today? Ramsey.
Speaker 1I was going to. First off, I have to introduce my wonderful co-host, who's back after three episodes not being here.
Speaker 2It hasn't been three episodes, has it? Yes, oh my God, I'm sorry, I'm slacking.
Speaker 1No, it's okay. It's been a fun rotation, it's good. It's good F. So I'm going to ask for you to introduce our guests, because you're back and I'm ready to get you back into the fall. Let's go.
Speaker 2I'm so excited for this one. Ok, so we are very lucky today to have two people that are massively influential massively influential on the local community for several reasons and also a power couple and also people that I just really look up to and consider friends um, that's very kind beth and brett schweiger yeah I mean, if you live in pensacola you know um their business. Uh, if not them, but uh, beth and brett from odd colony and the borough and the the borough.
Speaker 3Don't forget the borough.
Speaker 1Thank you guys so much for having us. That's applause. That's the crowd. Oh, I see the crowd.
Speaker 3The stands are full.
Speaker 2Yes, but I'm really excited about this one because you opened what Odd Colony Four, Five, Six.
Speaker 3Five and a half Five, and some change, holy cow.
Speaker 2And it really built a niche community around the brewery and, you know, expanded that into a second concept not even just second location but completely different concept, and I'm just really excited to hear like a bit more about the story I've I mean, I've known y'all for years especially from the prior brewery. Yeah, absolutely. But just also, you guys have done such a good job just creating very original brand experiences and, you know, seem to have such a kind of cult following around both of those places, so I want to hear more about that.
Speaker 1I'm going to get an edge.
Speaker 2I'm going to get a lesson today.
Speaker 1It's like riding a bike.
Speaker 4You just crushed that I.
Speaker 3yes, you really did three weeks off and here she is I just need to show up once every once every couple months.
Speaker 1But but anyway, tell us about how you got here, how yeah, let's start from the beginning yes, yes who?
The Craft Beer Origin Story
Speaker 3who the origin, the origin story? Well, you can take it off all right, uh.
Speaker 3So I think obviously at the core of every craft brewery story is, or maybe should be, uh, an interest in craft beer. Yeah, right, uh. So I'm here for that. I think I was a fan, um, you know, very early on out of college, drinking like Europe, you know, european style beer, and slowly the craft movement started to integrate into our collegiate fridge and so, you know, that interest kind of followed me through time and at some point along the way I decided that I wanted to, you know, get into the craft beer scene.
Speaker 3At the same time, simultaneously, beth and I were in a relationship and we had just gotten married, so we decided we wanted to move somewhere close by. That was kind of, you know, a place that had craft beer but also had other things that we were interested in, which is the outdoors, uh, music scene. And so somewhere close by was Asheville, north Carolina, which is somewhat of a Mecca for the craft beer scene, at least in the Southeast, um, and so we moved there. Uh, shortly after that I got my uh first job in the brewing industry. Uh, just bartending, quickly moved to washing kegs, getting involved in the brewing industry. Just bartending, quickly moved to washing kegs, getting involved in the brewing scene, um, and within a couple years we had a kid and kind of fate would have it that we ended up, uh, getting an opportunity to return home and you know, uh, you both have kids, yeah, and you know how much weight that is, yes, and how much help you need.
Speaker 3Yes, so you know as fate would have it, we we moved back, uh, helped open perfect plane. Uh, with my good friend, reed um, we opened that and two years we learned a whole lot. Uh, we learned kind of, you know, through our asheville experience, but also with with perfect plane, we learned there was, you know, through our Asheville experience, but also with with perfect plan, we learned there was. You know, there's so many different brands, so many different ways to tell your story. And that was when we started to have conversations with some high school friends of mine, um Blake and Chelsea Foster, who are also co-founders with odd colony in the borough.
Speaker 3Um Blake had been working kind of in the more corporate sector and was also a huge craft beer fan and wanted to get into it. And obviously our friendship bridged the gap and we got together and started discussing, you know, how we could launch Odd Colony and what it would be. And, most importantly, rather than just opening another brewery, like, did we have a story to tell? Did this area already have that story? You know, we didn't want to just open and be another brewery. We really, really wanted to have something that was distinguished and stood out and was uniquely us and that we could stand behind for years to come. So we started working on a business plan. Blake was great at locating buildings and landed us our spot on North Palafox and you know, luckily we had that year, year and a half or whatever it was to to figure out the branding side of it and design and whatnot, and 2019 we opened our doors, so quick question.
Speaker 1So back to the origin story, because I love origin story. Sure Um, are y'all originally from here? Yes, okay, okay.
Speaker 4We met here um on a farm. Um, no, it was definitely that would make a lot of sense.
Speaker 2No, uh no, it was definitely not a summer night. That would make a lot of sense.
Speaker 3It was on.
Speaker 4Brand Bath. No, it was ladies night at Fish House, oh nice. We had. Well, I knew his sister. No, we should be proud of that. It was a different time.
Speaker 1I've been there on ladies night.
Speaker 4Yeah, it was a great time.
Speaker 1Yeah, it was. That was the era at the Fish House.
Speaker 4Exactly.
Speaker 3That definitely was an era.
Speaker 1And then so y'all were just like Asheville, because it's the mecca for the brewery.
Speaker 4Well, yeah, and we took a trip there when we were dating and that's where he proposed, and so while we were there visiting, we fell in love with the space, obviously, the community and everything that it represented, and we were like we have to be here.
Speaker 3It's surrounded by National Park Service run.
Speaker 1Okay, okay.
Speaker 3So yeah, a bunch of public lands, a bunch of places to roam around, and and then a lot of beer to drink when you get back to town.
Speaker 1Okay, yeah, I lived in Greenville when I was a kid, so, yeah, we would go to Asheville, but it wasn't what it is now.
Speaker 4So yeah, oh, it's changed.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah.
Creating Odd Colony's Unique Identity
Speaker 1I haven't been back since college so I need to go. I still have some clothes at my friend's house. He says I need to come get anyway, but yeah. So another part of the origin story which I love is how did y'all come up with the name odd call, and I think that's one of the reasons that y'all stand out so much as you have a concept not only around like the brand, but around the beer that is so unique.
Speaker 3Yeah, so again, I think we were. We were students early on kind of in, especially in Asheville there's there's just a diverse multitude of breweries, all showcasing different things, attributes, and we very early on developed our ethos around that. It was, like you know, I was given the opportunity at the first brewery I worked at to work with local agriculture. I had a farmer that I worked with and my the owner at Twinleaf would give me, you know these, he connected me with the farmer and he would just bring me these regional ingredients, you know these. He connected me with the farmer and he would just bring me these regional ingredients, and to me that was that was so inspiring, uh, to be able to, like, get these ingredients and then kind of build a recipe around that. And around that same time I started having beers from other breweries that were doing the same thing, that was showcasing local, local agriculture, and we're kind of making these really special beers that represented a time and a place and you could only get there. Um, so when we you know a lot of those, a lot of those beers are riffing off of this, the success and the uh lure of belgian and french farmhouse breweries, and that they, you know, all beer at one point was spontaneously inoculated with whatever wild microflora they had in the air and they bittered it with whatever regional ingredients they had on the farm and so you had these unique flavors.
Speaker 3And so Odd Colony is at its core, is kind of paying homage to those same kind of core principles of Belgian farmhouse brewing. It's where most beer is made with a monoculture and we brew those beers too. Those are a big part of our portfolio where it has an isolated yeast strain. Those Belgian, those very special Belgian spontaneous or wild beers, showcase a diverse array of microflora that create this beautiful thing. So it's a bunch of wild little critters gathering around to create this beautiful beer. That's why our logo is Campfire. Yeah, is that? We also felt that is reflective of our taproom. We wanted that to be a gathering space for a diverse array of people that are coming together to kind of create dialogue and to have a beer and to go home, you know, to just create a great community experience.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3Um and so odd colony. Like I said, this is homage to that. It's, it's uh yeah. Collection of creatures gathering together. Yeah, Nice.
Speaker 2Yeah, everything that you've built around the brand is like, so intentional, even like the space, the. The space is so cool, the merch that you guys do like the. Everything is, I think, very curated. You work with local artists. It's. It feels like it's something that is truly unique to y'all and you've done that really, really well. Appreciate that.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's I think that was a challenge is, like you know, we wanted to be northwest florida, and so that's involved in the beers, it's involved in the branding, but we also took a lot of stuff that you know, a lot of uh, inspirations from other places, and we, you know it's I don't know, I don't know that we really wanted it to be one particular thing. We wanted it to be a confluence of all of our collective interest, uh, and a lot of it hinging off of what I just spoke about. You know, there's dried flowers and there's, like you know, some kind of like ethereal, mystical space where you can kind of like peel back the layers if you're sitting at the bar, and some of them.
Speaker 4every time you sit there, you're going to probably find something new that you didn't notice before, and just all the little the trinkets and the and the things on the shelves, and it's similar to to the beer and the experience that you have there.
Speaker 2Yeah, absolutely. Um, um, how and what is your process like when you guys are coming up with a new beer or a new release or anything like that? Is it like a community effort or is it kind of like who leads that stuff? Because you guys have always something that's new and like excellent on the menu and the names are so cool, like that?
Speaker 3that's it.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 4And Taylor.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, yeah, a lot of it. You know it's. It's again. It's like integrating all of that. It's integrated.
Speaker 3I think we we look at, we idolize a bunch of different breweries for different reasons Burial Beer Company in Nashville. We idolize them for a lot of a plethora of reasons, but one of them is that they're intentional about everything. Uh, everything is reflective of the next. So when you walk into the tap room, it's a very immersive experience. Uh, you feel like the aesthetic meets the sound, meets the bartenders, meets the beer that you're drinking and meets the names. Everything is is integrated and cohesive. And, yeah, so when we do names, I mean honestly, sometimes it's just like I'm listening to a song or I'm reading the liner notes on the back of a record. Uh, or I like a word and I take that word and attach a couple other words and become something else. Um, but through time, I think through the last couple years, uh, there's been an odd. There's now like a I guess what an odd colony vibe to an, uh, and so it's. It's easier to find out now, but early on it was very challenging.
Speaker 2Yeah, I think I remember, even at the very beginning, like everything was, like even it was the visual system and everything.
Speaker 4but even like I'd see one of your posts, I'd be like that's an'd be like that's an odd colony, yeah, yeah, we kind of we harp on him for this one, because and it's funny, I mean these are kind of our personalities too, like he'll. He'll send me the poetic caption, yeah, and I go through and fix all the grammatical errors fix all the words that are actual words maybe that's a little too word, yeah but it's definitely something that like stands out and I Maybe that's a little too word.
The Borough: Expanding the Vision
Speaker 2Yeah, but it's definitely something that like stands out and I think that's you guys have done that really well, especially like there's nothing else. I don't even think in a restaurant concept that feels like it fits in the same space. So I think that's been really great just to set yourselves apart and kind of have a magnet for like minded people. For sure, yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, I appreciate that to set yourselves apart and kind of have a magnet for like-minded people for sure, yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. Sometimes that's like the best uh compliment we get is at least from an aesthetic as somebody comes in and you know they feel like they're. They're like, hey, this place reminds me of portland.
Speaker 3Or this place reminds me of asheville, I think we, we didn't write that out, you know that wasn't our goal, but I think, yeah, it kind of reflects it's just part of you, yeah yeah, I mean you went to Asheville and you brought some Asheville back, yeah, yeah absolutely, that's just part of you and that's cool and that helps make you know there's a lot of different breweries around.
Speaker 1That helps separate y'all sure and y'all were around.
Speaker 2Uh, that kind of influx of breweries opening, I think like five opened in the same like 18 month period or something like that made me so happy, but I think being able to have something that was like really distinct and I think you know really a lot of the breweries here have been able to do that because it was a hyper saturated market and everybody just had very different visions- so I think, that's what's helped me. This like brewery community as a whole, very, like you know, successful overall.
Speaker 3So yeah, it's cool. Yeah, that's you know you're going into everybody else's. I think that's very special to have, you know, different threads to the greater fabric of craft beer and Pensacola, and I want them all to be uniquely different. It's like frustrating when you see somebody doing, you know, covering shared space. It's like, oh, you don't have to do that. You know, your own brain can speak and there's space for people there.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 3And people will respond to it more.
Speaker 1Something said for being authentic.
Speaker 4Authentic, yeah, it's all about intention right and staying true to like what you want to represent.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, I think a lot of people get a lot of businesses get lost in that, because they see. The way to success is to you know that's cool, you have inspiration, but you know, be your own person, be your own business.
Speaker 2Be your own brewery, be your own beer yeah yeah, absolutely, yeah, totally agree all the above so you're like a few years in and everything's going well and great and you guys have made a name for you know you found your market here. Why did you decide to open a second business?
Speaker 4because we're crazy. I love it, it's so good.
Speaker 2But you guys opened the borough um in Hill, which is more of a restaurant concept but also is completely different.
Speaker 1Yeah, and it's on colony beers and liquor.
Speaker 2What? Why did you even what started that? Because it's hard Like I. I look at restaurants I'm like, oh, that's the last business I would want to be in because it's so competitive. It's not an easy space to be in, but you guys seem to have opened it up and just done so well from day one, and I think part of that is you had this just super loyal, built in community following. People were such big fans of odd colony that you were able to slide into something else and have that. Just kind of you know it felt like you guys had been around for years and I think this, the space that we ended up into was a big part of that, obviously right.
Speaker 4So, brett, I'll let you kind of yeah, go on, yeah.
Speaker 3So yeah, we had the same thoughts we don't want to get into food, but you know, some of its, you know, practical, we heard. You know we consulted with a bunch of breweries through whether it's our festivals, we pour out what not and finding out, like you know, the market gets more challenging and food is kind of a vehicle to get people to drink more of our beer and to reach a broader audience, and I I guess that's one part of it.
Speaker 3The other part is for the speaking for the collective ownership group. All of our favorite building, our collective favorite building in Pensacola was the Sacred Heart Hospital.
Speaker 4So cool.
Speaker 3Beth and I, when we moved back I remember it very vividly we sat down and I was like frustrated because I think it was the yard at the time. Yes, yeah.
Speaker 4And we had Reese, who's now almost nine was like 10 months old or something. We have a picture of her sitting in the garden out there and we're like, yeah, we were kind of daydreaming Like what if my gosh, why can't we have this space?
Speaker 3You were, you were manifesting Um and so when it opened up, we you know, obviously it got our wheels turning.
Speaker 1Uh, we were lucky enough to have had rallying around us for the last five, four, five years since day one since day, since day one, since day one.
Speaker 3But yeah, so they've been kind of rallying around us and we we'd had some success and we were like you know, we can, we have an opportunity to grow and but if we do again, it's that same, it's that intention. It's like, is it us? Um, and honestly, it was again. It's that same, it's that intention. It's like, is it us? And honestly, it was the best. It's just the other side of the coin. We've referred to it as like when you go on a hike, you hike to your favorite spot. It's beautiful, it's lush, it's green, you see butterflies flying. It's this amazing thing. But then, if you come back in the winter, it's a completely different experience, right? So, so odd colonies, almost like the veil of winter, and then you go to the borough and it's like the. It's the springtime equivalent. Um, same space. I love it.
Speaker 2I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it.
Speaker 4I love it because I give him a hard time, because I'm like dang it, how do you do it?
Speaker 3every time.
Speaker 4Both of these words I don't. And he's named both Odd Colony and the Burrow. You know we all kind of like threw some names in the hat and as soon as Brett said we're like, oh, whatever, all right, you win.
Building Community Through Events
Speaker 2But it also like makes sense for the space, because for anybody who doesn doesn't know, you said the old the sacred heart like hospital building. It's not like a hospital building, it's like this old what's five story five story gothic architecture looks like a castle.
Speaker 3It looks like yeah like the outdoors like and that's I think that's the other thing is like, obviously we talk about our european beer drinking, uh, influences and experiences that we want to offer. Um, the outside is like a german beer garden with a stage and now we have an outdoor bar and then the inside feels very english pubby, so it's like it's it's a nod to two beer styles that we're very into.
Speaker 3it's we always kind of brand ourselves. Like you know, our aesthetic is wilderness, lodge meets whatever, and it feeds into that. But it is uniquely different than Odd Colony. It's like we didn't have any outdoor space at Odd Colony. Now we have an entire beer garden. We don't have any food there. Now we have food. You know it's diversifying. We now have cocktails and so we're really able to reach a broader audience and we hope that we can kind of layer in a different experience. But still is the odd colony greater odd colony experience?
Speaker 2Yeah, it feels like it's part of the same family, but it's its only thing, and like, even when you're talking about the name Beth, like it's so perfect because when you get there, you have to like step down like four or five steps.
Speaker 3Literally a burrow. It's like a burrow.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah, it's, it's the goal.
Speaker 3What's funny is we talked about not opening, or opening more locations, um, but we kind of uh decided, if we open any more, they're all like, you know, obviously, our, our odd colonies, the creatures all come together. It's the people, but each future location is these uh, dwellings, creature dwellings. So the borough. If we landed a spot on uh, over and over, like on the uh, the bluffs, it would be the perch you know like. So there's a bunch of like ways we can play, but at the same time, we have three kids, uh, blake and Chelsea have two kids and we're pretty tired.
Speaker 2So tired. Yeah, so maybe not, maybe that's it. So you guys just have to be like the creative directors get everything set up right and then the thing that always people say like find somebody that can run it yeah that's easier seven way easier so I'm 10 years in and I still feel like I, I feel like now it's just at that point where I'm like okay, it seems good we can spread our wings you know, exactly and so you can flip and then you open the next one.
Speaker 1Yeah, Because she'd get bored.
Speaker 3Yeah, I mean, we said the same thing about kids when we decided our third kid.
Speaker 1Yeah, so we're clearly insane. I'm with you. I'm so insane. What are we doing?
Speaker 4And somehow we're opening a business. Yeah, we're like why do we keep doing?
Speaker 3this yeah.
Speaker 4We're not well.
Speaker 1Next question, Meredith no.
Speaker 2Well, I think one of the things that you really just mentioned is like we were talking about is you?
Speaker 2when you opened up the borough, I think it was just such an instant success because you had this built-in following. Like what kind of do you do a lot of cross-promoting? I, because I see the channels, I know, I know the you've got the beer in the two places but like I think people know they're related but I don't think you're necessarily like throwing shout outs back and forth as much. Yeah, it's, it happens, but not super regularly.
Speaker 4I yeah, it's. It's it happens, but not super regularly. I think, mainly because it's just two completely different experiences two different businesses completely.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 4Um, of course we love to for people to know when they come to the borough and they experience it like this is odd colony beer, this is all local beer that's brewed here, um, you know, cause it's a lot of people walk in not really knowing what we're, you know, and people are still finding out about Odd Colony.
Speaker 4You know the borough has been a really great exposure for us for people to learn about our downtown location. So yeah, it happens sometimes, especially because our Odd Colony account has technically a bigger following. So we, you know, we try to get exposure for the borough that way too.
Speaker 3But I guess it just depends on the like, on what we're trying to yeah, I think it's honestly, I think it's more we do a practical approach on. That is like you know, if it's one of our, if it's the borough or odd colonies anniversary, we'll probably showcase it on both or if we have yeah, we have a. You know we're we're hosting a musician in the back and we need ticket sales. You know we'll maybe promote on both platforms or you know. So a little bit more like practically driven on that front.
Speaker 4And we'll hang up flyers at the borough for odd colony events and back and forth with there too, but there's not like a strategic.
Speaker 1we got to plan this one with this business.
Speaker 4We fly by the seat we're like. This will work Each year we're like you know what?
Speaker 3We're going to sit down and plan this one out, yeah. And then we're like what do we do for Oktoberfest last year? What do you mean? You don't remember.
Speaker 2I think on the two of them, though, you've done a really good job too about having like. The eventing is even very different like you've really geared it towards.
Speaker 2I mean, the borough is a lot of. There's so many people with kids that go there just because, like it's a place they can run around and be in a giant playpen, because they're fenced in. But you have like the live music there like every friday, still right, like you've got a very specific set of events there, versus like the brewery has the markets and you know you've done a lot of like kind of community events there and things like that um, so I think that you're able to just kind of do whatever y'all want and fit it into the concept that it makes sense for which is really cool.
Speaker 4Yeah, exactly, I think we're very fortunate to have, um people who really appreciate and want to come support these, these different events that we do. Like just last weekend, veronique, when you were at our women's day event like that was such an incredible, like special experience to to be able to host that and have all these incredible women, you know, speaking their voice to things that really matter right now in this social climate and um. So it's everything from that to like if there's a family in need, we're gonna host a fundraiser, you know.
Speaker 3Or if there's um are we able to come up with a burrow?
Speaker 4yeah, um, in about a month it's with the seki foundation. Um, and they are a non-profit that provide sports equipment to like different communities that are low income, that the kids need proper sports equipment. So we're having like a kentucky Kentucky Derby party and a big fundraiser for them and like a raffle and everything.
Speaker 3So it's one of Blake's good friends. That passed away is kind of what it's.
Speaker 4Yeah, it's honoring Brian, sakey was his name. Yeah, so it's, yeah, it's, and I love to that. You know, it's kind of just like whatever. Sometimes these things fall in our lap, sometimes we, we reach out, but there are always some things that are very personal or intentional for us, you know, and I think I mean, yeah, we have a big heart for things like that, and so we don't, we don't want to ever not be true to who we are. Just, you know, in the name of business, does that make?
Speaker 2sense? Yeah, absolutely, and I think that a lot of those things happen. I get the sense that a lot of those things happen organically at your space because you have created such a place that people gather like it's part of their week to go by or go grab brunch or go grab a beer after work or whatever, and they see all the stuff that y'all are doing. I feel like you guys get a lot of stuff brought to you Like, hey, we'd love to have this thing in your space because it's the right type of space.
Speaker 4Yeah, and we're so honored when people come to us and they feel like we're a safe place for them to ask, to do that you know, and use that platform to help. It's always what we're you know super honored to do.
Speaker 3Yeah, and I think alongside the inspiration side, it's like Beth does all of our markets and she's very passionate about markets, like if I curated them they wouldn't last.
Speaker 4Well, I've been on the other side of it. I remember the first market I ever did is when I was doing mugs and hand painting those. And I did my first market in Asheville and I was like this is like I don't know, I just wanted to do one every weekend. It's like you know, it was a really great experience. I was like that was something that I also, as soon as we walked into the space um at our colony, when we were doing the build out, it was like the first thing we kind of imagined was like this is perfect, like this alley is so fun for like um, for a market, for like for a market.
Speaker 4It is great, yeah. So we've been so grateful for the, for the like response that we've gotten from those and everybody. That's because and I hear that from all of my vendors too it's so fun. They're like this is the best crowd every time like these people come out and they're so intentional and they're so happy to be here and just support you know and so, yeah, it's always a good time well, that's uh.
Speaker 1You know, the thing about markets is if nobody shows up, and what's the point? So yeah, it's pretty cool that you do it and you have a passion about it and that the vendors actually see something from coming there and it's all community based.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's really cool.
Speaker 4It's special, it really is. It's been a good time.
Speaker 2What are some of the similarities and differences you've seen in marketing the two businesses. I know you guys do a lot of social and you do the community events. Do you do anything outside of that or is there been like something that works better for one than the other?
Speaker 3Again, I think this one's a bit of a. You correct me, but I think it's a little bit of a practical response to it. It's like you know, the the borough kind of begs to have live music you know, downtown we do it too, but we do more.
Creating Dialogue Without Getting Political
Speaker 3you know that space is fitting where we have a back event space and we can do more like maybe unique boutique boutique shows where we can house house, like a maybe a national touring artist, and we can sell tickets, whereas the borough's, like you know, it's constant steady live music um. But as far as marketing, same thing. It's like I think we're more beer centric downtown, um, or brand centric within the borough's, kind of like. We're showcasing the, the space and we're showcasing all the different things that that it houses, which is cocktails and beer and live music, and outdoors and food yeah and the food program, yeah, which chef amy is as, and her whole team is crushed shout out to chef amy she was.
Speaker 1She was in my wedding shout out, chef amy yes she's the best.
Speaker 3She is the best, um, but yeah, she's, you know, and she's driven a lot of people there has a really she had her own following.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, she does, yeah, she does yeah, I think that's something that I think you guys don't. I think most of your quote-unquote marketing it's I mean, you're posting on social, you're having events and things like that but I think it's a very word of mouth driven organic organic and also you have the right people on the team, that they are almost their own magnets, like from the bartenders to the chefs, to the people that are on the wait staff. Like you just have really great people that want to be a part of it.
Speaker 4I was just about to say. We are so lucky and grateful and blessed and all the things with our staff who are just let's show up every day like so passionate to learn more, to show like just such a great time and create such a great experience for people that come in, and they, they really are obviously like the true heart behind all of this and boots on the ground every day and serving the beer and with such intention and um yeah, we create zany concepts and then they and they're like okay, we'll roll with it, sure, yeah sounds weird I
Speaker 2think honestly that's one of the best like. It sounds so weird to put it this way, but like having an incredible team is the best organic, just a draw you can have. Like I feel we have that right now. Our team is amazing, yeah, um, and everybody treats it like it's their own business and they care and they want to be there.
Speaker 2They're not like oh, you gotta go to work tonight, you know I mean everybody has those days where they just like, but overall like if, if your team is the biggest advocate for the business like that shows people go there and it's like you know, yeah, like when they feel like they're a part of something special.
Speaker 3Right and they want to like spread the love and yeah it's, it's, it's a great and we have a lot of stuff that's challenging too.
Speaker 3It's, like you know, again in the same vein of trying to stand out we have you know, downtown we pour beers a lot of different ways, in different glassware, for very unique and different reasons. So you know, we have a cask set up for all of our English beer, we have lucre faucets and we have an open fermenter for all of our Czech beers. Because we're really trying to you know, nod to you know the historic traditions that inspired us and we're trying to give a really authentic European drinking experience with each beer and we want to follow it to the very end will scoff at us, particularly that other Brett fellow About how long you know, how the lengths we go to to like get local grapes and hand crush them.
Speaker 2But that scoffing is part of Brett's brand, so it's great it is we love you Brett.
Speaker 4We love you Brett.
Speaker 1Kind of Shout out to Brett yeah, which one? Both, there you go, but you also have to have a good product too. So you guys have an amazing product at Odd Conley and at the Borough. One question I do want to.
Speaker 2And at Alka, and at Alka, shout out Brett Shout out again Brett.
Speaker 1Like how y'all come up with the beers. I know chef Amy is in charge, but did y'all have any influence on what she was going to do there, like in taste tests and the process?
Speaker 4food that we wanted to see and serve, and it kind of took a lot of different shapes at the beginning. When we're just trying to figure it out and we also didn't want to ever- stifle her creativity. We wanted to just be like you know, we know that obviously, that you are so talented with, with your craft, so we, we kind of let her have some, definitely some, creative freedom there and then, yeah, you can add to that.
Speaker 3Yeah, and know she was such a such a gamer because you know how build outs go oh god you would you? You would think that little space for us, as small as it is on the inside, would go quicker. But I think our downtown build out was eight months. The build out at the borough was like two years. Oh wow. So we?
Speaker 3hung in there, we we got Amy pretty early on so she ended up being like that's all right, I'll go bartend downtown. So she was already a fan. But then she also worked at Odd Colony, which I think was really pivotal time for her. She really experienced what Odd Colony represents, so we really didn't have to do a ton of like guiding. She kind of knew what the odd colony brand was, and obviously we have we. We are always elongating that discussion Like how are we evolving? Cause we always want to change.
Speaker 3We always want to, uh, you know, with the times, and or maybe we want to lead the front in some other way, but, um, but she's, she's pretty intuitive and and yeah, she's been great for all of that.
Speaker 2Yeah, and yeah, she's been great for all of that, yeah, and I think she was also like having her in at the beginning, just being able to understand the beer. That probably helped guide a lot of the menu and things like that too, Definitely.
Speaker 4Oh yeah, she was so amped on like using specific beers for certain ingredients and melding to like the boiled peanuts and with the lager bubbles.
Speaker 1And like she's so good it was, it was a lot of fun. She is good.
Speaker 2What have? What has been the biggest challenge with kind of branding a restaurant, a concept that you guys aren't trying to get everybody, you're trying to get the right people you know you really want, and I think the location helps a lot. You're in east hill, you're very much in kind of this cool space that kind of requires a restaurant that's like that and a beer garden that's like that. Um, how you know, has there been anything with that like challenges with? You know you're not. You're not throwing out facebook ads that are trying to get the people that are wanting to go get fried fish on the beach.
Speaker 2It's like a different vibe Right.
Speaker 3Yeah, I think, at the very core, we want to destroy any pretense. We want our space to be welcoming really to everybody. But obviously there's a certain aesthetic, there's a certain brand. But I think you know, as a consumer across many mediums, I feel like you. You know some of the, some of the products that I'm most loyal to, whether that's music or beer or whatever it is that I'm into. Yeah, some of the products I'm most loyal to are the ones that I maybe didn't like at first or maybe felt, maybe I felt a little intimidated by or uncomfortable around, and so our job, especially front of house, is to like destroy that pretense and to like maybe give them the access and the approach ability to understand what we're doing. And you know, if you can peel back the layers, you can find that it's really not that obscure. And you know, if you can peel back the layers, you can find that it's really not that obscure, um, and I think you have a deeper respect or relationship with that product.
Speaker 2Yeah, try something different. I think you guys definitely fit into the kind of the category of like the unions and the irons that are doing kind of more creative food concepts and things like that in town and it's right on time.
Speaker 1Right on time. I didn't mean to step on you right there. I think it's all of it. Odd colony in the borough has been right on time because 10 years ago probably wouldn't have worked. So it's right on time. And also, too, in east hill. Uh, you know, there is that other brewery. Shout out brett. He's getting too many shout outs he is.
Speaker 1We're going to have to do another podcast with him and shout you out but it's cool to have I'm a local to see even so close, both of them working and both of them being so different, so I think it's just everything happens right at the right time and you guys have been there to help push that along, and also, too, in the Sacred heart building. That's a tough, that's a tough ask.
Speaker 1I've seen a lot of things go in that spot and that workout so yeah it goes back to you guys staying authentic and you guys having a great product and a great community that loves your product yeah um, okay yeah, no.
Speaker 2So um, at the risk of not getting hyper political, um you guys have definitely become kind of space for like the local scene, for kind of the local alternative scene, events, music, art, that whole world. I know that you've done like even with what you did last weekend with the women's panel around. You know societal and political issues facing women today. How do you make the decisions on what to kind of?
Speaker 4stand behind what?
Speaker 2to advocate for and push as a business, you know, in an area that is very kind of split on social issues.
Speaker 4I think mainly it's. It's if there's a, if there's a social issue that represents fairness and equality and love, like we're always going to stand behind that. You know, if if there was, um, we could essentially probably host something every weekend of like staying kind of true to who we are and being very intentional with those events so we can pour as much as we can into them and make them very special, instead of just kind of hey, we're with this calls, hey, we're with this calls, you know, and just staying really true to that, because we've done some really some really great collaborations with like Black is Beautiful. Remind me what was the other one we talked about.
Speaker 3Where's my?
Speaker 4notes FemFest yeah, partnering with FemFest and having the women's day celebration last week and, like we talked about, black is beautiful movement.
Speaker 3Yeah, and we're never trying to get political. I think you know again our ethos, our, our logo is a campfire for diverse crowds to come around and have healthy dialogue. Yeah, yeah I know people on both sides of the aisle and I'm I never let it get in the way. Yeah, and I don't think anybody you guys have created a space for those conversations to happen.
Speaker 4Yeah, that was and that's, that was the goal. Yeah, sorry go ahead.
Speaker 2No, yeah, to share kind of thoughts and different perspectives on things, which is which is great. Um, and I think you guys have been very intentional about like kind of selecting events, that'll do that you know, not necessarily like slamming one side or slamming the other, but it's dialogue, it's dialogue, it's yeah it's the human condition.
Speaker 3We're all trying to figure it out, uh, and hopefully we can do that together. A little kumbaya around the campfire yeah uh, but we, you know, one thing we don't do is we, you know, we've had numerous politicians, or local, whatever reach out, we're like nope, yeah, like we're definitely not political, but you know we've, we've probably done things on where a boat, you know one side thinks it's.
Speaker 3You know, we've, we've probably done things where you know one side thinks it's you know, because it's been politically hijacked, yeah, but we're just again, we're just trying to have dialogue and and sit around the campfire, sit around the campfire A couple of beers.
Speaker 1Man, everybody's welcome. Everybody's welcome, exactly.
Speaker 2Another thing, like I think I love how you guys have you've had like UWF groups out that are like it's the obscure, what is it?
Speaker 3Oh sorry, archaeology, yes, oh yeah.
Speaker 2So, yeah, it's like it's just just the stuff that you wouldn't necessarily expect to see somewhere else, but like it's in. So well, with that you have like the picking night.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. And the adult book fair? Yeah, yeah, don't book fair. That one went crazy.
Speaker 4That had to have people slot times this year yeah, last year I don't know if y'all saw the line around the block, but it was crazy and we you know, I was just slow, old me.
Speaker 4I was like let's do a book fair and then I'm like pacing the brewery, like what are we going to do? This is too many people. So this year was a lot better. We spaced it out to two full days time slots and more vendors, more spaces, all the things, and it was a lot more structured this year Structured, but you talk about things that are inflammatory.
Speaker 3People get mad. I got to wait in line.
Speaker 4Yeah, they do.
Speaker 3So we learned, yeah, that first year Beth was texting me, I was at home with the kids. She's like people are mad. I'm like not my problem. But more.
Speaker 4People were just so pumped. They were like I love that these people have turned out for literally books, Like people were just chasing that childhood nostalgia so hard and wanting to. You know, I think it was like healing a lot of childhood wounds, for people Seriously. Like some people were like kind of emotional. It was really it was really cool. So we're definitely going to keep doing that every year because that's been a really fun.
Speaker 2I think there's something cool about going back to like, because when you're a kid it's like okay, I've got $10 from my mom, so you go to the book fair, right, but now you can go with adult money and you can buy whatever books you want.
Speaker 3And have a beverage and have a beverage at the same time, or else you get kicked out and you don't have to go back to fourth period after it Exactly you can actually go home and do whatever.
Speaker 1Oh, I love it. I love it, and with that I know we're getting close to the end.
Speaker 2Some question that I always like asking, especially with the three kids how do y'all make it all happen?
Balancing Business and Family Life
Speaker 4Two businesses- three kids each other balance and not murder each other in the process. Well, I will say every day is different, right, and we're still learning that, brett and I. I'm going to be really personal and candid here, for a moment, please, please. Edit Year.
Speaker 4One of the business with our marriage was not pretty, it was very hard very difficult and we were learning not only how to navigate being married and working together, but also like, obviously, parenting and life and all the other things. I had some health issues. It's been a wild ride, still is, but I can say that now that this year we're in a much better spot and I, on the other side of this, I I hear sometimes people I'm like they're lying, they're lying.
Speaker 3It's so hard, you know, but but genuinely.
Speaker 4I mean, it's still hard, but we've we've learned ways to find that balance, and I think mostly it's just about trying to find that cutoff time. When we're at home it can always come up. There's always something to talk about. Pouring into our kids at the end of the day and trying to just focus on that. We keep joking. So our third child that we have. He's seven months old now.
Speaker 1He's like a little Buddha. He's like our little therapy baby. He has been such little Buddha. He's like our little therapy baby.
Speaker 4He's just the he has been such a gift of like. He's just so sweet.
Speaker 1And what's his name? Everett, everett, what's up? Everett, shout out, everett.
Speaker 4Yeah, so it's, it's still. It's still a challenge, you know, but I think it's, and it was forgive me, I can't remember who said it at the women's panel last weekend, but I think it was Tiana Day. She said it so, so well, it was like there's some days where you're going to be, you know, 70% and 30% mom and entrepreneur or whatever you're doing, and there's just give and take with each day. So there's some days where I'm like really on at work but that means that I'm I'm not really showing up as a mom that day and I, you know, there's mom guilt there. There's all the types of guilt both ways, and you feel like you're never doing enough. Um, so a lot of it is that like self-reflection and, um, trying to just be very, very honest with yourself about where you're at and trying to maintain that stability and that balance. But it's, yeah, it's, it's hard, and I don't think I mean anybody that sits here and says they've got it a hundred percent figured out and they have this perfect balance. That that's who's lying Right.
Speaker 4Um but that's okay. I think that's a part of life and I think that that's something that you know. It's helped us grow in ways that we didn't know we could. You know, it's been kind of a beautiful thing.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, we, you know, I think we have a really uh, I think we have a really great team and we can lean into to what they're doing. And lean into, you know, we can if I can't make a certain event or I was out of town this past week, a little beer. You know. Blake came and helped Beth set up for the event and the from the the ownership group but all the way down to. Like you know, our whole staff is just so amazing as as willing to step in and help where you know.
Speaker 3Sometimes we're a little strapped and they'll fill the gaps and do an awesome job with it.
Speaker 4Yeah, and we can't speak for Chelsea and Blake, you know, because they also, I mean, they have two children and they have to do all the things too, and Because they also, I mean, they have two children and they have to do all the things too, and it's crazy.
Speaker 3But we bring our kids to the meetings. They all play together.
Speaker 1Trade Pokemon cards Trade.
Speaker 4Pokemon cards Boom, yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1It takes a village.
Speaker 4It really does. It takes a village, it really does and it also takes grace.
Speaker 3Yeah, grace is great. That's it yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, I work with my wife Love you, melissa and we have a couple of businesses and we have to be like grace.
Speaker 4Oh yeah, yeah, the checking in is real right, you got to check in with each other and, yeah, it's, it's wild.
Speaker 1And when one's on one maybe all yeah, and you got to balance each other out.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 1And when one's on one, maybe all, and you got to balance each other out, yeah, and then, like I said, our, our word is grace and I'll be like you're right, um, and with that being said, um, like I said, we're getting close to the end. Um, two, two quick questions Maybe. Um, if you could go back before you started, on Colony 8 in the borough, what would you do different?
Speaker 3If there is anything you would do different, so we've discussed this and I don't know in itself, Like clearly, there's like a lot that we could do different in the minutia, Like you know very particular experiences or you know things that have arisen and and we haven't handled how we wanted it to. But I think as a greater collective we've since the beginning, we've we've tried to be as intentional as possible, we try to be as best of communicators as possible, which I was terrible at and I'm marginally better.
Speaker 3So I can always do better there, but but I don't know that we have any giant things that we do differently, because we've really always tried to stay authentic and you know when, when human error occurs, it's human error, um, and we just have hope that there's grace extended from all parties, and so but I think, yeah, I think maybe just having those check, I think honestly, like you said earlier, I think having those check-ins earlier with everybody and we're starting to do those as way more streamlined within both companies to like.
Speaker 3so there is no boil over, so there's a pressure release valve. Yeah, for all you brewery nerds out there to keep us all on the same page and keep the pressure not boiling over the same page and keep the pressure not boiling over.
Speaker 2Yeah, I found the same thing. I think we're we've gotten really good as a business too about like communicating better.
Looking Forward and Finding Balance
Speaker 3Yes, don't hit a breaking point.
Speaker 1That's good, as you looked at me it's funny because we've known each other forever. Yes, and you know we've had to learn how to communicate in a different environment, to grow and get better. And I mean as much as an extrovert as I am like when it becomes this communicating, he's like Randy, I'm like, yeah, but communication is key to success and growing. So, yeah, that's like what we said.
Speaker 2like communication is huge and with the team and, I think, as much transparency as you can have within business it just helps everything go smoother. It does People know what is going on. When people know even the problems within a business, it gives them a much better understanding as to what the challenges are what works well. What doesn't't silence is very deceptive sometimes exactly right exactly, exactly why did Depeche Mose enjoy the silence?
Speaker 1yeah we have a beer called silence. For a moment, hey we do see, I was about to get into music, but we can do that another time. All right, let's do that. And I know you guys are having children no, we're done Not anymore, Are you done? Yeah, don't manifest that, Because the next question was what's next? And I was going to be like kids or business, what's?
Speaker 4next Interesting.
Speaker 2You know let's. It's okay to pause for a while too.
Speaker 4No, I was going to say my goal this year is to get out of survival mode. It's okay to pause for a while. I know I was going to say my goal this year is to get out of survival mode. Yeah that's a good one. I think we are just trying to hone in on doing our best to try to find that balance and really just soaking up and enjoying these two beautiful businesses that we have and the people that support us, and we're so grateful for that.
Speaker 4And it's kind of hard as small businesses these days, and especially the craft brewing industry and there's a lot of unknowns right now and it's, you know, it can be terrifying at days, some days. So it's, yeah, I think right now we're focusing on just being, just being still and always improving, of course, and always having those healthy conversations. But, yeah, no more, no kids and uh, no more businesses.
Speaker 3No more businesses as of right now, but we're gonna try to but ask us again in six months, get a wild hair.
Speaker 1Yeah all right, I think uh v you got any more questions. No, this has been great it has.
Speaker 4Thank you guys so much for having us this was fun.
Speaker 1Yeah, for sure, for sure. I'm thirsty. So when I get off work, I was already thinking about communicating to Veronique. It's just so healthy.
Speaker 3What are you communicating to me?
Speaker 1Maybe we go fix our throats and get some beer. Some beer, yeah, fix your throats. You know what I?
Speaker 2actually yes, yeah I had odd colony beer last night. What, yeah, um our friend liam went and got some sours and brought them over to me soon nice that's beautiful.
Speaker 1Yeah, so that's a no oh, absolutely no okay, that's deal, so I'll put that on the calendar. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you out there for listening. If you like this podcast, if it's done you any good, hit the like button, smash that like button, share it for somebody who needs to hear it. Thank you, guys. Brett Beth, thank you so much for coming on. It's been so much fun. Make sure you find Odd Colony and the Bureau on the socials B. You got anything else, because I don't know when I'm going to get you back on the podcast Three weeks.
Speaker 2We got another recording in like a week. Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 1I'm just giving her a hard time. Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to get out of here. And do you guys know how we get out of here? It's OK, I say Practical Rebels, and then everybody says out at the same time Nice, all right. So, ladies and gentlemen, practical Rebels out.