Hey guys, today I have a story for you that’s very special to me. Lost Abbey is a brewery out of San Diego that needs no introduction. Tomme and the team over there have inspired breweries all over the world to push beyond the ordinary and intentionally create new and exciting beers of circumstance. They were a fundamental part of what created my perception of the expectations I wanted my brewery to live up to and I know I’m not alone in that.
We’ve talked repeatedly on this show about how specialization is dead. Niches get stitches as I’ve started saying. 14% abv beers aged in multiple barrels for multiple years, obscure, even historical styles and yes, even mixed culture sour beers have been shrinking in popularity and, subsequently, profitability.
The Lost Abbey was one of the pioneers in the American speciality brewery category. So when I heard that they reduced their square footage, equipment and staff I knew that it was a story I needed to dig into and share with y’all.
Tomme was nice enough to sit with me for two hours, answer my probing questions and share what he’d found out the hard way. There is backstory, pain, business lessons, hope for the future and of course, insights into How NOT To Start A Damn Brewery.
Reach out to Tomme at Tomme@lostabbey.com
Story about their growing down
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