After many discussions with Greg Ortwein and Mike Orkey at Deviate Brewing, I learned that they planned for a busy first two months. The problem is that business has far exceeded their expectations, to the point that after five weeks growler sales were pulled off of the board so there is enough beer to keep the in-house sales alive. Greg and Mike have been busy in the brewery every day and are trying to resolve the issue of selling beer faster than expected. I am certain the customers are ready for growler sales to return, and I know that Greg and Mike are looking forward to sending their beer out the door as soon as possible!
I felt it was time to follow up on my first Indiana On Tap story and learn more about a living, breathing, and open-to-the-public Deviate Brewing. Greg carved out a little time to answer a few follow-up questions for me. They have had the doors open for two months and earned fantastic reviews on sites like Beer Advocate, RateBeer, and Untappd for their flavorful brews. Rave reviews do not always transition into a successful business, but as you can see from the answers below they have had much success thus far.
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What surprises did you have the first weekend after opening?
- We’re really surprised by the overwhelming demand for locally made craft beer on the north side and the wide acceptance our deviating beers have been given. Craft beer lovers in Indy and the surrounding areas rock!
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What surprises have you had since the first weekend?
- The distance people are traveling to come and check out the Indy beer scene and us!
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What has given you the greatest satisfaction to this point out of the brewery?
- The fact that we were able to produce some solid offerings from the start, on a completely self built system…especially having never done it before… Kudos to Mike!
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What has given you the greatest satisfaction to this point in the Tap Room?
- The many smiling faces that we have seen after people experience a flight of all our beers!
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What have you learned about the market in Indiana concerning beer styles?
- There is no doubt that the Indy and surrounding beer lovers are willing to deviate from the norm!
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What have you learned about the market in Indiana concerning customer taste or trends?
- They want and love fun beers!
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So far, what has been the biggest issue for Deviate Brewing?
- Keeping up with demand. Working a full time job along with running a brewery didn’t allow us to focus enough attention on the brewery.
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How did/will you solve this issue?
- We quit our corporate nuisance….aka corporate job….to focus on brewing as often as possible!
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If you could do one thing, and only one thing, differently what would it be?
- Quit our corporate nuisance sooner!
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Have you had any help from other brewers/breweries? What advice would you give to a potential new brewery?
- The support and help from local brewers have been enormous and truly what makes us excited to be in the industry. There have been too many to list them all. Our advice would be don’t be afraid to ask for help and/or advice. It is a very supportive industry.
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Which beers/styles have been your biggest hit(s) so far?
- IPA, DIPA of course…love the hop heads! The Main Monkey Business, a Scottish strong with coffee and bananas seemed to be a fan favorite as well.
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Are there any beers that have fallen off of the board that you are already considering brewing again?
- The Main Monkey Business, Hawaiian Imperial Stout….more fun versions of RIS, Scottish Strongs
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What delicious surprises do you have coming up and when do you expect them to be released?
- It’s not a surprise if we tell you… Beside the pumpkin barley wine that is coming there are many surprises in the pantry, including raspberries, cashews, peppercorns, ginger, habanero peppers, ghost peppers. It is also time to start our sour program…
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We know you were at an IOT Tasting Society event. What will be your next event/festival?
- TBD…still working on getting the tasting room filled with beer.
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Any second thoughts on the “Bring Your Own Food” decision?
- No, seems to be working fine so far.
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You recently had live music in the tap room, is this something we can expect to see more of in the future?
- Yes, October 23rd Jamie Owens will be playing again. Live music and beer are a pair made in heaven.
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Are there any plans for other types of entertainment like stand up comedy, themed events, Halloween Party, mud wrestling, etc?
- Never know…any of the above could break out on any given night! You want a shot at the title??!!
- Note: Greg is a self-appointed champion mud wrestler in the D.M.W.A.I. (Deviate Mud Wrestling Association of Indiana) and welcomes all challengers. Got Mud?!?!
- Never know…any of the above could break out on any given night! You want a shot at the title??!!
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Rumor has it that you guys are officially full time brewers, has anything changed in regards to the Deviate plan since quitting/retiring?
- No changes….just brewing every chance possible now! We will get growler sales turned back on ASAP!
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Do you have any plans to add guest taps, wine, etc in the future?
- Not as this time.
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What other comments and/or ramblings would Deviate like to share with the public?
- Growler sales are coming back soon!
Many thanks go out to Greg for taking time out of his busy schedule to update IOT on Deviate’s business and future plans. I look forward to seeing how the answers to these questions change at six months and one year of successful brewing.
Photos courtesy of Twitter.com and the IndyStar
