Ah...The thought of brewing beer at home. Pouring oneself a freshly brewed beer that was concocted in the basement or the garage certainly has it's merits. And, of course your non brewing friends will think it's cool. I had a similar thought in the late 90's and started brewing with pots and pans in the kitchen. My ultimate goal at that time was to pour beer in a glass that was entirely of my own creation. Initially, I did not care if I had an audience to share it with, but as the beers improved so did my desire for validation. I would let some of my friends try some of my better batches (not the one's that I considered "drinkable"), and would occasionally get the question: When are you gonna start selling this? "No....no...no... What I do is simply a hobby. I have no desire to open a bar and sell craft beer in large quantities to the public".
About six months ago a friend of mine said he was interested in starting a microbrewery. In May of 2012 Ohio had changed it's laws requiring an additional, expensive licence to have a "tasting room" at a production brewery. These two things may have finally caused me to change my mind. The wheels are currently in motion to go forward with a plan for opening a small nano-brewery with an attached "tasting room/bar". Having no business experience, I know the road will be rocky at times but hopefully the timing is right. In the meantime, I am enjoying the research involved. My partners and I have visited other similar ventures in the state to learn which breweries are succeeding and why. I must admit that these road trips have become quite productive and having a couple pints (whether good or bad) is never a bad thing.
