In the latest installment of Brewbound’s weekly A Round With … Q&A series, Prost Brewing Co. president David Deline discusses how construction is going on the German-inspired Colorado brewery’s new production headquarters in Northglenn, how the facility will take the brand to the next level and finding inspiration.
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Have you had any recent wins that have surprised you?
David: In the chaos of building out a brewery, there are a million small things that surprise you. Every day there are things that just happen to fall into place perfectly and some new challenges that you never expected. It has been a welcome surprise that our distribution in the North Denver market has increased +20-30% since we opened the biergarten at our new Northglenn headquarters about two months ago.
You made a huge investment to build a 60,000 sq. ft. production headquarters in Northglenn, Colorado. Why were you confident in making such a big investment?
David: Prost has a fundamental belief of doing it right, by building community and having a quality-first mindset that doesn’t cut corners. There isn’t another brewery in America that can execute our vision or replicate our commitment to modern tradition. We know that if we do it right, people will recognize and appreciate it, and we’ve kept that philosophy from our biergartens to our brewery.
Our four biergartens across Colorado have become community hubs thanks to a focus on quality. We’re creating a similar environment with the brewery for the brewing community, to bring together people in the industry who are looking for that same philosophy of doing it right. Northglenn, in addition to being our brewery headquarters, will also be an ecosystem for the industry, driving consistent quality throughout the supply chain, from brewing to co-packing to cold storage and logistics.
What is the timeline for completing construction on that facility?
David: Like any construction project, it’s a constantly moving target. Our target is May, but there’s never a finish line when you’re striving to make the best possible bier.
How does this facility help Prost get to the next level?
David: We’re seeing double-digit growth right now, and the next level is to keep improving our quality and make delicious biers we’re proud to put the Prost name on. The new facility allows us to make bier our way, with tradition and quality at the forefront. We’re combining the best of old-world German brewing techniques with the best of new-world equipment and technology to create a one-of-a-kind brewing process.
This facility combined with that brewing philosophy and the incredible people on our team take us to the next level. We believe in our mission and we’re excited to create some of the best German lagers from Colorado or anywhere in the world.
What is the biggest opportunity you see ahead for Prost?
David: At the heart of the Prost brand is good bier, good people and good food. Our biergartens allow us to see people from all walks of life enjoying our biers every day, and often we see people you would never expect drinking craft, chugging our German-style lagers out of steins in the garten. That’s what keeps us going.
And the biggest opportunity we have is to continue to share world-class lagers with friends, family and the community – and then share our philosophy with the brewing industry to produce even more quality biers for us to enjoy.
What’s a recent stroke of inspiration you’ve had from an unlikely place?
David: Last week when the German installers were at the brewery, they convinced me to stay late after work for the unwrapping of our new 50 bbl Kaspar Schulz system. We shared a Prost Pils on the brew deck with German techno playing, and they said the Pils tasted like home.
If you could wave a magic wand and fix one troublesome part of your business, what would it be and what would you do?
David: Planes, trains, and automobiles. It takes months and years to get a tank from Germany. Lead times in the supply chain of equipment are long, and then longer when they hit hurricanes and get held in the Atlantic for two months. If we could snap our fingers and have equipment in place it would be amazing.
If you were a life coach and craft beer was your client, what advice would you give?
David: Let’s get craft back to quality. Craft seems to get labeled as inconsistent, but craft at its core is about excellence and skill. We’re crafting a quality-first brewing ecosystem in Northglenn that we hope will be an opportunity for reshaping that. Let’s raise the bar on quality and reshape the public’s perception of what craft is and what bier can be.