The uphill climb

Well it's been an interesting week.

First of all, we want to say thank you. Those words do not even do justice to the amount of gratitude we feel for all of you who have so generously donated your hard earned money to help us reach our Kickstarter goal. We chose Kickstarter for this reason, to help the community be a part of what we are doing. This isn't just our brewery, it's yours. YOU are helping to build it. And we are so overwhelmed with emotion when we think about all you have done for us.

Last weekend we were invited to attend the 2nd annual Ameri-CAN Canned Craft Beer Festival in Scottsdale. We were lucky enough to go last year, and it was one of the best festivals we have ever attended. When the promoters invited us this year, we were thrilled. We knew it would not only be a good time, but an amazing opportunity to network with other people in the industry, and also meet many of the people who have been supporting us.

We were blown away. We couldn't make it through a crowd without people stopping us to wish us luck and show their support. Everyone was so excited about the idea of another brewery in town, especially the people we talked to from the west side. Peoria wants more options for craft beer and they are looking to us to help bring it to them.

With every event or opportunity we have to talk to the craft beer community, we get more anxious and excited to make this happen. We know this is what we are meant to do. We know we will be successful. It's just that getting there has been a roller coaster ride.

We have 24 days left to reach our Kickstarter goal. We would be lying if we didn't tell you each day we grow increasingly more nervous. Kickstarter is an all or nothing platform. If we don't reach the goal, we don't get anything. You are not charged and money never exchanges hands. Thankfully we are not relying on the money raised from Kickstarter to start our business. But our time frame to open does depend on having these funds. If we don't reach our goal, it could push our opening back as much as 6 months.

We realize Kickstarter is not your average way to raise funds for a new venture. It's unusual. Some people think it's just plain wrong. And we respect that. But the current economy forces people like us to come up with alternative and creative ways to raise funds. It's rough out there. People need every dime they make to help provide basic needs for their families. It's a lot to ask friends, family and total strangers to donate money so you can open a business. We realize we aren't feeding a third world country or curing some horrible illness.  We're making beer.

But we are creating a sense of community. We are providing an opportunity for people to band together to make something good and positive happen. And all that generosity you have shown us, we will pour right back into this community. We are creating jobs. We are creating a place for people to come and eat and drink and visit with their neighbors. And we will support this community through our own hard work and charitable donations.

If you have already supported us, we are indebted to you. We humbly thank you for believing in us. We promise to make you proud. All we ask is that you share our story and our goal with your friends and family. Tell everyone you know about the passion we have for making this happen. Share the Kickstarter link. Spread the word. Let's make this happen.

Help us make Mischief.

Kickin' it with Mischief

Our Kickstarter fundraiser is in full swing! It's day four of our 38 day campaign, and as we type this to you we have already received over $900 in pledges from friends, family and total freaking strangers.

Words can not express how humbling this has been for us. We are so blown away by the amount of support we have received. Especially from people who don't know us from (Sam) Adam(s). (Like how we did that? We know, sometimes we amaze ourselves with our own cleverness!)

Please remember, Kickstarter is an all or nothing platform. If we don't reach our goal in the next 34 days, we get nada. This money could make the biggest difference in making this dream a reality. The more money we have, the faster we can open and start bringing quality craft beer to Peoria Arizona!

We've added the link to the Kickstarter to the right. Please take a minute to watch our quick, yet highly entertaining video. Comments are always welcome! So please, share the link and our story with your friends. Tell your families. Shout it from the roof tops! Help us make this happen for this community!!!

With sincerest appreciation,
Brandon and April

 

Let's get this party started!

Besides a big set of balls, what do you need a lot of in order to start a business in this economy?

Money.

We wake up thinking about money. We go to bed thinking about money. And money consumes our thoughts in between. You can't start a business without money. And lots of it. No matter how well you plan and budget, it's never enough.

Luckily, we are following a business model created by our friend and mentor, Tom Hennessy of Colorado Boy Brewery in Ridgway Colorado. Tom's proven business model allows us to start this brewpub with a small amount of capital. We are fortunate enough to have a small nest egg of our own and a couple of investors who believe in our concept. But like we said, it's never enough.

One way for breweries like ours to raise funds is a wonderful program called Kickstarter. Kickstarter allows start ups to raise funds for creative projects through donations from friends, family and even total strangers. We have supported two breweries ourselves through Kickstarter. It's a program we believe in so much that we have decided to try it ourselves.

Basically it's an all or nothing platform. Meaning, if we don't reach the goal we set for ourselves, no money is exchanged. For us, it was exciting supporting the two brewery start ups that received our donations. It feels good being a part of making dreams come true and contributing to something great in a community. We have received so much support from our friends, family and the craft beer community, we are confident our Kickstarter campaign will be successful. Regardless, this brewery is going to happen either way. But we love the idea of giving people a chance to be a part of this.

Our Kickstarter project will 'kick off' this Friday, May 11 and will run for 38 days. (Ask Brandon why he picked 38.) We can't wait to share the link with you. You can check out our fun video, created by the Amazing Travis Suhr, read our story and see the Fabulous prizes we are sharing with our contributors. Every penny raised will help us pay for licensing, equipment and legal mumbo jumbo, all necessary for us to make Mischief with you.

From the bottom of our kegs, we thank you for your support!