Brewmented thinks outside the box when it comes to homebrewing

LONGMONT — Bill Campbell knows what homebrewing needs: first timers, women brewers and millennials.

It’s for those underserved markets in the craft-brewing scene that he created Brewmented: a Longmont shop that is part hobby shop, part taproom.

A long-time homebrewer, Campbell decided to leave his career in the tech industry to create what he thought could be a more sustainable business model than just opening his own small brewery. He decided to combine a taproom with a full homebrewing shop, but one that would target demographics that are often forgotten by complicated, intimidating home-brewing shops of old.

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“The numbers say we’re seeing a decline in homebrewing, but that doesn’t add up,” he told BizWest. “There are two different segments: the newer and internet-focused shops vs. the shops that have been around for more than five years. Those ones are not growing because they’re not thinking about the internet and are only servicing the homebrewing community.”

Campbell decided to break that mold and create a location that would cater to everyone interested in homebrewing — and even those who might not yet realize they could pursue it as a hobby. He cited the statistic that 41 percent of craft-beer aficionados would love to brew their own beer but don’t, and that there are 30 million craft-beer fans.

“Why aren’t those 41 percent coming into stores like this?” he said.

To create a store that would be welcoming to all craft-beer fans, Campbell began by hiring women and people who would never get sick of talking about the basics of the pastime and walking people through it. He even tailored the store to be a welcoming one — spacious, filled with natural light and a taproom in back with plenty of board games for all kinds of people, even families. The taproom specializes in experimental batches that are constantly rotated. If a person came in once a week, they would see new beers every time they came in, Campbell said. Brewmented — which has been open for almost a year — also opens its taps up to guest breweries.

Taps aren’t the only thing open. Brewmented also doubles as an event space, where Campbell has experts come in and lead classes to teach home brewing and other craft skills. The first Friday of every month is a Meet the Brewer, where different breweries come in and talk about their products. There are also women-only classes and groups to feature and help grow the ranks women who take on brewing. Classes for millennials show that it’s possible to brew at home even if your home is a small apartment. And staff is available at any time for newcomers, even able to troubleshoot beginners through issues over the phone.

All of this is to target and foster what Campbell sees as unrecognized market potential in craft beer.

“If we target subsegments, we expand our market,” he said. “In fact, we even missed a market at first: retirees looking for hobbies and more social activities. Our hope is to reimagine the industry. I just don’t buy that it’s not growing now.”