• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Success being small: How Wages Brew Co. became a local staple in year one

August 22, 2017Chris Crowell

wages craft brewery

Brewery news is like 99 percent expansion updates — new distribution areas, capacity growth and even totally new locations. From CBB heart throb Keith Gribbins:

Franchising and/or creating a chain is certainly not a new strategy — even in beer. Gordon Biersch has more than 30 brewery restaurants locations across America. Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant has decreed its 14th location will open in the Summer of 2018 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. While those examples feel more like eateries than drinkeries, breweries of all sizes are jumping at localized, destination opportunities, and they’re not sticking in the same state. They’re traveling across the continent.

All of that is cool for sure, but today let’s give a headline to a small brewery that could: Wages Brew Co.

Finding success being small

Wages Brewery makes small batch craft beer while providing an event space that hosts live music, trivia nights, gaming nights, charity fundraising events and more — all in their small taproom and all while owners Phil and Amber work “day jobs” as well.

“It’s a lot of work to do what we do, but we believe we’re doing something more than just running a bar,” Wages said. “We don’t have TVs. When people come to our taproom, they find a place where they feel comfortable, and they are reminded that social interaction isn’t just a novel idea. People jokingly say to us often, ‘It’s like Cheers!’, and I’m good with that. We come awful close to being where everybody knows your name. And the people of West Plains are making that happen every time they come in our doors. It makes me feel good to share my passion with people in this meaningful and rewarding way.”

Celebration time

wages brew co
This cool souvenir glass design was created via a local contest.

This West Plains, Mo.-based brewery hatched its soft opening on August 27, 2016, and has a really great “1st Aleiversary” celebration coming up to mark the occasion and celebrate that first year success. This two-day event is open to the public and will feature five live acts, the Spork Express food truck, an expanded menu of their handcrafted beers and soda and a souvenir glass.

“We’d like to thank the folks in the West Plains area for supporting us as we follow our passion of brewing beer here in the Ozarks,” Owner Phil Wages said. “So, we’ve put together this celebration as a thank you. We know we wouldn’t be here without everyone in our community who supports what we do.”

Wages’ held an art contest to design their souvenir glasses — part of their endeavor to work with individuals rather than some marketing firm online. The design was inspired by a “pipe dude” that sits atop a shelf in their taproom, kind of their unofficial mascot.

“We’re going to have additional beers on tap expanding our usual selection of six up to 10. And yes, this will be family friendly,” Wages said. “We’ve got handmade citrus soda [made with real limes and lemons] for the DDs and kiddos. Spring Dipper will be open next door, and it’s always fine to grab an ice cream cone to enjoy while hanging out in our taproom.”

Harvest Hosts
Breweries that host RV travelers via Harvest Hosts can earn some extra cash
Dunes Brewing - NFT Mug Club
Dunes Brewing launches NFT Mug Club with virtual and tangible things of value
brewery-NFTs
Marketing idea of the week: Three Denver breweries launch NFT for IRL event
Lasting Joy Brewery opens in Tivoli, N.Y., this weekend, and it looks spectacular

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Breweries that host RV travelers via Harvest Hosts can earn some extra cash
  • Joyride Brewing’s anniversary block party is going to be pretty rad, includes friendly collab competition
  • The wheeled Perlick Mobile Tap is a cool new roving beer station
  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • A behind the scenes look at branding a startup brewery
    June 28, 2022
  • robot beer salesThe future of retail beer sales is here
    June 27, 2022
  • Sapporo to acquire Stone Brewing, that one brewery that kept saying it wasn’t interested in selling out
    June 24, 2022
  • Reebok-x-Rec-2Harpoon collaborates with Reebok, Elysian reveals new tarot labels and more beers to know this week
    June 23, 2022
  • Carlsberg announces largest test trial of its fully recyclable Fiber Bottles (Mads Mikkelsen’s a fan)
    June 22, 2022
  • Strategic Partnership HandshakeHarpoon parent company buys Long Trail Brewing brands
    June 21, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....