Brewer Magazine Q&A: Michael Peticolas, Peticolas Brewing

This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the U.S.
Brewer Magazine will share business and personal insights from Brewmasters, Head Brewers, Brewing Managers, Sales Directors, QCQA Managers and others each weekend to help you get to know each other better in the industry and learn more to better develop your own brand.

Michael Peticolas, Operator​, ​Peticolas Brewing — Dallas

​BREWER: How do you feel your job has had to adapt in the beer market compared to a few years ago?
​PETICOLAS: ​I’ve moved from being the only employee in the company to operating an organization with ​four​ departments and 40 employees. Change is constant and embraced. It’s all about formulating a plan, implementing the plan, evaluating the plan, and reformulating it accordingly. This never stops. And shouldn’t.

​BREWER: Who is your mentor in the industry and why? What have you learned from them?
PETICOLAS: There are many, but I still consider Greg Matthews of Platt Park Brewing my sensei. After brew school, he allowed me to work alongside him and learn the practical application of brewery operations. Theory is one thing, but the practical application is essential. The importance he placed on sanitation, organization and repletion provided the foundation for my own brewery.

​BREWER: Can you share a success story that you are proud of in your job or maybe a story of how you learned from a situation that has altered your thoughts on how you do your job now?
PETICOLAS: For the first ​five​ years of our brew history, I repeatedly told our crew that “it’s all about the beer.” Beer is ​No. 1​. To an extent this remains true, but after ​five​ years (and numerous local, regional, and national awards) I realized that it was no long all about the beer; the most important thing is the people. “It’s all about the people; our crew is what it’s all about.”

​BREWER: Can you touch on something your brewery has added lately that’s unique or making your business more successful (it could be equipment, technology or people)?
PETICOLAS: After ​seven​ years as a keg​-​only brewery, the State of Texas passed legislation that made it legal for Texas brewers to sell beer to go from their ​taprooms. This incentivized us to package our beer in cans for the first time, which we launched for sale on September 1, 2019, the day the Beer to Go law went into effect. The result? The biggest single day in our brewery’s history.

​BREWER: If you had one business strategy that you could implement to better the brewing industry, what would it be?
PETICOLAS: It seems simple but many brewers do not seem to quite get it; if your beer doesn’t measure up, don’t sell it. Brew it again or brew something else. Subpar craft beer is hurting the beer segment. Dollars lost dumping beer are more than recovered in the long run.

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