How Time in the Woods Sparked a Game-Changing Idea for This Brewery Owner

In the quiet woods of Michigan, far from the pressures of running a brewery, Jake Lohse found inspiration.

“There’s nothing else going on upstairs,” Lohse said. “My phone didn’t work, so nobody could reach me. And it just kind of hit me. This whole process (of starting a brewery) is a lot like driving a stick-shift vehicle — you start in neutral with just an idea, but eventually, you have to shift gears and commit if you want to move forward.”

Founded in 2019, Presidential Brewing in Portage, Michigan — located about 50 miles south of Grand Rapids — faced a rocky start. The brewery opened its doors at an inopportune time, just before the pandemic. But as Lohse admits, external challenges were only part of the struggle.

“Honestly, I was just bad at my job,” he said. “I had never done anything like this before. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, and no one was there to show me the way.”

He described the first four years as “rough,” filled with moments of frustration and self-doubt. By the fifth year, Lohse was at a crossroads: either renew the brewery’s lease or call it quits.

Determined to turn things around, he committed to change.

“I still believed in the idea — Presidential Brewing was supposed to work — but what I had been doing wasn’t cutting it,” Lohse said.

He refocused on building processes and creating leaders within his team, key shifts that not only transformed the brewery’s culture but also produced results. In 2023, sales increased by 45%, with another 19% growth in the following year.

That time in the woods helped him understand he needed to help others also struggling at the start of their journey and quicken the pains of those first four years.

It would become his new book, “Shifting Gears: The Ultimate Roadmap to Crafting Your Legendary Brewery or Restaurant.” For Lohse, the solitude of a hunting trip offered more than just time to unwind. It became the moment when the idea for his book began to take shape, helping him reflect on his journey as a founder of Presidential.

His experiences became the foundation of “Shifting Gears,” a book Lohse hopes will accelerate the success of other brewery owners.

READ MORE: 7 Ways to Start to Save Your Damn Brewery

“I want to help people avoid those years of struggling in neutral or grinding away in second gear like I did,” he explained. “When you’re starting out, no one tells you how to build a leadership team or figure out your product mix. You’re on your own to figure it all out, and that can feel overwhelming.

“I had never worked in a brewery, never owned a business, and never taken out a loan like this. I thought, ‘Can I even do this?’ But that’s the space a lot of people are in — thinking they’re not qualified and that success is for someone else.”

Ultimately, Lohse’s mission is to help others in the industry find joy and success faster than he did.

“There are steps you can take, and this book shows what worked for us,” he said. “If even one person reads it and reaches that next gear faster than I did, that’s a win.”

“Shifting Gears” offers more than just a roadmap — it’s a candid, practical guide for anyone looking to build a sustainable and fulfilling business in the brewery or restaurant industry and is available now for download or paperback purchase on Amazon.

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