Startup Looks to Experimentation, Diversity in Products

When a startup brewery steps out of the long waiting to finally open, hoping to splash onto the scene is a big part of how kickstarting a fan base can happen.

For Bone Hook Brewing in Naples, Florida, that meant opening up the portfolio to see what patrons are going to want along with key staples from the brewery’s 15-barrel main brewhouse.

“We’ve had such demand from our customers asking for out of the ordinary craft beers, something they cannot find anywhere else,” said Josh Deitner, the brewery’s brewmaster. “It’s always been our passion to test the limits of craft brewing, to discover combinations that ultimately yield a new favorite. We hope this series will inspire some new favorites.”

The brewery, which opened in December, is beginning a series called “Beer30.” Although not meant to be a profitable venture, the brewery hopes the small-scale batches could be cost effective should the brew get scaled up.

“We are monitoring sales carefully to see what our customers like — we would love to have big demand for some of these unique brews,” Deitner said. “However, this is more of an effort to educate our local market (and our sensory panel), and to show what kinds of flavors can be achieved in the beer realm.”

This project was initiated by the brewery staff, in hopes to present the local market with a unique variety of beers produced from seldom used ingredients and processes.

“We’re trying to present the kind of craft beer experience that we enjoy ourselves,” Deitner said.

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Beer30 kicked off May with an Imperial Series including a Red Magnum Double IPA, Zuper Saazer Imperial Pilsner, 2x Rye IPA, and a Double Rye Ale. June follows with a fruit inspired beer series including Fresh Citrus Gose, Raspberry Witbier, Apricot IPA, and a Plum Porter. July will feature the Wet-Hopped IPA series, showcasing hop varieties grown locally in the Bone Hook hop yard. In August, beer drinkers will enjoy sampling hard-to-find historical styles including Gose, Lichtenhainer, Sahti, and Kentucky Common. September ushers in the fall season with German style beers including Doppelbock, Dunkel Weizen, Schwarzbier, and Roggenbier. In October, Bone Hook Brewing gives a nod to the goblin season with Halloween and Seasonal-inspired beers such as a Spiced Pumpkin Ale, Caramel Apple Sour, Double Pumpkin Porter, and an Oktoberfest. November’s beer series highlighting dark beers such as Imperial Brown, Black IPA, Wheat Wine, and Chocolate & Vanilla Dessert Stout. December will feature sweet, malty Scottish Ales including 60 (Light), 70 (Heavy), 80 (Export), and 90 Shilling (Wee Heavy).

Several of these beers have been brewed before, in the combined professional and home brewing experiences that the brewery’s founders and brewers share.

The number of different styles to be brewed will obviously be a logistical challenge, possibly ordering from specialty or homebrew suppliers at times Deitner said,

“But we’re happy to work harder at this with the final product in mind,” ?Deitner said. “In order to stay on schedule, we’ll need to carefully adhere to our production schedule, but our small batch system normally does only specialty, one-off products already, so we only need to focus the fermentation capacity on this application, while our 15-barrel system will continue to produce our flagships and crowd favorites.”

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