This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the US. 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.
Ali Drozdowicz, Artist/Events Planner/Taproom Manager, Quenched & Tempered Brewing — Toledo, Ohio
BREWER: How have recent challenges in your position helped make you better? What were those “pain points” and how did you solve or adjust to the issue?
DROZDOWICZ: The hard reality of business ownership that has been the most painful for me is the damage to relationships. It hurts to be misunderstood and to have people leave, to witness people’s disappointed expectations, and to bear the discomfort of conflict. I think there comes a point for each of us in business ownership, where we have to choose whether to become cold and wall off our hearts, or to live with the pain and continue to risk on people. I’ve chosen to continue to risk. It hurts, and I expect I will have to keep making that choice over and over.
BREWER: What has been your brewery’s most recent accomplishment and how is it going to improve your business going forward?
DROZDOWICZ: We just began on a creative collaboration project with Imagination Station. We are brewing two special beers for their upcoming exhibit of the largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia, opening this October. We are doing a light and a dark style that can be stacked in a Black & Tan, and I’m really looking forward to releasing the can art for these. I’m stoked to be collaborating with an institution that is all about playful education. Craft beer culture is one of good times and playful fun, and I think in order to keep the thousands of years’ legacy of craft beer going, educating our community is an absolute must. Investing in this relationship with Imagination Station is something I expect to have lasting impact for our brewing community.
BREWER: How did you start in the industry and why do you still want to be a part of it?
DROZDOWICZ: My husband, Alex, took up home brewing as a hobby, and as is his habit, he took a deep dive and invited everyone surrounding him to dive with him. I started off just doing the label art, and I got more involved after the pandemic inflated our risk. This certainly isn’t where I would have seen myself looking forward five years ago, but I wouldn’t trade it. What keeps me doing it is our patrons. I get to bear witness to so many important moments. People connect over a pint to celebrate, to brainstorm creative ideas, to work out their difficulties … a lot of pivotal life moments happen in our taproom. Hosting that creative space has become a passion of mine.
BREWER: What are you sippin’ on right now from your brewery that you really enjoy?
DROZDOWICZ: I keep coming back to our Grain O’Malley, an Irish Red Ale. We have a lot of specialty seasonal styles right now, and lately I’ve just wanted a simple beer that is just beer.
BREWER: Be it in styles, ingredients, business strategies or sales & marketing techniques, what are some recent industry trends that you’ve tried or are excited about trying this year?
DROZDOWICZ: I’ve been diving into video creation for social media. Man, it’s a lot of work! Several hours can go into a 30 second reel. But as I am scrolling social media, I’m finding I connect with these other businesses’ videos, and I want to make that opportunity for people to feel like they know us.
BREWER: What are some adaptations to business practices in the industry that you’ve observed over these past few years, and how has your brewery adjusted to stay competitive?
DROZDOWICZ: I’m seeing a pull away from traditional styles of craft beer, a lot of adjusting recipes to appeal to the current market trends and a new generation of consumers, and I’m not following. It feels like a big risk to go the opposite direction as my peers. But actually, craft beer is literally as old as recorded history, and I’m betting my livelihood that current trends aren’t going to wreck that ancient legacy.
Be the first to comment