what makes a good beer to me is people who
really care about their craft people who are
interested in what the certain characteristics
of the grain and all the ingredients together
combine to make the process of seeing it go
from the raw materials to the wort you add
the yeast and you see the process of fermentation
and to see that designed into all of those
elements that you then just bring together
and it magically becomes beer as it were what
really excites me about being different and
being unique in our beers is watching people
actually get to taste them just knowing that
they enjoyed what we made it helps that they
know that there's people behind it who enjoy
the product that they're making we have a
lot of great recipes a lot of great ideas
but really in order to facilitate that we've
got to upgrade your equipment our capacity
our ability to distribute something that's
concerning is one we don't hit our goal we
don't hit our goal we don't get any money
it's not just to get however much money we
raise we get nothing obviously securing the
location that's going to be both affordable
and conducive to what we want to do we do
hit our goal and then I'm concerned are the
people who told us these are our prices for
things are they going to follow up with those
prices are we going to get them in time I
really have little question that people will
be able to drink and enjoy the product and
just the whole idea of no one will buy our
beer it's good if people will just buy it
and taste it they'll like it but that no one's
going to want to take that leap it's all hinging
upon can we secure the finances and the resources
and the location and the approval to do so
so we've been brewing like crazy for the past
couple months trying to get ready for all
the tasting that are lined up we want people
to be able to taste the product when they're
there and see what it is that we're all about
and see why our beers are different pretty
much now it just comes down to brewing 
craft beer the definition of that is more
or less people who have the distinct pleasure
of being able to build to taste the craft
beer movement it's really a movement in America
there's been a huge surge in craft breweries
in interest in beer it's continuing to grow
gain more and more of a market share of beer
in the United States as a whole and it's even
blowing up in other countries as well we were
in Ireland about a year and a half ago what
we noticed was the kinda feeling of community
and camaraderie so we thought wouldn't it
be neat if we could make good beer educate
people culturally about what beer doesn't
have to be and what that culture should be
and then provide an opportunity for that kind
of community we then took the steps into making
up our own recipes and really expanding on
our craft we shared it with friends and family
they liked it they said hey this is good like
they were surprised you actually made this
it was good just kind of from start to finish
it was hey this sounds cool to ok now we really
need to refine this and make sure it's a quality
product and it tastes great we went through
all kinds of name iterations and reiterations
and some you know two of us liked and the
third didn’t some we all three liked and
we told other people and they're like that's
stupid so we're like ok maybe that's not a
good idea reclamation brewing company to me
that signifies that we are here with a purpose
we are here to help take back beer culture
most people when they think of beer they think
of some nationally advertised beer that people
only drink during football games we wanted
to reclaim it to how about we slow it down
and instead of just wanting a buzz from our
beer we want flavor we want substance we want
to taste the process and the ingredients and
I think we all know that beer hasn't always
been watered down and bland and mass produced
like it is now we just wanted to be a part
of that of reclaiming beer from this tasteless
bland boring proposition so reclamation from
less desirable the more desirable 
so we're a week out from the kickstarter launch
very excited very nervous there's a lot that
has been done already and a lot that still
needs done so we're trying to fund the project
through kickstarter essentially what kickstarter
is is a program that if you have a new idea
or an idea for a project that you want to
pursue you say we need x amount of money and
if you donate some money we will give you
some stuff based on how much you donate determines
what stuff you get in return so a few of the
prizes people can get are a pint glass with
reclamation brewing company's logo on it we
have a couple different levels of t-shirts
we have the ability for someone to work with
us to create a beer create a blend that they
would really like to see served year round
and then help name that the reason we really
chose kickstarter we'll first all we don't
have any money the three of us we've got the
money we have as people that's not enough
to start a business we don't necessarily want
to go to a bank because we don't feel like
the bank is invested in us not only then does
it give us a way to start out but it also
gives us a way to recognize who is supportive
of us who is gonna be there for us and be
able to give back to them something just that
kind of building the brand through this kind
of a platform is a really cool opportunity
the kickstarter page is ready to go I'm sending
it for approval once I get the word back I'll
be able to launch it and let everybody see
it I think it's an understatement to say I'm
a little nervous but I'm also really hopeful
and I like the prospects we have and I'll
see where we go from here at the stage we're
at with our kickstarter campaign I feel a
little anxious many of the people with who
were connected really aren't even familiar
with kickstarter so I think if they had had
more familiarity with it there wouldn't have
been such a gap between where we may have
thought we would've been a this point and
where we actually are it's a little intimidating
putting ourselves out there with our friends
and family watching on it is kind of nerve
racking to be putting all this initial time
and effort and money up front and there's
still the potential of us not succeeding in
our goal we've been brewing a lot and in addition
to doing what we all normally have responsibility
to do I think that there's kind of a fatigue
that is building and a lot of other hurdles
as well that we've been just learning as we
go and had no way to prepare for today is
November fourth and we are seventeen days
away from the end of the kickstarter we have
about fifty three backers totaling approximately
ninety four hundred dollars we're starting
to gain some momentum which I like but it
seems as though it's coming a little longer
into the campaign than what I anticipated
being a man of faith in God I understand that
all things are in his hands and so I try not
worry about it but just trust him and it's
going along as it's supposed to go along we
have a lot of tastings coming up in addition
to the ones we've already done so now we just
need more people to taste our beer we'll we're
at Carson Street Deli and Craft Beer Bar on
Carson Street in the South Side of Pittsburgh
a lot of eateries in the area they have a
beer meetup here tonight and we're actually
doing a public debut of a couple of our regulars
Promised Land Ale 
and Carry Me Home IPA so we're anxious to
see what the response is from the public Pittsburgh
Beer Meetup is a group that started about
three years ago and so what we do is get together
two or three times a month at different craft
beer bars and we just kind of get together
and have social events part of the reason
we picked the area we did is because first
of all the environment of pittsburgh and the
surrounding area is great the people are loyal
people tend to cling onto something and then
they don't want to let go Pittsburgh is such
a supportive community for craft beer and
there's room for everyone I really appreciate
that idea of the reclamation brewing company
reclaiming that idea that the craft beer industry
is about community and fellowship and just
enjoying the beer and enjoying the product
in each other's company and not just about
you know slamming beer after beer tonight
went really well I think we were able to get
to talk to quite a few people and I just think
a lot of people really liked and appreciated
what we had to say and enjoyed our beers as
well so I'm excited for the future people
know what we're about they know who we are
and they've seen us they've got to spend some
time with us and have a few drinks and hopefully
they'll be supportive on kickstarter people's
reactions in general have been great we just
back from a tasting this week that we are
paired up against a major distributor a major
brewery and our lowest scoring beer scored
higher than their highest scoring beer so
that's encouraging we also broke some marks
that aren't often broken with that group of
people promised land ale member thoughts delicious
Winnie the Poo would drink this beer awesome
beer I love it creamy milk and honey perfect
yum very good honey beer a hit with the ladies
and the men we've had very positive responses
and I'm really thankful for that it makes
me know that we're doing something right it's
a little bit surprising how much people like
our beer but we also know we have a great
product it's just cool to see people try it
and actually physically see them enjoy it
rather than just hearing from someone that
we know already that it's good the way we
have built these beers is to taste and I'm
glad that people really like it they are noticing
that it's a nice bold flavor and that there's
time and effort and craftsmanship that has
been going into our beer we've also been reaching
out to some extent of course Twitter and Facebook
are huge marketing tools as well as many others
we've been talking in discussions with some
local newspapers and television stations that
we're hoping are going to follow through and
actually run some sort of a story about our
project I think it's more important in an
overall sense that you're saying we're not
we're not ashamed of their product were putting
it out there people like it they're responding
here are the results so I think that will
continue to be an asset in generating interest
in the beer it's a little disappointing seeing
where we're at with all the good feedback
we've had and all the people who really enjoy
our beer and enjoy our mission we're at about
about fifteen thousand dollars ninety some
backers and fifteen thousand so we've got
about twenty thousand to go it doesn't really
seem like there is a lot that we could have
done differently I mean we've been taking
as much time as possible researching everything
out to the nth degree to see ok are we maybe
missing people are we scaring people away
what's going on if the kickstarter isn't successful
as far as the monetary standpoint I think
it's still successful in the fact that it
has helped us to gain a lot of attention from
people who didn't know about us before I think
it's gone a long ways just in terms of marketing
and brand recognition and in building a following
it's been beneficial in that respect the amount
of support that we've seen from our tastings
and the reaction that we've gotten from people
has been very positive so we're looking forward
to being able to serve at this point after
all the nights spent awake working on a project
and responding to emails and the days brewing
and the tastings from the beer festivals it
comes down to these last three days I think
there's a kind of a fatigue that is building.
It is kind of nerve racking to be putting
all this initial time and effort and money
up front and still the potential of us not
succeeding in our goal.
It's all hinging upon can we secure the finances,
and the resources and the location and the
approval to do so.
At this point after all the nights spent awake
working on the project and tastings and beer
festivals it comes down to these last three
days.
The Kickstarter did not succeed.
We were a little over half of our final goal.
I think a big part of it was that people didn't
know who we were yet.
We were pretty new.
I think one of the hindrances was the fact
that we didn't really have a physical location
yet even though that's what part of the Kickstarter
was for.
We were able to track the progress the entire
way and we knew there were certain milestones
that we needed to hit and as those dates approached
and we didn't hit those milestones we pretty
much figured that it was going to be something
that didn't succeed.
We've had to adjust how we want to raise our
revenue.
We haven't adjusted the size of our brew system.
Some of the things we would've liked to do
as extras we've decided that maybe those things
could be simplified.
And I told Ben and Ben there are going to
be obstacles there are going to be roadblocks
the key is don’t discouraged, don't lose
heart you just got to work through those things.
I don't think there was ever a moment when
we said well we just can't do it.
It was how do we do it now that the Kickstarter
didn't succeed.
One of the big things that came out of the
Kickstarter campaign we were actually contacted
by the owner of the building that we're going
to be locating the brewpub in.
We have this building for rent we want to
have someone in there who is wanting to invest
time into Butler and will also want to stick
around for a while.
We've since secured the building at 221 South
Main Street in Butler, PA.
Done walk throughs with building inspector,
zoning officer.
We've been meeting with and accepting proposals
from a number of architects and designers
so we're in the process of doing the drawings,
applying for our building permits, completing
our license application.
It's huge step being able to lease the building.
It gives us a sense of legitimacy.
And it's just a great location.
Right on Main Street in the town we want to
be in.
The way the building was set up before, it
was set up as a card and gift shop.
It hadn't really been renovated since the
early 1980s.
It's a little dated.
Got to repair the floors, paint the walls,
build the bar, redo the entire electrical
system.
And down in the basement is where it's going
to really get fun because that's were our
brew system is going to be going in.
We're looking to build as much as possible.
That way it's less expense, plus it kind of
puts a little bit of ourselves into the business,
into the building.
We're not at that point just going out and
buying something and saying oh yeah this is
our style.
It's something that we're putting time and
energy into.
So it's been a huge step for us and I think
its really added a lot to our venture to be
able to lease the building.
I'm just excited and ready for it to open.
Lets do our thing and we'll be good to go.
I'm excited for that too.
Out of nowhere I'm confronted with all this
momentum for the brewery moving forward, I'm
confronted with either abandon this dream
or your passion and the vocation you've held
for fifteen years.
I am a pastor and a brewer and that wasn't
really an issue until an article was released
in the local newspaper that made the front
page.
Some of the folks and leaders in the church
that I served didn't think that that publicity
was particularly good for the church.
It came to a point where I would have had
to affirm that I believed what I was doing
was wrong.
I couldn't in good conscious say that I believed
things that I didn't or say that I didn't
believe things that I did and we parted ways.
It's hard for him because he's been doing
the same thing for fifteen years, he's been
a pastor, and a lot of people just kind of
breeze on past him because of that.
I've had to think about finances and vocation
in ways that I hadn't anticipated I would
have to think about.
I know that Ben has a kid on the way so that
doesn't really leave him in a great spot.
In a couple months we're going to need some
serious cash and we're really looking hard
into where that's going to come from.
Being the one in the best position to get
this thing up and running with my current
full-time job, it's something that's worrying
definitely.
If for some reason we can't get going, we
don't get the necessary funds we need, there's
no way to continue.
If all else fails, the business would fail
and we would have to start over or give up
the dream.
I'm optimistic, I'm anxious.
Ready to get this thing on the road.
In the past months we've obtained our building
permits after a long uphill struggle.
We've pretty much done all the demolition
that needed done.
And we've worked every day expect for Sunday
for the past nine months.
I think it's been about as much work as I
expected, but I think its taken a little longer
than I expected.
The hardest thing is waiting.
Just the patience to work through all the
little issues that pop up on a daily basis.
I sleep less, I probably eat more than I should.
I have less time to spend with my wife and
my son.
As tired as I am and as exhausted as well
all are, I think we're all really excited
and really on the home stretch at this point
to getting the place open, to being able to
interact with our customers and be able to
see the fruits of our labor come to fruition.
What I'm really expecting is for that to be
somewhere between four and six weeks out,
hopefully the shorter end of that.
It's a really exciting time at this point,
it's also a really busy and exhausting time
and this point.
We've prepared as well as we can, but of course
you need to expect the unexpected.
And I think in just a few short weeks or maybe
even a month, we'll be able to really sit
back and say okay now we go to work.
Right now we're very close to opening.
We have a lot of work left to do, but it's
a lot of work that will bring things together
very quickly and we're pretty optimistic that
we'll be open sooner than later.
We have installed our sign, we've installed
artwork that was made for us.
We're currently brewing, which is a huge blessing
for us.
Right now we have two in the fermenters and
we're working on a third today.
It takes anywhere between three to four weeks
for the beer to finish and a little while
for it to age beyond that so we decided to
start the beer now that way it is fully matured
by the time we open and are ready to serve
it.
It's plenty different now as opposed to when
we were brewing it in the garage.
In the garage we were working out of Igloo
coolers, which maxed out at about a five gallon
batch.
Here we are getting about one hundred gallons
out of it at a time, but with that it's given
its own set of challenges as well.
It's a constant learning process and we had
to update our precess a couple times that
way we could figure out what our system was
doing as opposed to what it used to do, but
we are pretty confident now that we have it
pretty well in line.
We've been paying into a general fund every
month that way we can pay off our credit card
debt as we're able and mainly a lot of what
we're doing is currently on credit card.
It's really difficult for a new business to
get a business loan if they haven't been established
already.
We are really anxious to get open, not only
from the money side, but we're really anxious
to serve the community.
There's been many people who have come and
said to us hey we really want to come to your
establishment, when can we come.
If I had to predict, I'd say we would be open
in another three to six weeks all depending
on upon the different agencies that have to
give us approval before we can actually open
our doors to customers.
We are really anxious to start serving the
community, start being a staple in Butler
and make Butler a destination a place to come
to.
How you all doing?
Are you ready for beer in Butler?
I was very nervous and anxious and happy and
exhausted all at the same time.
We had come so far and we had very few days
off in the lead up to that and we were all
just kind of spent.
The raw thrill of seeing everyone rush through
the door at once is pretty incredible.
And its kind of unbelievable too because for
so long we weren't open.
You anticipate that day and then it's there
and then its over and you have that sense
of accomplishment that we finally actually
did this.
It's pretty cool.
We cut the ribbon, opened the door and had
people flooding in the building.
We had every seat full and there were three
and four people deep at the bar for a few
hours.
Customers said they were impressed as young
as we are, how well our team did in serving
them, how good the food and the beers were
so we got really good feedback.
Even with expecting to see a large crowd it
was still kind of overwhelming to see a large
crowd and a little bit unbelievable at the
same time.
It's a breath of fresh air to finally be open,
but at the same time, you have to take a deep
breath to continue on for the long journey
ahead.
It feels great.
It's nice to be open, it's nice to have people
appreciate what you've worked so hard for.
It's really rewarding when they come forward
and talk to you about that and you can really
see that they appreciate that and they find
there home here in our business and I can't
really describe the feeling, but it's a good
one.
There was a very narrow window when you ask
yourself are we going to get done in time,
are we going to sufficient capital to finish
the task.
The problem comes in when you know you are
going to be a benefit to the community and
you know that jobs are going to be created
because of what you're doing.
And you also know that you're not in a position
to send much of your own money.
Ben and I ended up contributing money each
month towards our brewery account that way
we could keep the bills paid.
There weren't a lot of options within our
own finances at the time.
My income comes from the brewpub so it's sustaining
me currently.
Ultimately I think it was all for the best.
I don't think there were any times where I
doubted that we would eventually get there.
It certainly seemed like there were times
were we thought we would never get there but
there was never a sense for me at least of
I want to give up, I want to stop doing this,
this isn't worth it.
To know that we had our hands on every square
inch is really satisfying.
I'm glad it's over.
I don't want to do it again.
I'm on a seven year construction hiatus.
I nearly electrocuted myself two or three
times over the course of the production of
this place and two of those times were on
the same day within a half hour of each other.
Brewing is much easier.
I've always had a deep appreciation since
we've started for craft beer.
I've gained a deeper appreciation.
I know the type of work that I go through
to get the beer made and I know a lot of other
breweries go through as much or maybe more.
Craft brewing is artistry but it's also hard
work.
Things that we romanticize, things that we
delight in we forget that someone had to work
very hard.
It's the product of labor and hopefully passion.
It certainly hasn't lost any of its magic
to me.
It's cool that it's made on a bigger scale.
This isn't a turkey burner and a couple Gatorade
containers anymore.
It's the real deal.
People are coming in and paying money for
whatever we're doing here and they love it.
I think Reclamation will continue to grow.
We continue to see new faces almost every
single day.
We have our sights set on expansion.
We're looking at brewpub expansion.
We're looking at the possibility of a production
facility to supply those locations.
That's all in the plans and in the works.
Definitely gives you a sense of pride looking
at what it started as, what it is now and
the potential for what it is going to be.
