Ale & Hearty

Turning a hobby into a full time job – one that keeps a roof over your head – sounds like a dream come true. And, when your hobby’s home brewing and you transform that into a money spinner – well, a lot of blokes would think that’s about as good as it gets. Beer enthusiast Steve Plowman has done just that. He runs Hallertau Brewbar Restaurant in Riverhead, a 20 minute drive west of the Auckland CBD. It’s a boutique operation; a family restaurant built around a micro-brewery with its own unique style. “It’s a different concept in beer. No preservatives, no enzymes, fresh on tap.” As for being a money spinner – these things rarely happen overnight in the hospitality industry. Plowman got into home brewing while he was at university in Dunedin, but his career aspirations didn’t include beer baron. He graduated with a BSc, majoring in geology, in 1995 and headed overseas, working as a geophysicist in various parts of the world for around eight years. However the passion for beer and brewing stayed; buying a kit became a regular part of any new job situation, regardless of the location. But, while living in Perth, he realised oil fields had lost their appeal. “I saw an ad for a brewing course at Margaret River and the decision was pretty simple.” Plowman, and his wife Hayley, opened Hallertau in 2005. The premises had previously been a brewery but there was a lot of work needed when the couple took over. “We managed a complete re-fit in just eight weeks,” says Steve. “I focused on important stuff like really big sound systems and really flash shiny beer fonts.” The concept is a first for New Zealand; a restaurant where the only beer in the house is its own brew – on tap. “That’s a bit of a hurdle for some of the punters,” admits Plowman. “But when it’s the best beer in the country why would you want anything else?” Setting up a brewery in dilapidated premises is a costly undertaking. And the ‘scarey’ fail rates in the hospitality industry mean banks don’t want to know you, he says. The Plowmans financed the enterprise by initially borrowing against their house which they then sold to fund the first 18 months of operation. Steve knows about brewing. Hayley is a trained teacher. Neither of them had any direct business experience. “But we were lucky to have a friend who came on board as general manager. She had wide experience in running restaurants and was an integral part of the set-up.” The Plowmans had identified an opportunity for the type of family pubs they’d seen while travelling and working overseas – specifically “German pubs with their outstanding beer gardens and English pubs that are a focal point for the local community.” They targeted the local market. “Being isolated from the CBD we weren’t looking to be the latest and greatest. It’s been a gradual journey, trying to build relationships with local customers.” The business model they started out with has changed along the way. “There’s a fine line between sticking with your concept and telling punters what they should be eating and drinking, and being flexible enough to listen to customer feedback and evolve into something the locals want. We’ve managed both very well. Turnover is above what we expected but that’s largely due to selling more wine.” All this and fruit wine too The wine is another good reason to savour Hallertau. The Plowmans also produce and market Pukeko Grove fruit wines – five of which were award winners in the recent New Zealand Fruit Wine Competitions. And if you associate fruit wines with overly-sweet, highly alcoholic concoctions, think again. Fruit wines can now hold their own at the dinner table, says Steve. The freshness of locally grown fruit is a key to the success of the Pukeko Grove label, and it’s just as important in the brewery. “It’s not so much about reducing their carbon foot-print as it is about producing a product with genuine local character and flavour,” he says. Plowman uses 100 percent local hops (Hallertau is, in fact, named for the world’s largest hop producing area in Bavaria) and about 90 percent local malt. And, he says, there are challenges using so much local raw material. “New Zealand hops have a very distinctive flavour that can dominate if not used carefully.” The malted barley comes from Gladfields, a relatively new Canterbury company. “They’ve only been operating a couple of years but I’m very happy with the quality and am getting great results. “I’m proud of my country and its produce but I think there are far too many companies projecting a pseudo green image purely for marketing purposes. We’ve found that by taking pride in the local goodness, acting responsibly and exercising a little commonsense, most sustainability issues resolve naturally. It should be a mind-set not a marketing tool.” Steve and Hayley initially took a low key approach to marketing their enterprise. They wanted to be sure any problems had been ironed out before promoting Hallertau. “A lot of our business comes through word of mouth but we now work with Emma Clarke, an independent marketing consultant. We found as we grew we could no longer do everything.” And the Hallertau website (www.hallertau.co.nz) is a useful marketing tool and attracts a lot of visitors, says Steve. By using Google Analytics they’re able to fine tune the information included in their monthly newsletter, and, through running a Google Adwords campaign, direct traffic to the site. While they like to be involved in events that affect the local community and give them exposure to all demographics, Plowman says an October event in association with George FM gave them valuable exposure to a wider audience. So are there parallels between creating the perfect beer and running a business? “The similarities are all about control and measurability. Comprehensive and accurate record keeping is essential for maintaining consistency throughout the brewing process. That also controls product development and improvement. In the brewery every batch is better than the last. Any business should have the same controls over cashflow because that is the ultimate measure of success in a business; is the cost of changes or improvements made justified in the bottom line?” Hallertau Brewbar Restaurant is still a youthful enterprise. And like any enterprise it has its challenges. “It’s a cliché, I know, but if I’d known it was going to be this hard I probably would not have bothered. I started out wanting to brew beer, now I’m more a restaurateur and winery/brewery director.” The good news for beer connoisseurs is that Plowman would like to see the Hallertau concept available to a wider market than just the locals – and those nearby city types who’ve discovered he’s on to something special out there in Riverhead. “Hop type beer. Superb!” we were told by one seriously knowledgeable beer drinker. Patricia Moore is an Auckland-based freelance writer. Email [email protected]