Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Gilbert.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Temperance began in 2009 as a dream when I was an architect at my own 2-person firm. Thanks to the Great Recession, I had a lot more time on my hands to think about what I’d rather be doing than architecting. As a home brewer, beer was the clear choice. (Some of our beers that started as my homebrews include Restless Years, Smittytown, Cherry Smittytown, National Anthem, and Greenwood Beach.)
After doing a lot of research and taking a class on how to start a brewery at the Siebel Institute, I started writing a business plan. With a plan – and lots of test batch beer — in hand, I approached banks and potential investors, hoping to raise enough money to make Temperance Beer Company come to fruition.
Looking back, I realize I was blissfully ignorant enough to make that dream happen. There was certainly stress and anxiety along the way, but I think my sense that Temperance was going to happen helped me through the periods of severe doubt and worry, and I was able to celebrate my 40th in the brewery which had started operations just over a month before. That was a special night.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One thing I’ve learned is that there is no auto-pilot switch for a business. In general, the Craft Beer market is constantly changing with new styles and new breweries in the market. In addition, state liquor laws have changed a lot since opened only 5 years ago. Day to day challenges can be anything from raising capital for a project to dealing with HR issues to troubleshooting a wayward solenoid.
But one of the things I love about what I do is that no two days are ever the same, and I’m constantly learning.
Please tell us about Temperance Beer Co.
We brew beer. We are probably best known for Gatecrasher, our English-style IPA which took Silver and Gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 2014 and 2016, respectively. But we brew dozens of different beers. We aim to brew beer that’s accessible to everyone — you don’t need to know anything about hops or malts to have fun while drinking our beer
We also believe you should feel good about the beer you’re drinking, so don’t look for our beers to tell you how to live your life (“drink this beer at 42º F in a chalice and pair it with line-caught salmon in a beurre blanc…”). We’ll never make you feel bad about choices you make (“if you’re not at our release party, you’re doing it wrong…”). Our highest purpose is to make delicious beer that you’re enjoying while you’re living your best life, whatever form that takes.
Our beer is about the symphony, not the soloist. Our beers are balanced and nuanced and yet, still full of flavor and fun.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
When I was around 9 years old, my dad convinced me we should ride our bikes from Evanston to Lincoln Park Zoo one day over summer break, which sounded fun to me but also worrisome. I’d never ridden that far before. My dad was very excited about the trip, however, and his enthusiasm convinced me to strap my helmet on and hop on my one-speed Raleigh.
We’re doing great, riding along the lakefront path, without a care beyond keeping up with my dad. Suddenly, the lakefront path ends, and we are riding down Sheridan Road in the city. Not on the sidewalk, the street: two narrow lanes in each direction. Speeding cars inches away from my now-panicked small frame. “I knew this was a horrible idea!” I thought as I started to cry.
I pulled off on to the sidewalk and through tears told my dad I wanted to go home. “But we’re almost there,” he explained. Just a few more blocks on Sheridan, and then we’re back on the path.
After calming down and securing a promise from my dad that we could ride on the sidewalk the rest of the way, we set off again. Once we arrived, I was exhausted and already dreading the return trip.
I can’t remember if ice cream was mentioned at that point or if he waited until we locked up our bikes to suggest it, but that ice cream cone at the zoo was the best I’d ever tasted. It turned out to be both reward and diversion, because at some point he’d called my mom, and while we were finishing off our cones, my dad gave me the best news I could imagine: “Mom’s coming to pick us up.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 2000 Dempster St
Evanston IL 60202 - Website: temperance.beer
- Phone: 8478641000
- Email: info@temperancebeer.com
- Instagram: @temperancebeer
- Facebook: @temperancebeer
- Twitter: @temperancebeer
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/temperance-beer-co-evanston
Image Credit:
Genie Lemieux
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