Today we’d like to introduce you to Robyn and Joe Pokropinski.
Joe began home brewing about 20 years ago, when his mom gave him a Mr. Beer Kit for Christmas, and his hobby quickly became an obsession! His years of brewing experience, combined with his wife, Robyn’s, business degrees and experience, led to the creation of Pokro Brewing Company. The name was derived from his nickname in high school: Pokro, which is the shortened version of his last name of Pokropinski. In 2013, they incorporated the business and began remodeling the 5,000 square foot building that would soon become the brewery and tasting room for Pokro Brewing Company. On February 13, 2015, the brewery held a soft opening for select family and friends, and on February 14, 2015, Pokro Brewing Company opened to the public.
Since opening, they’ve upgraded their system from a 1 BBL brew kettle, to a 3 BBL brew kettle, and, most recently in 2017, to a 10 BBL brew kettle with some 20 BBL tanks. In 2017, they also began distributing in Illinois.
Has it been a smooth road?
Is it ever a smooth road?!? We’ve of course, like any business, had struggles along the way. The construction and government red tape prior to opening was never ending, and it took much longer than we anticipated. We started off with a 1 BBL boil kettle, so Joe was constantly brewing beer, and hardly ever home. We had some issues with new lines installed to our new tap tower, and at the same time, had a firkin of a special anniversary beer explode. When doing construction and installing our newest brew house equipment, we were down to just 2 beers on tap, when we typically have 10-12. Luckily, we have some amazing customers and support, and have bounced back for all of our setbacks. Struggles happen–it’s how you deal with them that matters!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Pokro Brewing Company story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a small, family-owned brewery, and specialize in Belgian, English, and other European-style beers. We have a Polish Night the first Thursday of each month, during which we offer a full Polish food menu. Joe’s heritage, of which he and his family are quite proud, is Polish, so this was a natural progression for the brewery. We also have a small selection of Polish food available on our everyday menu. In addition to our specialty beers and Polish food, we try to make everyone feel welcome in our establishment–as if they were visiting our home! We, as owners, have gotten to know so many of our customers, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It seems that, at least in our area, there has been a recent explosion of breweries opening. I am guessing that this will, like any trend, level out in the near future. Of course, there will be different beer trends, as well. We’ve seen sours, IPAs, and now New England IPAs become popular. With all of the creativity in the industry, who knows what will be next!
Contact Info:
- Address: 311 N Broad St.,
Griffith, IN 46319 - Website: www.pokrobrewing.com
- Phone: (219) 924-7950
- Email: pokrobrewingco@gmail.com
- Instagram: pokrobrewingco
- Facebook: PokroBrewingCompanyInc/
- Twitter: PokroBrewingCo
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