By Linda Whitmore
April has significance for Seven Brides Brewing Co. Exactly one year ago, the Silverton craft brewers debuted their product and this month they begin operations in their much larger facility.
It’s been an exciting and surprising year for the brewery’s owners Phill and Karl Knoll, Josiah Kelley, and Ken and Jeff Desantis, all of Silverton.
“It’s a snowball that started as hail,” said Jeff Desantis. “It’s a continual evolution. Just when we think we’re caught up, it grows on its own.”
In April 2008, Seven Brides Brewing Co. was licensed with 1½-barrel capacity. Six months later it had grown to a seven-barrel production and this month, in its new location at 303 S. James St., it has more than doubled again – to 15 barrels.
“What we’re proud of is we’ve created a small business in Silverton and we’re doing OK in this crunch time,” Desantis said.
To reach this level of success has taken a lot of hard work, a quality product, successful marketing and consumers’ acceptance.
“We’re grateful for the support we’ve gotten from the community. It’s phenomenal,” he said.
Each of the five partners continues to work in his primary career while brewing on the side. Through careful scheduling, the five men have been able to keep up with their growing orders. Now with doubled capacity, they expect to accomplish even more production in the same amount of time.
But as Desantis said, the business seems to grow exponentially.
“We’ve been successful at getting our beer out in the market,” he said. Right now it is served in Silverton at Macs, the Wooden Nickel, Home Place and Creekside Grill. It also is poured in Portland at McCormick and Schmick, Green Dragon, Bailey’s Tap Room and Horsebrass Pub; and in Eugene at Cornucopia and the Beer Stein.
And there’s more on the horizon.
The Oregon Garden, 879 W. Main St., Silverton
April 24 & 25, Friday 4-11p.m., Saturday noon -11p.m.
$15 includes Garden admission, mug and six taste tickets.
Two-day admission $25, includes Garden admission,
mug, and 12 taste tickets.
“We just signed up with a small distributor in Salem. They’re handling distribution outside the Silverton area,” Desantis said. “We’re very excited about that.”
Success has come from carefully prepared marketing, but the product must be good in order to be sold. In their efforts to brew good beers, the partners have maintained their focus on sustainability.
Their growth recently necessitated buying more kegs. Rather that purchase traditional stainless steel kegs – which are made in China – they found a California firm that manufactures 100 percent recyclable kegs. They costs less, weigh half as much as stainless steel and support the American economy. “Buying in the U.S. is very important,” Desantis said. “All our ingredients are local. We get our hops in Mt. Angel, barley from Vancouver, yeast from Oakdale and water in Silverton.”
Sustainability includes frugal management of ingredients. Through their two-stage cooling process, about 60 to 80 percent of the water is recaptured and reused.
Spent grain – the remainder after the wort is steeped – goes to a Mt. Angel farmer to feed cattle and pigs. Desantis completes the cycle by buying pork from the farmer.
In their efforts to operate a “green” business, the brewers have considered the attributes of going organic, but there are trade offs. Organic ingredients “come from across the country or half-way around the world,” defeating the purpose. “Because it’s organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better than local,” Desantis said.
Does the local connection mean there are plans to open a local pub?
“We’re brewers and right now; as much as we would love to have a pub in Silverton, we’re going to leave that to people who are good at restaurants,” he said.
But perhaps soon consumers will be able to buy Seven Brides beers and ales by the bottle. Discussions are under way with a mobile bottling company, with the possibility of providing bottled beers and ales by summer. In the meantime, the brewers will be busy enough not only selling to pubs and restaurants, but bringing their product to festivals.
In addition to The Oregon Garden Brewfest, Seven Brides’ schedule includes Wine Down at the Tulip Festival in Woodburn, the motorcycle show at The Oregon Garden, Homer Davenport Days and Silverton Fine Arts Festival.
In looking back to the brewery’s beginning in April 2008, Desantis said, “It’s been an important year.”
