SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2017
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2017
On a cold and grey late Fall day, Spotlight on Business spoke to Bare Bones Brewing co- owner Dan Dringoli. He came to the phone a little out of breath and in need of a coffee, as he was out inspecting the new solar panels that were being installed onto the brewery. It set a nice tone for the picture he was about to paint of a sustainable, conscientious business in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, situated directly next to a state bicycle trail. On May 29th, 2015, Bare Bones Brewery opened its doors, bringing the first craft brewery to Oshkosh in 20 years. Just by happenstance, Dringoli was traveling around his home state and stumbled upon a small craft brewery in Eagle River, Wisconsin called “Tribute.” It was a very basic set-up, simple plumbing, sheet-steel building… really, nothing special to look at. But it left a lasting impression on Dringoli for one reason, the beer was fantastic. That snapshot in time resonated enough to plant the seed of possibility into Dringoli’s entrepreneurial mind. A short time later, Bare Bones was brewing beer with Dan Dringoli at the helm. By John Allaire
I guess I started brewing beer back in the 80s, before I was actually of legal age to drink! Me and my high school buddies thought it’d be a good idea to make our own beer. We could legally buy beer-making materials, and at 16 or 17 years old, we started making beer at people’s houses after school. We’d go in the basement and our parents didn’t know about it… Eventually they found out about it because of the weird smells in the house. Eventually, they were kind of supportive. They didn’t think we could pull it off, but they liked the science behind it, so they let us go to it.” Well, low-and- behold, pull it off they did! And this led to Dringoli diving headlong into the home brewing hobby. But along came children, responsibility and less time for the expendables in life. His passion for brewing sat dormant for a few years until that fateful trip to Eagle River and a couple of pints of Tribute’s best. His passion for craft beer had been renewed. The home brew fires had been rekin- dled. And that smell from the basement started emanating through the floor-boards once again. The story turns forlorn and tragic at this point. Dringoli was faced with having to move his current business, a water- and- fire-damage franchise, to another location. During the transition of moving to a larger space, his in-laws were tragically killed in a collision with a logging truck. Fast-forward a few months down the road and the inher- ited insurance money and other savings were sitting there in a bank account, waiting for a good idea. Wishing to turn a tragedy into a legacy, Dan and his wife Patti decided to use the excess space from the franchise business to start a brewery. Being ahead of the craft beer curve, Dringoli had long developed a palette for brews that were significantly differ- ent from the big budget macro-brewed lagers sold in every pub and restaurant in America. In fact, the Bare Bones website has “Fear No Beer” in big lettering directly under their pit-bull emblazoned logo. “That all originated as kind
of a weird thing. And it ties into our logo. It’s an American Stafford Terrier — also known as a pit bull… My wife and I are dog lovers and we always rescue dogs. We saw this cute puppy at the rescue and brought it home thinking it was a hound mix of some kind. Our first vet visit, he told us we have a very cute pit bull! We were shocked!” “Quality beer drinking experience off the beaten path.” This all funnels down to a discussion on perceptions — judging books by their covers, painting with a broad brush, you know, maxims like that. People fear pit bulls as man-eat- ing killers (which is a point for another feature article, not this one!), as they might fear different craft beers that don’t taste like their usual macro-brewed beers. Bare Bones is trying to change that perception and educate some palettes at the same time. “There are a lot of people in the beer world that will say ‘I don’t drink that motor oil stuff… oh this IPA thing, it’s so gross’ and so forth. They’ve got this real fear towards craft beer because they’re used to ‘big beers.’ And I can’t tell you how many people we’ve flipped!” Dringoli says with a chuckle that he often sees people being reluctant- ly dragged into the craft beer scene by someone who is already a convert. They’ll start slow and build their way up. “I’ll say to them ‘Do you want to try the Pilsner?’ And they’ll drink that and say ‘that’s not bad!’ And I joke with them… ‘That’s what we strive for here at Bare Bones. We strive for not bad…’” He explains that once the hesitation and fear over trying something new has been overcome, the result tends to be a greater experimentation with IPAs and heavi- er-tasting brews. Thus the Fear No Beer mantra. Ease them in and soon they’ll be shouting for more hops! Bare Bones location alongside a state bike trail also factors into their sales and marketing efforts. Aside from their website being quick to use descriptive puns like “Bare
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NOVEMBER 2017 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
And they can have a few beers and bike back. Or they can start here and finish off their day with a craft beer or two.” Dringoli has noticed that there is somewhat of a marriage between cycling enthusiasts and the craft beer movement. In fact, Bare Bones goes to great lengths to make sure the marriage works out. They sponsor a team of street-bike racers and offer discounts to those sporting official spon- sored cyclist stickers on their helmets. “I started brewing beer back in the 80s, before I was actually legal age to drink!” At first blush, it seems counterintuitive that the beer drinking public would also be the same ones riding 50 miles a week on muscle-powered pedals and wheels. But there’s that judging a book-by- its-cover thing again. Dringoli points out that it’s more a matter of physiolo- gy. “The true cycling enthusiast burns so many calories that they want the good stuff! They don’t care if they’re drinking a heavier beer because they’re just going to go out and ride 40 more miles.” He adds that craft beer got to where it is today due in large part to post Gen-Xers and Millennials demanding choice in what they consume. Gone are the days of having to settle for a handful of major brands on the shelves of the super- market. Just pull out the ol’ smart phone, search for craft beer in your area, and dozens of destinations will appear, all offering their own twist on the next best brew. The Bare Bones versions of the next best brew include their year-round beers, such as their Amber Ale, Dog Daze American IPA, and the light and accessible Happy Trail Cream Ale. But like so many other craft brewers, the real treat for the beer lover is to dive into the seasonals and one- offs. Bare Bones offers unique blends, such as the Chiquita Limon Cervesa American Lager, the Dirty Snout Summer Stout (say that one after a few!), the Hurricane Dan Rye IPA and the spicy Bitch in Heat. “It’s a strawberry jalapeño beer. When you drink it, you get a strawberry taste in the front and a jalapeño burn in the back!” You can get a taste of the B.I.H. and the rest of the Bare Bones line-up (which is very extensive!) at their on-site tap house. But don’t expect to go there and be anti-social. Aside from the Green Bay Packers and the college Badgers’ games (which crosses into almost a religious rite in Wiscon- sin), the TVs are off! Dringoli wants people to talk to each other! But don’t let that prospect scare you away. He says that people of all ages come for that refreshing environ- Yikes!
Bones provides a quality beer drinking experience off the beaten path,” Dringoli explains that stopping in for a craft beer has found a fit in the recreational cycling world in Wis- consin. “What’s nice about the trail is the brewery is situated about three miles out of town. So people from the Univer- sity and the downtown business district can jump on their bikes and pedal out here in a relatively short period of time.
ment. “There are sports bars all over the place. But 90% of our customers love the ‘no TV’ policy… there’s nothing more rewarding than watching someone who’s 60+ talking to a 25-year- old. They end up finding that, despite their age difference, they share things in common.” Just as rewarding is the collaboration amongst the craft brewers in the Oshkosh vicinity. Unlike macro-breweries who vie for Super Bowl airtime and attempt to bump their competition out of the market share, the Wisconsin craft brewers find it more advantageous to work together on creating a business collective and an overall atmosphere of cooperation. For example, group-ordering of bottles and other supplies can reduce unit prices and shipping costs significantly when two or more of the small breweries get together. Smart business sense, and a real feeling of com- munity. Win-win. But more than that, the craft beer culture is promoted— a culture that hopefully opens the minds and educates the public about the whole craft beer movement.
The Bare Bones Brewery is leading the charge in Wisconsin. Introduce the change, ease ‘em in. Fear no beer!
BARE BONES BREWERY 4362 County Rd S Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-744-8045
www.barebonesbrewery.us
as spotlighted in the NOVEMBER 2017 issue of SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
www.spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
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