INTERVIEW WITH A BREWER
Below is an interview Eilise did explaining the motivations and future plans for the brewery
Interview with a Brewer: Scarlet Lane Brewing
We had a chance to ask Eilise Lane about Scarlet Lane Brewing and Indianapolis. Scarlet Lane is currently running a rewards campaign on CraftFund to help create the first female operated Indiana brewery and get great beer to the Indianapolis area market. You can help fund Scarlet Lane and Indianapolis by donating to their campaign here:
CraftFund: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions about Scarlet Lane Brewing and Indianapolis. We’re excited about what you are doing. First off though, tell me more about the team behind Scarlet Lane and what led you to open a brewery.
Scarlet Lane: Well, the team consists of my husband and a few of our best friends from Indiana. My best friend, Monica and I went to Butler University together alongside my husband Nick – who weirdly enough I never knew at Butler. We met after college. Monica’s husband is our engineer and an already successful small business owner. Our other teammate, Doug grew up with Nick in Lebanon, IN. They have been talking about wanting to start a bar or restaurant since high school. The idea of a brewery came a few years ago after Nick and I moved to Oregon. The craft beer scene is really unique and a fun environment to be a part of. We have traveled all over Oregon visiting the different breweries and one day just thought, “this is it. We should start a Northwest inspired brewery in Indiana”. With our passion for beer we had been reading a lot about the history and the role women played. It was a no brainer for us to create a female owned brewery to respect this part of beer’s history. A huge motivator for ALL of us has been the time we have spent in corporate America. The risk of staying in this environment was far greater than the risk of creating our business, in our opinion. So, with the spark of our entrepreneurial spirit, the love of beer and the desire to give back to our community a brewery just seemed to be the natural fit.
CraftFund: From your story, I understand that Scarlet Lane would be the first female owned and operated brewery in Indiana. What kind of impact do you hope this will have?
Scarlet Lane: Our biggest goal for this is just for people to take notice and recognize that women have and will continue to play a major role in beer. The history of women in beer hasn’t been exposed the way it should be. Without getting too technical, the female palette is very advanced and capable of discerning off flavors, as well as, understanding what flavors compliment each other AND in what direction they should be delivered during drinking or eating experiences. We plan to take advantage of this in our craft beers. Outside of our brewery, we hope that we can inspire other women to create their own businesses and be a part of this growing segment of the American economy.
CraftFund: In your campaign video you allude to the history of women and beer. Is there any particular individual or brewery that inspires you?
Scarlet Lane: Our biggest inspirational brewery has been Ninkasi Brewing out of Eugene, OR. While they are not female owned, they do have a lot of respect for the history of beer and the flavor profiles for most of the beers are perfectly crafted. Also, marketing plays a big role in how women are treated or respected in this history and Ninkasi has created a brand that is really gender neutral and speaks to ALL craft beer lovers. Tonya Cornett, has made a huge impact on me personally. I can remember the first beer of hers I tasted: a roasted coconut stout at Bend Brewing Company. It made me stop and think, this one beer created a whole new excitement for the complexity of beer. She continues to brew phenomenal beer at 10 Barrel Brewing Company you not only love to drink, but love to talk about. Of course you can’t mention women and beer without talking about New Belgium. Kim Jordan is a great leader for our industry to have and one that all of us should look to when it comes to company structure and culture. New Belgium is a great example of what women and good beer can do in America.
CraftFund: How would you describe your beers? Are you influenced by a particular style or brewery?
Scarlet Lane: We call our beers “Intelligent Beer”, by that we mean a few things; First, the design and flavor profiles; Second, how they are physically produced. With regard to the flavor profiles our beers are carefully crafted to not miss the mark when it comes to the tasting experience. Each part of the beer will work with each other and the beer will start with aroma, front taste, mouthfeel, middle taste and then ending. All of these different experiences have to compliment the previous, and this is something that is difficult to master. However, as mentioned, the female palette is designed for this. With that being said, our styles of beer will be big flavorful Northwest inspired ales. We love hops so our flagship beer will be a Red IPA. With respect to production, our beer will be produced in a sustainable production facility. The influence is really all of the Northwest. While Ninkasi has been our motivator and mentor, all of the breweries in the Northwest have a unique experience that we find fascinating. We think we can create a unique experience for Indiana in the same fashion.
CraftFund: Describe your brand a little more and what sets you apart. Why Scarlet Lane?
Scarlet Lane: Beyond what has already been mentioned with regard to our beer designs and the female palette, one thing that absolutely sets us apart is our sustainability. Our facility will recycle our waste to create energy. Also, we are going to share waste with another specialty company that will feed our power plant. Doing this will allow both businesses to create enough energy to run both productions. I think most would agree that this level of sustainability and female ownership in Indiana is VERY progressive for the state. Our brand is designed to attract to all drinkers, not just beer. We are going after not just beer lovers but also those that may not have experienced craft beer yet. Going in this direction will require a lot of education and we are committed to continued education for our employees and will require Cicerone training in order to be a part of the team. We hope to set ourselves apart by not only being a beer company, but also an authority on education.
CraftFund: We love experiencing places through beer. You can get real sense of a place by structuring a visit around the craft beer scene. If I understand your story correctly, it seems like the Pacific Northwest had a big impact on your love for craft beer. What are some of your favorite cities or places to visit from a beer standpoint?
Scarlet Lane: This is a difficult question. Nick and I really like the small town historical settings, so while most would say Portland, Oregon we would say Astoria, Oregon because of the history of the city and then “bam” a large production brewery right in the middle is a major employer of the town. So, if I had to name cities to visit for beer they would be Bend, OR, Eugene, OR, Astoria, OR and then Portland, OR. I did a beer tour in Maine and would definitely recommend Maine for beer enthusiasts. Woodinville in Washington is becoming its very own unique little brewery/winery town. It’s Definitely a place worth checking out while in Seattle.
CraftFund: Being based in Milwaukee, we’re always excited to see new brewery startups in the Midwest. Tell me more about your local place, Indianapolis. What do you like about it and what makes it unique?
Scarlet Lane: Indianapolis is a city that is getting better with age. The city itself is very clean and easy to get around. They have created a great conference town that brings people and businesses from all over the world. Of course the Indianapolis 500 is the greatest spectacle in sports as well. Similar to Milwaukee, Indianapolis is a very friendly city that welcomes local businesses. The community will go out of its way to do business with local establishments. Indianapolis is also home to the NCAA headquarters and the greatest basketball team the state has ever known, The Butler University Bulldogs. It’s always hard describing your hometown, but Indianapolis is rich with culture, great restaurants, and excellent universities. The city has a lot of hidden historical establishments that you have to discover on your own. Similar again to Milwaukee, the town doesn’t throw it in your face…but once you find these little hidden historical gems you end up talking about them to others. The Slippery Noodle is a great example of this.
CraftFund: Describe the Indianapolis beer scene. Do you have any favorite craft beer bars?
Scarlet Lane: The beer scene in Indy is developing. Indiana hasn’t experienced the same craft beer explosion the rest of the country has. Having said that though, it is now in full swing…just a few years behind. It does have several beer bars now though. Twenty taps, Tomlinson Tap room, Ale Emporium, and several others offer a great selection of craft beers. Of course, Indiana’s nationally topped rank beer bar is The Heorot in Muncie, IN.
CraftFund: We at CraftFund are big on the impact quality beer can have on a community. How do you think Scarlet Lane will enhance Indianapolis?
Scarlet Lane: We will be pioneers with the sustainability of our brewery and respect the Indiana landscape by being as green as possible. For the community, we are going to get involved with various local not-for-profits to help support their efforts in the community. Of course, we will bring jobs that also offer benefits to our employees.
CraftFund: You guys put together some really cool local rewards for the CraftFund campaign. Tell me more about how these rewards came about.
Scarlet Lane: My husband Nick said he didn’t want to bombard people with all branded items for donation levels and said he would like to reach out to some local Indiana businesses to see if we could all help each other. Fortunately, we are friends with a few of them and they agreed to help support the efforts through cross-promotion. The Growler Girls growler bags just started up and Nick and Doug went to high school with one of the owners. Nick, Monica and I went to college with Reverend Peyton. The Indianapolis Brewery Tours is an up-and-coming business and we thought it would be good for all of us to help in promotion. We basically wanted to stay true to our theme that local is better.
CraftFund: What’s your timeline? When can we expect Scarlet Lane in Indianapolis bars?
Scarlet Lane: We are hoping that equipment will be set in place during July of 2013. If permitting and everything else goes well, we are hoping to have kegs delivered late 2013 or very early 2014.
CraftFund: Well, we won’t take up anymore of your time especially since you’ve got a campaign to run. Thanks for answering our questions and best of luck. We hope to travel to and experience Indianapolis with a Scarlet Lane beer in hand!
Scarlet Lane: Absolutely and thanks for developing a platform for CraftBrewers to get started. And of course all are welcome…especially Milwaukeeans. We love that city and its people.
