What a year to be in the brewing business. 2020 brought more challenges than we have truly had answers for, and 2021 is not starting off much clearer. But what, 2020 did bring, was opportunity. Despite all of the ridiculous challenges, capacity limitations, not being able to host any of our major events, private parties, live trivia, or live comedy shows, and honestly waking every day not knowing exactly what is going to happen next; despite all of that, 2020 still brought us opportunity. Here is a glimpse at how we adapted in a challenging situation.

Order our $20 Takeout Special, Pizza and Wings, from the Toast Takeout App!

We launched takeout and online. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID situation, on Monday 3/16 we cancelled our St. Patty’s Day Celebration and we launched our online ordering on Wednesday 3/18. That was quick and fantastic work by our kitchen staff and our crew working in the background to set up our POS and online menus. You can order online at www.seguinbrewing.com/order-togo; but it is even easier to download the Toast Takeout App for iPhone or Android and search Seguin Brewing Company.
We scrounged up bottles from storage that were used in our old bottling days, and utilized them like growlers and crowlers. You can still order beer to-go in 22 oz bottles from the bar, online, or from the Toast Takeout App.
In the mid summer we changed our permit to allow us to make cocktails. Check out www.seguinbrewing.com/cocktailmenu for more information. Did you know, we can also sell cocktails to-go? We do, in one gallon jugs. These are also available for order online and on the Toast Takeout App (I know, getting repetitive, but we really want you to know that if you don’t feel safe coming and sitting, you don’t have to. You can even go old school and call us 830-463-5097).
We changed our hours of operation more time than we’d like to count. It seemed like every other week we were modifying hours to fit changing circumstances, being short staffed, altering then menu for shortages, always trying to find the magical balance. It was not easy on any of us. But our staff has been amazing at remaining flexible and working through the challenges.
We launched a loyalty program. By joining our loyalty program, customers earn 1 point for every dollar they spend. For every 100 points you redeem, you get $5 off your next purchase and $8 complimentary U.S. Dollars to spend on your birthday! You can sign up here: https://www.toasttab.com/seguin-brewing/rewardsSignup
We launched a catering service. We can even deliver. Orders have to be in at least the day prior. Did you know, that we can even deliver alcohol to your catered event? Having a party (during COVID, shame on you, but we won’t tell)? We can deliver bottles of beer, kegs of beer, jugs of cocktails, and/or bottles of wine along with your food! Email brian@seguinbrewing.com for more information about our catering services.
We created a new beer recipe without testing it. It is a bit risky tossing in a completely untested beer recipe as the world shuts down, but we did. We made our New Zealand Common, without so much as a pilot batch. Brian drew up the recipe and Shaun brewed it like a champ. We weren’t even in the same room to collaborate on it. We took a classic California Common style beer, and hopped it heavily with hops imported from New Zealand. This beer weighs in at approximately 5.3% abv and around 55 ibu. It is light in body with nice bitterness without packing too much of a punch. It is our third best selling beer behind 9-Pin and Lake Breeze and is now a regular on tap.

This meatball sub is amazing. Homemade meatballs in our house marinara and fresh mozzarella! Yum. By now you should be able to guess all the ways you can order it.

To be honest, we can’t even cover all of the changes we made throughout 2020 because it would turn a quick blog post into a novella. In all seriousness, 2020 was a gut punch to the hospitality industry and really isn’t much to joke about. We have truly been very fortunate. We have been fortunate to have our staff, our supportive customers, our loyal Stein Club Members (the folks who really keep us in line), and our health. We understand there is much more important things going on in the world than your local brewpub. We can certainly appreciate what COVID has taught us about slowing down and appreciating moments in time with friends and family. So from your local brewpub, hang in there and be well. Small town, big nuts!

2020, 5 Years of Business Adaptations in 9 Months