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Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner spills his beer (secrets)
Brock Wagner, founder of Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Variety of Saint Arnold beers
Saint Arnold Brewing CompanyCourtesy Photo
With enough Saturday brewery visits to stock my entire cabinet with Saint Arnold's pint glasses, I thought I knew everything there was to know about our little downtown brewery. I certainly didn't need Forbes magazine writer Christopher Helman to tell me that Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing Company is the best microbrewery in Texas, but a recent Q&A with Rice graduate and Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner taught me more than expected.
Here are some highlights about how Wagner brought the brand from Northwest Houston to Lyons Avenue and whether he intends to keep it in Texas:
On marketing:
Saint Arnold's doesn't advertise, although Wagner admits they did one radio ad back in 1998 — it was an abject failure. "It boosted sales .0001%. It would have been more productive to burn a pile of 50,000 $1 bills."
Instead, Wagner says that building a fan base for craft beer is all about giving customers the opportunity to discover it and feel like they found it themselves. He credit's Saint Arnold's weekly open houses with fostering this kind of community, and says an added perk is his customers' habit of bringing stacks of cardboard six-pack holders for the company to re-use.
"Each one saves a quarter. Bring 200,000 and I’ll give you the official Saint Arnold’s 1957 Bentley," Wagner says. Oh, and they also 'twitface.' "
On the new brewery:
Wagner chose the site of the new brewery on Lyon's Avenue just outside of downtown in large part for its visibility. One hundred investors each put up an average of $25,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the company, with an interest rate of 4.17 percent over 20 years.
On slowing down:
Saint Arnold's production grew 13 percent in 2009, while production growth for 2010 is closer to 50 percent. But Wagner isn't popping champagne (he's a beer lover, anyway), instead, he says "I prefer to grow in the 15 percent to 25 percent range. Uncontrolled rapid growth is difficult to manage and can be catastrophic if not done well."
On ambition:
Wagner says he's too happy brewing beer, a passion of his since college, to think about selling or stretching his market too far. "No. I’m happy to stay in Texas. And maybe Louisiana. I’ve turned down offers to buy the company. If I sold I’d just have to figure out something else to do. I love running a brewery."
Forbes asks loyal Saint Arnold drinkers to leave a comment explaining just what makes the beer so great. Let them know, and give a shout-out to other Texas brands you'd like to see get some recognition.
