Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Kelly.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Paul. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Kelsen Brewing Company, LLC was co-founded by Paul Kelly. I started brewing on a homebrew scale, as many do, with a long time friend and co-founder. With the recent boom in the craft beer industry, we saw the opportunity to take the hobby that we are passionate about to the next level. In early 2013 we began to plan out our brewery and research what we would need in order to open and be successful. We opened in early 2014 with a 3 barrel brewery and 2 7 barrel fermenters. We slowly added fermenters over the years and upgraded to a 7 barrel brewhouse approximately 2 years ago. We continue to grow production when possible and have slowly expanded the brewery over the years.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m not sure anyone who has opened a business can say it has been smooth. There are always obstacles that arise or decisions that were made that don’t go to plan. Navigating your way through the beer world can be challenging from the business side as well as from the consumer side. Managing your production schedule, working with distributors, marketing, and advertising, all have challenges that affect the way in which you conduct your business. Technical issues with the brewery itself are a whole new set of challenges.
When we first installed the 7 barrel brewhouse we couldn’t get the HLT (hot liquor tank) burner to fire properly and stay lit. We still needed to produce beer so it took some creative thinking to continue production while we were figuring out the problem. It took 3 months to finally get it working properly and we haven’t had a problem since. The consumer is constantly changing their beer preferences and is looking for new things so staying on top of that can be difficult as well. Craft breweries have opened at a rapid pace in the last few years and they continue to open. With all of the new breweries opening and beers being produced, it’s important to stay relevant and continue to produce new and exciting beers. It is great to have built a strong brand over the last three and half years and know that the consumer recognizes our brand when they see it but it is just as important to grow that brand in order bring in new customers as well as keep our existing customers engaged.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kelsen Brewing Company – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Kelsen Brewing is a small microbrewery started by friends. We began brewing with only a couple different beers and expanded the styles as we grew. We currently have about 9 beers in our portfolio with variants for experimentation. We focus on quality and creating beers that don’t quite meet the typical example of a beer style. We achieve this through small changes until we are satisfied with the beer that we produced. It is typically at this point a beer will make it into our rotation as a “permanent” beer in our portfolio. When we have developed a beer that will be permanent we will decide on a name and design a label for the beer. Our brewery is Viking/Medieval warrior themed and the labels are character based. We are mostly known for our dark beers from Paradigm Brown Ale through Vinatta Russian Imperial Stout but our IPA’s, such as Battle Axe and Double Battle Axe, has also won awards in beer competitions.
I am most proud of the team that we have created and the dedication to quality. We here many times from customers that they were most excited that every beer in our flight was excellent and there wasn’t one beer that disappointed them. Those type of comments is what keeps us doing what we do and shows the passion our team has for creating great beers. We focus on the quality of the beer we produce. We currently focus on a limited number of beers with the intention of doing them extremely well. We plan to move on to more experimental beers in the near future as we are happy with our current portfolio and feel we now have an opportunity to broaden our horizons and give our customers a taste of what else we are capable of.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
I think the next 5 -10 years will be very interesting in the craft beer world. I sense a shift has already begun with all of the new breweries opening up. The customer has more choice and the competition for shelf and tap space has become greater. Breweries will have to carefully navigate their way through the next five years and really focus on their brand and marketing. Honing in on your local market will extremely important. These are the folks that will continue to support you and your brand but the quality of the beer will be just as important as the consumer becomes more educated. There is also a good chance you won’t be the only brewery in your backyard.
Contact Info:
- Address: Kelsen Brewing Company 80 N. High St, Unit 3 Derry, NH 03038
- Website: www.kelsenbrewing.com
- Phone: 603-965-3708
- Email: info@kelsenbrewing.com
- Instagram: @kelsenbrewing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KelsenBrewing/
- Twitter: @kelsenbrewing
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kelsen-brewing-company-derry
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