Business: SomePlace Else Brewery
Address: 6425 W. 52 Ave Unit 6, Arvada, CO 80002
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday
Founded: 2016
Contact: 720-512-4162,
Employees: 3
Interview with Tori Miller, co-owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: Ryan, the brewer and co-owner decided about four years ago that he wanted to see if he could build a brewing system. He is very mechanical-minded and loves the details involved with mechanical processes (his love of beer was somewhat secondary). He went about finding the necessary equipment for a 5-gallon electrical brewing system and built one in our garage. Once we drank about half of his first batch of amber in one sitting, the seed was planted. Pinball machines are the other crucial piece to this puzzle. Ryan loved playing pinball as a teenager, especially Black Knight, so when his son Nate came across a Black Knight machine about six years ago, the pinball addiction started and Ryan just kept buying more. In time, we just saw an opportunity to share and enjoy two of our own passions with others. I have a business background and have wanted to own a business since I was a teenager. In fact, I started a small concession stand at my local pool when I was a teenager and ran it myself. Thus, the idea of being able to use my educational background and my desire to own a business of my own just fit perfectly with Ryan’s talents and interests.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: The combination of a brewery and an arcade. Colorado, and more specifically the Denver metro area, has arcades and even arcades with bars. As we all know, there is no shortage of breweries. However, our uniqueness comes from having both. People can come and enjoy some tasty, fresh, craft beer made right on the spot and play pinball or one of our vintage video games, or challenge their friend to a game of skeeball.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: Since our opening four months ago, the three most enjoyable aspects of owning a brewcade in Arvada have been our customers, brewing and learning more about the craft beer industry. One of my favorite sounds in the brewery is when I hear the pinball machines dinging and people laughing and shouting as they enjoy our skeeball machine. Our goal is to provide a friendly, fun, local watering hole. and in pursuing that goa.l we have met and continue to meet amazing people who live here in the area. Since we brew on a small three-barrel system, and also have an even smaller half-barrel system, we can have fun experimenting with new interesting beers. We also have home brewers come in and try their recipes on our system, so we have already had some amazing brews on our taps. Finally, as we are slowly growing in this amazing craft beer industry in Colorado, we are meeting so many other wonderful people in the industry and every time we talk with anyone else in the industry we learn something new. Of course, all breweries want to be successful, but it never ceases to amaze us how others within the industry don’t blink an eye at helping everyone else succeed also.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Exposure! Being on a limited budget, being hidden in an industrial complex, and striving to be as authentic as possible in our communication and interactions with our customers presents both challenges and opportunities. Starting a small business is an uphill climb for everyone, especially when it is just the two of us and we are on a shoestring budget. Therefore, we are always trying to find creative ways to get our name and brand out to the public. This ties into the whole idea of being authentic. Word of mouth has been one of our main sources of advertising. Finally, our location is a bit off the beaten path, thus making our brewery hard yet fun to find. We like to say we are the “back alley brewery.” People are not sure what to expect as they look for our brewery, but once they come inside, they are welcomed into a cosy and fun brewcade.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: The name for our brewery came from an arcade, Some Place Else Arcade, back in Michigan where Ryan used to go and play pinball for hours at a time.