Tapping into a market; Ferguson resident uncaps plans for restaurant, brewery
Surburan Journals
October 27, 2009
By Scott Bandle
Opening a new business in this economy is a risk, but Ray Hill is not afraid. He trusts his talent, which he demonstrates by the bottle.
His specialty is Ray Hill's Classic American Pilsner. A pilsner is a golden lager first created in the 1850s in Czechoslovakia.
To showcase his brew, he is renovating a building into a restaurant called Ray Hill's BrewHouse, 418 South Florissant Road. It also will house the Hill Brewing Company.
The market for specialty beers is good, he said.
"Even with the poor economy, the trend is for people to go to specialty beers," Hill, 37, said. "I've won awards with my beer and I've gotten e-mails about it as far as Kansas. I believe that people should have more choices in beer,"
However, there will be challenges.
While the beer is important, a brew house is still a restaurant, said Dan Kopman, co-founder of Schlafly Beer and the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St.
"For the restaurant to succeed, it will depend on service and quality," Kopman said. "Those are the challenges. Making good beer is the third challenge."
The brewing part of the business can sustain the restaurant during tough times, he said.
"The beer market is definitely changing," Kopman said. "Ray could have the brewery for a long time. I wish him good luck."
In 1998, Hill began to enjoy craft beer. From that experience, he became interested in home brewing.
"I read some books about it, so I started out of my kitchen stove, then moved to my garage," Hill said. "It was more as a hobby than anything else. I'd make beer for my family and friends."
The response to his beer was overwhelmingly positive. So, in 2002, he took a deep breath, cashed in his retirement plan and started his own brewery. He developed a partnership with Anheuser-Busch, which became a "contract brewer." The large brewery made Hill's American Pilsner and distributed it to Schuncks and Shop 'n Save food stores. However, in 2008, Hill decided to leave A-B and go out on his own.
"I wanted to have a lot more personal control of my product, so I became an independent brewer," he said. "I also wanted more control with the distributing. A lot of local stores weren't getting it."
During this time, his wife, Natalie, supported his decisions.
"No, I don't think he's crazy," she said. "Ever since he started brewing, he has developed this interest. Personally, I didn't like beer until he began to brew his own. Ray's confident it will succeed, so I believe him."
Ray declined to say how much he has invested in the new business.
The Hill Brewing Company started in January. He found the large kettles and equipment from a closed brewery in Fort Collins, Co., then hauled it all back to Ferguson.
His brewery can make 200 cases of beer at one time. He plans to make several different brews, including Pecan Ales, India Pale Ale, Dusseldorf Altbier and Scottish 80 Shilling Ale.
Hill has a federal brewing license and is confident he soon will receive his state license.
Don't expect a grand opening, though.
"When we're ready, we're just going to open the doors and let people find us," Hill said. "Word of mouth is always the best advertising."
Ray Hill's Classic American Pilsner Awards
- Gold Medal - Men's Choice Award - 2007 St. Louis Microfest
- Bronze Medal - Ladies Choice Award - 2007 St. Louis Microfest
- 1st place - Ladies Choice Award - 2008 St. Louis Microfest
- Bronze Medal - 2008 Show Me Beer Festival - Jefferson City.
- 2nd Favorite Local Microbrew - 2008 Riverfront Times Restaurant Guide
- Favorite Local Beer - Westport Beer and Brats Festival - Maryland Heights.
