Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Eckels and Carol Gorsuch.
Hi Tim and Carol, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
To be honest, we really don’t know how we got here. We always liked going on adventures to “new to us” places and inevitably we’d end up visiting a local brewery’s taproom because we were never big fans of the traditional bar scene. We liked the laid-back vibe and feel to taprooms and the eclectic mix of things different breweries would incorporate into their spaces.
In 2017 we had a personal tragedy, a life-changing one, with the passing of a son Tim Eckels, Jr., in 2017 in a Navy accident. He was only 23 years old at the time, had a really bright future ahead of him, and when those types of things happen you more times than not probably find yourself looking for something else to do. So, we started homebrewing, quickly abandoned recipe kits, started crafting our own recipes, and the next thing you know our “need to find something else to do” hobby was out of control. We initially started sharing the beers we were making with friends and family with mostly positive feedback which was really a catalyst to us deciding to attend the Hampstead and Sykesville farmers’ markets and giving our beers exposure to a broader audience. Somewhere along that journey we blended the homebrewing and what we liked about taprooms and decided it would be a business idea that could benefit the Town of Hampstead.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s not been the easiest road and it definitely hasn’t been the hardest, especially given that our construction and eventual opening were right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. This threw off literally all of our projections and meant we had to open with 100% to-go sales only. This meant we were also competing with every other breweries to source aluminum cans, luckily, we had good suppliers and we made it through those first few months until we were able to do in-person, on-premise sales.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We’re a small-batch brewery making 1BBL and 1/2BBL, a BBL is 31 gallons, batches of beer so our tap list changes frequently and we maintain a good mix of new, classic, and even historic beer styles. When people think craft beer taprooms, they often think they’re IPA dominant and that’s definitely not the case with us, we try to have beers on draft that appeal to a broad, diverse set of consumers. Aside from the beer we make, we really think what sets us apart is the diverse, all-inclusive, laid-back space we’ve created for the community. We want everyone to feel welcomed regardless of who you are and we think the eclectic mix of history, art, and music present in our space has accomplished just that. One of the things that we’re extremely proud of is our Pints With A Purpose Fridays where we invite non-profit organizations in to spread awareness about their services and resources and where we also donate back of portion of Friday night sales. We like to say small brewery, big impact…because we really think that you can leverage the popularity of craft beer to do good things within the community, regardless of the brewery’s size.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
There’re too many people really to do them all justice in this section. We’ve had a number of customers who have become friends and been incredibly supportive of our business and what we’re trying to do within the community.
If we had to pick one person to mention here it would be Mark Grall. Mark owns Pilot-Major consulting, a business management consulting firm with craft beer expertise, and he really mentored us through the formation of our business plan and model. His knowledge of craft beer, business acumen, support along the way and just genuinely being a decent person was extremely valuable and we’re grateful to have been under his guidance.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@pipethesidebrewing.com
- Website: www.pipethesidebrewing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pipethesidebrewing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipethesidebrewing
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pipetheside
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pipe-the-side-brewing-hampstead
