(Courtesy Phantom Brewing)

You’ve got to admit this might not be the best time to launch a new business, but an economic downturn and coronavirus fears hasn’t deterred these entrepreneurs…

Phantom Brewing Launches in Connecticut

Two partners behind a 16-year-old homebrew supply company in Hartford, whose business came to a complete standstill due to the state-mandated COVID-19 lockdown in March, took the opportunity to fully commit to launching a brewery, something they’d been thinking about for more two years…

Jon Patrei and Bo Kolcio turned what would have been a negative situation for many into a positive, they launched Hartford Connecticut’s newest, and some might suggest bravest, craft brewery, Phantom Brewing.

Located in the company’s homebrew supply company, which remains closed due to state lockdown restrictions, Phantom, which is selling its beers for curbside pickup, have seen its sales soar at a time when many craft breweries are suffering…

Phantom’s marketing strategy right now relies entirely on social media as it looks to grow a grassroots fan base among the more than 100 breweries in Connecticut.

And the brewery is responding to the times by offering certain discounts for healthcare workers, veterans and other first responders during the pandemic.

According to the Hartford Business Journal Phantom sold out its entire stock of 2,000 growlers in its first two weeks of operation and the brewery “has been selling hundreds of growlers per week since then.”

Patrei told the Journal that the “incredible response to Phantom’s launch has restored his faith in early projections that showed the brewery could generate estimated annual revenue of $200,000 to $400,000 in the years following the COVID-19 outbreak.”

(Great Notion cofounders are James Dugan, Andy Miller, and Paul Reiter)

Great Notion Brewing’s Expanding Empire

Great Notion Brewing is a brewery started by three friends and neighbors in Portland, Oregon. They’re reknowned for their hazy, fruit-forward IPAs and “culinary-inspired” sours and stouts.

They’ve a considerable reputation in the Pacific Northwest, having won numerous beer medals over the years, including accolades at World Beer Cup, GABF, Best of Craft Beer Awards, and Oregon Beer Awards, as well as the 2018 #1 IPA in America from Paste Magazine.

Great Notion’s strength, in addition to its award-winning beers, is its ability to sell directly to its fans through its three Portland area taprooms. And the impact of COVID-19 hasn’t altered the brewery’s expanding taproom vision one bit.

Great Notion Brewing is still on track to open a 20 tap outlet in Seattle, Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood by the end of July according to the New School, with another taproom planned for Ballard later this year.