The Story of Ramshackle
As with any story, the story of Ramshackle Brewing Co is best told from the beginning. In early October of 2010 Zack and Jessy Bigelow were given a home brewers kit. Little did we know that this kit would change the course of their lives. Armed with some very primitive brewing tools and just enough knowledge about brewing to be “dangerous”, Zack made his first beer on October 10, 2010.
It was that first batch that started our adventurers on their way. As weeks turned into months and months turned into a few years, Zack relentlessly searched for knowledge to improve their beers with support and brutal honesty from Jessy. It was during this time that a demand started to form for some of the beers that would later bear the Ramshackle name. Friends, family, and even some folks our adventurers didn’t know were suddenly talking about the beer and asking how they could get more. It was apparent that Zack and Jessy were onto something when local law enforcement wanted to purchase beer from them, but had to be refused because to do so would have been bootlegging. It is about this time that our adventurers decide that they would like to go into business, making beer for a living, and the “Ramshackle Brewing Co”, name is born.
As you can imagine, there is a lot more that goes on in a professional brewery than there is in life as a homebrewer. It was at this point that our adventurers hit a wall and reached out to the Brewer’s Professional Alliance(BPA) for guidance. You’re probably asking, “Who/what is the Brewer’s Professional Alliance?” The BPA is a professional group that specializes in the brewing industry and offers its services to new or struggling breweries to help them achieve success. This was a big step for Zack and Jessy, but, as you’ve probably guessed, the BPA took them on as clients and began showing them the steps that needed to be taken to open a brewery.
Over the course of the following months, Zack and Jessy all did a lot of paperwork in addition to brewing and honing their recipes. During these months the Michigan Invests Locally Exemption (MILE) Act was put in place. This was a big deal because it allows potential business owners to sell equity shares of their businesses to members of the general public in the state of Michigan. Our adventurers saw this as a chance to both involve and give back to the community and took full advantage of the MILE Act. I won’t bore you with the grizzly details of the fundraising process, but, let’s just say, the third time was the charm for our adventurers and the Jonesville community.
So, at this point, which is the middle of 2017, you’re probably thinking there isn’t much else to tell, right? They reached their funding goal, built the place, started making the beer and I’m caught up, right? WRONG. First, our adventurers’ bank backed out and they had to find a new one. Once the bank situation was taken care of, mother nature delayed the construction with frost in the Spring of 2018 and again with a Massasauga Rattlesnake in the Summer of 2018. The rattlesnake is a story unto itself, but we won’t get into that here. While all this was going on, our adventurers were doing everything they could to lessen delays and keep life moving along. As you can probably imagine by now, this time was a lot of ups and downs, but Zack and Jessy persevered. By winter of 2018, the building was far enough along that our gang was able to work inside the brewery, painting and mounting fixtures. Opening day was so close they could almost taste it.
Throughout the first half of 2019 our adventurers, the community of Jonesville, and the various professionals working with them brought the last bits of the Ramshackle Brewing Co vision together. The building was built and furnished, the brewing system was installed, inspections were passed, and, finally, in June of 2019, the first professional batches of Ramshackle Brewing Co beer were made. Shortly after, on July 17, 2019, at 209 E Chicago St, Jonesville, MI, Ramshackle Brewing Co. opened its doors to the public and the rest of Zack and Jessy’s story began.
It was that first batch that started our adventurers on their way. As weeks turned into months and months turned into a few years, Zack relentlessly searched for knowledge to improve their beers with support and brutal honesty from Jessy. It was during this time that a demand started to form for some of the beers that would later bear the Ramshackle name. Friends, family, and even some folks our adventurers didn’t know were suddenly talking about the beer and asking how they could get more. It was apparent that Zack and Jessy were onto something when local law enforcement wanted to purchase beer from them, but had to be refused because to do so would have been bootlegging. It is about this time that our adventurers decide that they would like to go into business, making beer for a living, and the “Ramshackle Brewing Co”, name is born.
As you can imagine, there is a lot more that goes on in a professional brewery than there is in life as a homebrewer. It was at this point that our adventurers hit a wall and reached out to the Brewer’s Professional Alliance(BPA) for guidance. You’re probably asking, “Who/what is the Brewer’s Professional Alliance?” The BPA is a professional group that specializes in the brewing industry and offers its services to new or struggling breweries to help them achieve success. This was a big step for Zack and Jessy, but, as you’ve probably guessed, the BPA took them on as clients and began showing them the steps that needed to be taken to open a brewery.
Over the course of the following months, Zack and Jessy all did a lot of paperwork in addition to brewing and honing their recipes. During these months the Michigan Invests Locally Exemption (MILE) Act was put in place. This was a big deal because it allows potential business owners to sell equity shares of their businesses to members of the general public in the state of Michigan. Our adventurers saw this as a chance to both involve and give back to the community and took full advantage of the MILE Act. I won’t bore you with the grizzly details of the fundraising process, but, let’s just say, the third time was the charm for our adventurers and the Jonesville community.
So, at this point, which is the middle of 2017, you’re probably thinking there isn’t much else to tell, right? They reached their funding goal, built the place, started making the beer and I’m caught up, right? WRONG. First, our adventurers’ bank backed out and they had to find a new one. Once the bank situation was taken care of, mother nature delayed the construction with frost in the Spring of 2018 and again with a Massasauga Rattlesnake in the Summer of 2018. The rattlesnake is a story unto itself, but we won’t get into that here. While all this was going on, our adventurers were doing everything they could to lessen delays and keep life moving along. As you can probably imagine by now, this time was a lot of ups and downs, but Zack and Jessy persevered. By winter of 2018, the building was far enough along that our gang was able to work inside the brewery, painting and mounting fixtures. Opening day was so close they could almost taste it.
Throughout the first half of 2019 our adventurers, the community of Jonesville, and the various professionals working with them brought the last bits of the Ramshackle Brewing Co vision together. The building was built and furnished, the brewing system was installed, inspections were passed, and, finally, in June of 2019, the first professional batches of Ramshackle Brewing Co beer were made. Shortly after, on July 17, 2019, at 209 E Chicago St, Jonesville, MI, Ramshackle Brewing Co. opened its doors to the public and the rest of Zack and Jessy’s story began.
WE HAVE REACHED OUR CROWDFUNDING GOAL! THANK YOU SUPPORTERS!!
|
|
ZACK Bigelow, Co-Founder
|
JESSY Bigelow, Co-Founder
|
