Posted by One would think in a city like Portland, Maine that brothers Noah and Peter Bissell would have a very tough time cracking into the already booming local and national craft brew market. But what most wouldn’t count on is the experience and creativity each brother brings to the equation. Once people see the packaging of the craft brews in the fall they’ll understand what strengths the Bissell brothers possess. Yet before they have even made their beer available to the public the brothers have already garnered quite a buzz in the craft beer world.
Peter; 29 is already a very accomplished well-known commercial photographer with projects ranging from weddings to food to clothing and everything in between. Noah; 23 is a recent University of Maine at Farmington grad who relocated to Portland last year. The brothers grew up in Milo, Maine, a small town in Piscataquis county boasting a population of only about 2,300. We recently sat down with Noah and Peter to ask the question: Why craft beer?
Why beer? What made you want to start brewing beer in the first place.
(Noah) I lived with Peter here in Portland for a summer between college semesters. The city’s beer scene really caught my attention and I saw that “beer” was way, way more than macro lagers. That got me interested in learning about the incredible array of flavors craft beer could provide. I still wasn’t old enough to legally buy beer, though, so out of necessity I began the process of learning how to make it. Science has always been to rigid for me and art too lawless, and right away beer provided a creative middle ground that really appealed to me. I’ve been hooked since.
When did you realize that this was something you wanted to work with your brother on? Talk about the undertaking that this last year has been
(Peter) The whole thing started about 18 months ago. It was basically a convergence of Noah’s obsession with the art and science of brewing and my already existing involvement in entrepreneurship and exploring business in the new economy. There was never one of those “gee shucks, why not?” conversations that you always read about in brewer interviews. We started this company to be one of the best, and in a market this crowded, there’s no other option.
Craft beer is such an emerging industry and Maine especially has so many great local craft breweries, where do you see your beer fitting in and who are some breweries you really admire?
(Noah) Everyone’s doing such awesome and different things with beer here. For me, I feel like Allagash is unparalleled in creativity, especially considering how good there kind of “out there” stuff still ends up tasting. I have so much respect for Maine Beer Company and the level of both quality and consistency they maintain, especially on a small scale. I also have an enormous amount of admiration for Oxbow’s distribution model and how they’ve gotten themselves so many tap lines based on their personalities and work ethic rather than with a big distributor.
(Peter)
Within any flooded market, sub-categories and niches emerge. As Portland’s only self-distributed brewery producing exclusively hop-forward American ales, we’re no exception. In terms of inspiration, we’re lucky because it’s all around us. Oxbow’s DIY brand culture is something I really dig. Luke at Baxter Brewing had the foresight to bring cans to Maine on a huge scale, before the industry as a whole realized this was the next step in packaging. Maine Beer Company’s obsession with quality hop-centric beer has been incredibly inspirational as well.
Talk about the beers you offer (or will offer) and the flavor profiles.
(Noah) Our beers will be hoppy. While we’ll certainly make beers that are “hoppy” in traditional terms, we want to bring big, pronounced hop profiles to styles where those aren’t usually found. With the variety and quality of hops coming out of America and abroad these days, the definition of “hoppy beer” is becoming really dynamic. That’s the most exciting part of the present state of American craft brewing to me, and the beers we make will be inspired by that shifting definition of “hoppiness”.
Talk about how branding is so important to what you guys will do. You have a background in helping so many local brands get started with your photography, why is it so important?
(Peter) Branding is so influential in people’s decision-making. As consumers, we like to think we make conscious, thought-out buying choices, but we rarely ever do. In a noisy market, you need to stand out in every way – The beer has to be (and is) one of the best in its class, for people who SEEK OUT the best ales, and the visual branding has to be simple, easy to remember, and stand out on the shelf, for the customer who is undecided when she walks into the store or bar.
When can we expect to see Bissell Brothers on the shelves or in a great local pub?
(Peter) We’re doing everything we can to open as quickly as possible, in the way that we’ve intended to open. That’s all I’ll say at this time.
Where do you see Bissell Brothers in 5, 10, and 15 years?
(Noah) Still small enough to control quality and distribution to our standards of excellence, and making really delicious beer.
(Peter) As a company, we’ll always be looking ahead to see what craft beer is becoming, and going there early. Though we’re intending to grow the company after launch, staying relevant and important in the scene is a top priority.
Fore more information visit http://www.bissellbrothers.com or via their Facebook.
