SUPERFLUX BEER COMPANY SETS UP SHOP IN `YEAST VAN'
Co-founders take their hop dreams to the next level by opening brewery amid pandemic
“We should start a brewery.”
It's a phrase Matt Kohlen and Adam Henderson threw around a lot throughout the last five-to-seven years.
“It's kind of a slogan that Matt and I have,” Henderson says. “We would say that in ways that were goal-oriented, mean, sarcastic, funny and self-deprecating.”
When something good would happen, they would look at one another and exclaim, “Hey! We should start a brewery.” When something bad would happen, well, they would say it again then, too.
“But we can't say that anymore because we've finally done it,” Henderson says with a laugh.
This summer, the co-founders of Superflux Beer Company set up shop in Vancouver's `Yeast Van' neighbourhood. Located at 505 Clark Dr., the opening of the brewery space was a proud achievement for the pair after more than five years of struggling to find the perfect space.
Beginning as a “small experiment” between two friends, they initially set out in 2015 to try to make the beer they liked — “hop-forward” India pale ale (IPA) — and that they thought they would like to see more of.
It turns out, others felt the same way.
Initially, the duo made their brews in other brewery setups, doing a year at Callister Brewing Company, a collaborative brewing space, followed by several stints at local spots Dogwood Brewing and the Strathcona Beer Company.
“We basically operated as a ... contract brewery, or some people call them Gypsy breweries. We basically went around to different breweries and made our beer there because we didn't have a physical location and a manufacturing licence. So, that's what we did,” Henderson says. “It was absolutely out of necessity.”
Two common issues that face many startups in Vancouver kept the company from setting up shop in its own space — money and commercial real estate availability.
“It was really hard for us to find a space that was appropriate for a brewery,” Henderson says. “We had another space in the District of North Vancouver. We were trying to go through the permitting process there, which was pretty painful. We ultimately walked away, and came here, which we're super happy about.”
The brewery location offers beer sales, Superflux merchandise and gourmet hotdogs to go. The takeout bites were initially designed to offer a taste of what the tasting room will offer once it opens this month.
A full kitchen wasn't possible in
the space, so they created a menu that can be made in a “relatively simple kitchen,” according to Henderson. At Superflux, that means gourmet dogs and salads.
“We wanted to make sure that there is a quick, tasty food option for people to have when they are hanging out,” Henderson says. “It offered a kind of fun and playful way for us to put our stamp on a food concept.”
Working initially with their friend Graham Marceau from Corduroy Pie Company, they created a menu of hotdogs that are anything but fair food.
“The way I've often described our hotdogs to people is that they're hotdogs, with a bunch of real food on top,” Henderson says. “We don't do ketchup and mustard. We wanted to have a little bit more fun with it and put a lot of fresh, bright toppings on there.”
For example, the menu includes The Oscar ($12), a beefy dog featuring a dry-aged beef dog from Two Rivers Specialty Meats with oven-dried tomatoes, dressed rock crab, smoked paprika, chives, olive oil and a rich Béarnaise sauce. And The Mortadella ($10), with a Black
Forest Premium Bavarian dog, corn ragout, mortadella, pistachio, Grana Padano cheese, olive oil and a lemon mayonnaise.
“They're ingredients and little preparations that would exist in an actual restaurant, where we're kind of operating more of a concession stand, in a way,” Henderson says. “It is safe to say that they are `fancy' hotdogs.”
The brewery offers two new beers every week, according to Hender
son, along with two regulars — Happyness, and Colour & Shape. A “variety of other options” are always on rotation.
The business, Henderson says, is a passion project for the co-founders. They're also both, he admits, pretty stubborn.
“I'd say that factors in as well,” Henderson says of the usefulness of that shared trait in opening Superflux, despite several setbacks and delays. “For me personally, I rearranged my life to be around beer.
“Our first can run at the brewery, I think it was literally 11 years to the day that I quit a job that I hated so I could ultimately own a brewery.”
In between quitting his job and opening Superflux, Henderson created another business, which he is still involved with, a beer agency that imports and exports beer in Western Canada.
Beer, he says, has been his “life” for more than a decade.
“It's basically been a passion, a love and a hobby that we've become a bit obsessed about,” Henderson says.
That aforementioned stubbornness may have also factored into why the duo decided to forge ahead with their plans to open, even in the midst of a global pandemic.
“We were in way too deep to change anything,” Henderson says of the timing. “When the pandemic began, it was actually the day that all the restaurants shut down, that all of our brewing equipment arrived at the brewery. Normally it would be a day where you would be celebrating and would be very, very stoked ... But it was a pretty bittersweet day, to say the least.”
Henderson says their timing turned out to be quite lucky, though, as the mid-august opening provided time to see where the brewery industry stood amid all the shutdowns.
“We were extremely concerned at that point, but I think a lot of breweries, specifically those that put their beer into their cans and sell it elsewhere, have found the pandemic moderately survivable,” Henderson says. “The sales of beer in most places has increased in that format. As people have obviously not been going as much to bars and restaurants, people have been drinking a lot more at home. So, it quickly turned out to not be that scary.”
The Superflux team had time to adapt, he says, noting, “We were very, very lucky in that regard.”
Another factor in their early success with the location is the closeknit local brewing industry's camaraderie, and loyal fan base of craft beer lovers.
“The response we get from people who live in communities, the things we've seen from our neighbours in Strathcona, East Van and Commercial, it's amazing. People are very, very excited for us to be here. And that's awesome. Even though there are a lot of breweries around, people are really excited about having another one,” Henderson says. “On our first day, we had a lineup literally around the block, which was crazy and totally unexpected. Or, it was unexpected by me and Matt, at least.
“It's been really, really great.”