Fire & Beer

EP1 - Pete Oates and Michelle DeLuca from Equilibrium talk about beer and craft beer culture.

September 13, 2020 Marcel Gomez Season 1 Episode 1
Fire & Beer
EP1 - Pete Oates and Michelle DeLuca from Equilibrium talk about beer and craft beer culture.
Show Notes Transcript

In today’s episode, Marcel Gomez is joined by Pete Oates and Michelle DeLuca from Equilibrium Brewery in Middletown, New York. Pete is co-Founder and Master Brewer while Michelle is Brand Director and Social Media Coordinator. Marcel joins Pete and Michelle at Equilibrium’s new $3 million, 33,000 square foot facility to talk about creating from passion, surviving COVID-19 and the collaborative nature of the craft beer community. And more....

This leads Marcel to ask about the recent addition of BBQ to their menu. You can order a whole, pre-cooked brisket and all you have to do is heat it up at home. The idea has been on the table for a while - Pete spent time in Austin and fell in love with Texas BBQ, befriending pit masters and learning their secrets. They would have someone grilling for their Saturday releases, so it was a natural progression to get some of the missing bottle share feeling back for them and their clients.

Pete goes on to talk about the science of the BBQ process, which for a good brisket is 40 hours. There was a definite learning curve to perfect the process but it has definitely been worth it.

Marcel ends the podcast by explaining that he started the podcast because of Michelle. During an Instagram Live stream, she told him he should start a podcast. He agreed as long as Michelle and Equilibrium would be the first guests, the rest is history.

Learn more about Equilibrium here: https://www.eqbrew.com

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In today’s episode, Marcel Gomez is joined by Pete Oates and Michelle DeLuca from Equilibrium Brewery in Middletown, New York. Pete is co-Founder and Master Brewer while Michelle is Brand Director and Social Media Coordinator. Marcel joins Pete and Michelle at Equilibrium’s new $3 million, 33,000 square foot facility to talk about creating from passion, surviving COVID-19 and the collaborative nature of the craft beer community.

Opened in 2016, Equilibrium acquired a fast following and multiple awards for its IPAs. They begin by discussing their newer blend, Two Tickets to Go, which is a vacation inspired, bright blue brew featuring citrus, coconut and blue spirulina. With COVID-19 squashing any chances of travel, Equilibrium wanted to be able to bring the vacation to their customers, which led to the initial conception of Two Tickets to Go.

Marcel goes on to ask Pete and Michelle about their involvement with the craft beer community and how they ended up working in it. Pete explains that they try to participate in the community because they came from an outside perspective. Both he and Michelle were enthusiastic consumers before becoming producers. Pete comes from an engineering background and was introduced to double IPAs by the owner of a bistro and learned about the culture from there. Michelle tells us how she has been involved in trading and travelling for brews for around 15 years. She was online for Equilibriums’ first realize and organically became part of the team after photographing a few of their releases for social media.

With the pandemic still keeping many places locked down, Marcel asks how Equilibrium and their customers have been impacted by COVID-19. Pete tells us that they are always striving to listen to their customers and to adapt. When everything began getting serious, Pete was in Australia. He talks about the difficulties of navigating such difficult circumstances from overseas. Finances were still tight from the recent move and they looked at different options such as switching from barrels and realizing the scope and demand for shipping their products.

Michelle then discusses the role of Equilibriums’ social media presence during COVID-19. Starting weekly Instagram Live streams was not only a way to gather feedback, but also to bring the community together.  The streams featured a weekly catchup and interviews with guest breweries. Michelle wanted to present an authentic experience for people, many of whom were stuck at home alone. The intention was always to help people feel safer and give them a distraction from outside events. Ending the live streams after 10 weeks was a difficult decision, but the amount of work going into them on top of regular working hours was becoming too much. However, the hope is to be able to do them again the future.

With Pilsners becoming a more and more popular brew, Marcel asks about the Equilibrium pilsners and why they think the have suddenly grown in popularity. Pete believes it is because it is a more balanced drinking experience. Also, with everyone inside, people are experimenting more with different experiences and realizing that they like pilsners. When it comes to deciding whether or not to brew something, Pete explains it’s a combination of demand and what the team at Equilibrium like to drink. If they like to drink something, it will probably sell.

As a collaboration with Evil Twin is on the horizon, the talk turns to seltzers. With their popularity also rising, is it something they would consider trying? Pete says yes, there’s always a possibility of trying new things. Personally, he has never made seltzer before but is open to trying. Brewery collaborations are common in the craft beer industry, and Pete and Michelle agree it is because 1) the community is great and 2) the different processes by which everyone brews can yield really interesting and unique results.

Marcel then asks about how they build their team at Equilibrium. Pete has previous experience managing engineering projects and is well versed in management. The most important thing for Pete when hiring is asking “are you a nice person?” Culture is important at Equilibrium and they look for people who will work well with the existing team and bring excitement. Michelle agrees, saying being able to see someone is as passionate as they are is a huge factor. They want someone who will work to build up the business, not just show up to clock in and out.

Choosing to locate themselves in Middletown is an interesting choice and Marcel asks what it was about the town that drew them there. Pete tells us that they have always been extremely welcoming and helpful in getting them set up. They were able to receive grants and incentives to open, and Middletown is definitely their home.

Having just moved into their new premises before the pandemic hit, Pete explains that there’s no immediate plans for growth outside of Middletown. Michelle adds that they want to really optimize their processes and how they run here before they think about expanding out.

Looking past COVID, Pete says any moves or changes they make really depend on legal trade winds. They are hoping for more shipping options to open up across the country so they can reach more of their existing clients and hopefully some new ones too. 

This leads Marcel to ask about the recent addition of BBQ to their menu. You can order a whole, pre-cooked brisket and all you have to do is heat it up at home. The idea has been on the table for a while - Pete spent time in Austin and fell in love with Texas BBQ, befriending pit masters and learning their secrets. They would have someone grilling for their Saturday releases, so it was a natural progression to get some of the missing bottle share feeling back for them and their clients.

Pete goes on to talk about the science of the BBQ process, which for a good brisket is 40 hours. There was a definite learning curve to perfect the process but it has definitely been worth it.

Marcel ends the podcast by explaining that he started the podcast because of Michelle. During an Instagram Live stream, she told him he should start a podcast. He agreed as long as Michelle and Equilibrium would be the first guests, the rest is history.

Learn more about Equilibrium here: https://www.eqbrew.com