South Floridian Jonathan Breines believes he always has had "a natural entrepreneurial spirit."
He installed hurricane shutters in high school, sold textbooks in college and "flipped all sorts of things," including appliances, Ikea furniture, cargo trailers and homes. He also graduated from the University of Central Florida and worked for a few years as an account manager for an alcoholic beverage distributor .
And then three years ago — amidst the craft-beer explosion — he decided to become a bus driver and tour operator taking beer enthusiasts to the breweries of Palm Beach County.
A new beer bus takes beer lovers to various South Florida breweries.
"I wanted a passion project, and that’s how the bus came to be," says the 32-year-old Breines, whose one-man company, Damn Good Beer Bus, will transport about 1,500 people to craft breweries this year. He also employs three part-time guides.
Breines explains his thought process when he started the venture, one of many brewery-tour companies that have popped up throughout the country.
"I worked backwards," he says. "Initial costs and expenses would be X, and we would make Y off each customer. The breakeven point was very realistic with profitability seemingly inevitable.
"In addition, I did tremendous research and found several other like-minded companies throughout the country," Breines says. "I examined their models, picked their brains and realized if they were making it happen, there’s no reason I couldn’t, too. And breweries were just starting to pop up in Palm Beach County, I was very familiar with the local scene and the timing was right."
Palm Beach County is home to 20 craft breweries, and more are expected to open, Breines says. Growth has been swift. The county had nine breweries two years ago, and today's 20 breweries are different than those elsewhere, he says.
"For a densely populated area, the breweries are very spread out," he says. "We also don’t have a major city within the county, and South Florida is very late to the party, relative to the national brewery scene.
"When traveling and visiting breweries out of state, the majority, or at least a high percentage, have taken over unique or historic industrial buildings. Here, most breweries are in generic, relatively new industrial areas or retail plazas. It’s an exception to find a unique free-standing building with features such as exposed wood beams, brick walls or some type of rich history."
In 2011, Tequesta Brewing Company became the first craft brewery in Palm Beach County, Breines says. The brewery is located next to U.S. Highway 1 in the village of Tequesta, and the company has added two other local breweries in the county.
Jonathan Breines was quite happy he replaced his original tour bus (above) and its high-maintenance ... [+]
Many of the breweries use flavors and ingredients associated with the tropics. Examples are Copperpoint Brewing Company’s Blood Orange Wit and Tequesta Brewing's Throwback, a double IPA with tangerine, bitter orange peel and pine bitterness on the finish.
South Florida's warm weather influences local breweries to produce more lighter beer options than breweries located in areas where temperatures fall below zero, Breines says.
"You will see some exceptional heavy beers, but I think it’s only natural for this area to take its environment into consideration," he says.
Breines estimates that 85% of his Damn Good Beer Bus customers are locals, and his average customer is 40 years old.
"Unlike many tour companies in the area, we accommodate mainly private tours for birthdays, corporate outings, wedding festivities and other special occasions," he says. "Unlike a major beer city such as Denver, we don’t have a revolving door of beer tourism — at least not yet."
Several Damn Good Beer Bus tours have involved retirement communities. "Let me tell you, some retirees can drink you under the table," Breines says.
The Damn Good Beer Bus, however, aims to avoid bringing "belligerent, over-intoxicated guests" to Palm Beach County's craft breweries.
"When alcohol is involved, if someone is on a mission, it’s hard to stop them," Breines says. "With that said, for a variety of reasons, bad eggs are the exception to the rule. Our business relies on third-party breweries working with us, and unruly guests are a quick way to break that bond."
All Damn Good Beer Bus customers must sign a waiver that states the company can end their tour if they get "out of control," Breines says. "Knock on wood, we have yet to do that. We don’t position ourselves as a party bus and, frankly, don’t want to babysit.”
Damn Good Beer Bus focuses on other aims.
"Our goal is to showcase the great local brewery scene — the people, the product, the history," he says. "We aren’t naive. We want people to have fun but enjoy their experience responsibly.
"Everyone is different, but the average person should not be over-intoxicated by the end of our experience. I can’t stress enough how high a priority it is to minimize excessing drinking to the best of our abilities. We also offer door-to-door transportation for all private tours, so guests don’t have to worry about driving."
Beer tourists on a Damn Good Beer Bus excursion take a behind-the-scenes tour of Barrel of Monks ... [+]
