Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Gustafson.
Hi Jeff, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It’s been a long, strange journey thus far. My brother, Danny, and I come from the fitness industry and knew we wanted to start our own business. We weren’t sure where to start. We opened our doors on May 20th, 2020 and through some trial and error we evolved into The Brothers Beer & Bourbon House: a place to connect through craft beer and whiskey.
My brother and I are very family oriented. I have three sons under the ages of seven and Danny has a new born daughter. We wanted the vibe of our place to be like walking into your best friends or family’s house for dinner and cocktails. You can bring your kids with you, sit back in some comfy seating or around the table, swap stories, play games, and have a memorable experience and that is what we try to foster here.
We are also part bar, part eatery, and part liquor store. We have a full service bar offering premium cocktails, in which we focus on classic whiskey based drinks. We aren’t flashy, but you will have one of the best Old Fashioned’s you’ll ever have here 😉 We have a rotating 16 taps of craft beer. On the beer side we focus on craft beer with an emphasis on local. We also do collaborations with local breweries to make special beers you won’t find anywhere else. For example: the most recent one we gave a local brewery, Bluewood, an empty whiskey barrel of a single barrel of bourbon that we selected, gave it to them and they aged a stout in it for 33 months for us: it was incredible! We have around 250 different craft beers you can buy to take home and all available by the single can or bottle so you can mix and match and try new beers.
On the whiskey side we have around 100 different whiskeys behind the bar and around 200 available to buy to take home with you with an emphasis on bourbon. Why bourbon? because it is our national spirit and part of our heritage. I once heard that drinking bourbon is like drinking history and that couldn’t be more true. We mainly carry whiskey that you won’t necessarily easily find any where else. Small distilleries with an emphasis on local. We carry some of the bigger brands too but we give special love to our small and local producers
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not a smooth road. We opened on the heels of Covid. Went through some partnership issues. Probably the biggest has been the learning curve of owning a small business, especially one like ours that is constantly evolving because guest preferences are always evolving and changing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I spoke a lot about the place in the first question, but I’d say the thing that sets us apart from others is that we offer a unique experience with the craft beer and bourbon. We’re a place you can come get a bite to eat, have a drink or two, and then shop to take home your favorites. While there are liquor stores that do have a bar inside of them where you can have drinks and shop, many of them are large stores while we are smaller. We curate our selection very heavily. We don’t carry everything, but if you want to find something unique or hard to find then we are a good option. We don’t carry everything, but we rotate our stock regularly so there is always something new to take home or try at the bar.
We also have a nice food program. It’s not a large menu, but we have crafted it to pair perfectly with our drink offerings and be shareable. Just like we spoke about walking into your best friends or family’s house for dinner and drinks with kids in tow, most of our food offerings are shareable and kid friendly
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The alcohol industry is down in general. While people are drinking less, they still are drinking alcohol just with more intent and purpose. People want a reason to get together to have some drinks. We have to focus on the experience more and not just being a place that serves drinks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.3bhouse.com
- Instagram: thebrothers_bbh_ssh
- Facebook: TheBrothersBBHSSH
