Robin Shepard
Jeremy Hach (left) with partner Nick Kocis.
A desire for cheap beer, an old turkey fryer abandoned in the garage and a deceased sparrow inspired Madison’s newest beer company. Dead Bird Brewing is starting an Internet-based fundraising campaign on Aug. 1 that it’s calling “Cash for Kegs” to help secure some of the financial backing it needs to start brewing. (Look for a link to Cash for Kegs on the brewery’s Facebook page come Saturday.)
Owners Nick Kocis and Jeremy Hach, both of Madison, plan to make their beers at House of Brews, the east-side brewery that’s helped several other beer makers get their start, including MobCraft, the Hop Garden, Greenview Brewing, and Bent Kettle Brewing.
In June, Dead Bird received its federal wholesalers and importers license, which allows it to have its brands made under contract by another brewery. It is still awaiting final approval from the state before brewing.
Robin Shepard
Strongman Imperial IPA
Kocis and Hach, both age 29, became interested in brewing while in college at UW-Platteville. The brewery’s business plan arose from a class project by Hach while working on a master’s degree in project management. But the two longtime friends quickly learned that homebrewing in five-gallon batches isn’t quite the same as dealing commercially with barrels of beer. “We started homebrewing because we thought it would be cheaper” than buying commercial beer, says Kocis, half joking. Now with several thousand dollars in equipment, the two have found that’s not the case.
As the company takes shape, Hach, who currently works for Sonic Foundry, will handle marketing. Kocis, who has a degree in biology, will work on recipe development and brewing. Kocis currently works for Capital Brewery in Middleton and as a part-time brewer at House of Brews.
If all goes as planned, Dead Bird hopes to raise around $5,000, which will be used to purchase about 20 beer kegs needed for draught beer distribution. Those who donate at various levels get incentives ranging from bumper-stickers and logo pint glasses to being brewer for a day. Kocis and Hach are also planning a private Oktoberfest party this fall for anyone donating to their cause.
Once up and brewing, the two intend to split production between kegs and 16-ounce cans sold in four-packs. Kocis wants to be making Dead Bird beer in mid-September, with the first batch out in stores and local taps by November.
The first beer to be released will be an American pale ale called Pamplemousse (French for “grapefruit”), featuring cascade hops grown on Hach’s family land near Highland, Wis. As the beer’s name indicates, it’ll have strong grapefruit bitterness. Dead Bird’s second beer, a dark cherry stout, may appear around Thanksgiving.
Over the last several months, Kocis and Hach have been making the rounds of local beer festivals and special tasting parties, offering samples to get an idea how their recipes will or won’t be accepted by local beer enthusiasts. Some of those early brews have included Scathing WIT (Belgian witbier), Stiff Upper Lip (English-style session IPA), and Strongman (an imperial IPA). Kocis says he likes hops and expects that many of Dead Bird’s brews will eventually cater to the surging popularity in bitter beers.
The name Dead Bird is a reference to the first homebrew system that Kocis and Hach created while in college, cobbled together with the aid of a turkey fryer that they found in the garage belonging to Hach’s parents. “It had a mummified sparrow in it at the time,” laughs Kocis. “We don’t use that kettle anymore, I’d just like to point out,” he adds.
