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Kevin Rusk loves
beer. So much so that he sends a weekly e-newsletter to about
3,700 hop-heads around Miami.
The "brewmail,"
as he calls it, is chock-full of info about what's going on at
his Titanic Brewery and Restaurant. Plus he usually plugs in
neat little drinking phrases such as this number from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (1866): "A moderate use of beer
will aid digestion, quicken the powers of life and give
elasticity to the body and mind."
 But
Rusk is not merely a pub owner quoting beer-inspired
witticisms. He's a beer aficionado who turned a passion for
brewing and restaurants into perhaps the most successful
brewpub in South Florida. He did it after the novelty glow of
the industry faded, and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime
soon.
Rusk got the idea
for the Titanic in the mid '80s and registered the name before
the movie came out. After running Miami's oldest bar, Tobacco
Road, for 13 years, he was ready for a change. Rusk kept his
interest in the Road but took two years off to research
brewing and brewpubs, and finish a 300-page business plan to
open nine Titanics around South Florida.
During his
sabbatical, Rusk was a regular contributor to several brewing
publications. By getting intricately involved in the business,
he noticed a rudimentary problem running through the brewpub
industry.
 "It
became painfully obvious that most of these brewers are only
beer people, they're not restaurant people as well," he
said.
With food comprising
about 65 percent of Titanic's sales, the cuisine is a major
player when it comes to keeping its beer flowing.
"There was a
real trend in this industry - people went into it and they
thought the beer would carry them," Rusk said. "But
that's not the case. You have to be a restaurant first and
foremost. The beer is a great attribute to what you do but
you're not going to make it on beer alone. You not only have
to have food, but good food."
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MONEYMAKING PROMOS
Owner Keven Rusk
attributes much of Titanic Brewery and Restaurant's
success to its promotions. Even those that
didn't directly boost sales serve as great
community-builders.
"The most
profitable thing you can sell is the beer.
But you need to have a reason to bring people in and
sell beer to them," Rusk said.
Here are a few of the
ways the Titanic packs them in:
Mug Club
- For $50 a year, patrons get an engraved mug, which
hangs in the bar, polo shirt and a personalized key
chain noting the mug number and the member's
favorate beer. Every Wednesday is Mug Club
Night with a special free meal and an all-night
happy hour.
Stout and
Stogie Night - A party featuring a
distinctive cigar and stout.
Pub Crawls
- A couple of times a year, Titanic packs up a bus,
loads a keg and hits the town.
Brewmaster
Dinner - About once every 6 weeks, the
kitchen gets together with the brewmaster and
creates a five-course, price-fixed menu. A
different beer is served with each course.
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Market
Trending
And Rusk has done research to back
up his theories. During his two years off, he made a
point to check out as many pubs as he could.
"I've
probably seen over 300 brewpubs across the country.
Every year I take at least a week and visit a region
and check out breweries and pubs. So I've seen who's
done it right and wrong."
Naturally,
part of doing it right is creating great beer. Rusk
lets brewmaster Jamie Ray have full control of the
brewing process.
"He
is not technically trained in the respect that he
went to a national brew school, but he knows brewing
like nobody knows brewing," Rusk said. "I
really respect his talent."
The result
of Ray's talents are six house beers: Triple Screw
Light, Boiler Room Nut Brown, Captain Smith Rye,
Britannic Best Bitter, White Star Indian Pale and
Ship Builders' Oatmeal Stout. The brewpub also
produces one seasonal beer that varies, and one brew
always is available through an English-style pump
draft system.
All the
beers are ales, sometimes using almost triple the
amount of grains that an average brewer uses, which
puts a lot more flavor and a higher alcohol content
in the beer.
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Top-Selling
Brews
 Triple
Screw Light is the best-selling house beer, accounting for
about 40 percent of beer sales, Rusk said. He plans to sell a
combined total of about 550 barrels of his beer per year.
Although the Light is the best seller, Captain Smith Rye has
won more awards. In 1999 and 2000, Captain Smith was awarded
several medals in prestigious national and world beer
festivals.
Now, after two years
in business, Rusk is searching for a second Titanic location.
He said the current one is ahead of its financials and has
been in the black since day one. The foremost factor in
finding another locale is demographics. The current Titanic is
practically on the University of Miami's campus, but Rusk said
that's not why he choose the spot.
"I did some
very detailed demographic research... (Craft beer drinkers)
generally have an upper income and a higher education. The
market around here fits that demographic ideally."
Rusk said about 20
percent of his business comes from the university. Being close
to a university is not a requirement for future locations.
"It's a nice safety net though," Rusk said. "I
always knew if it didn't work out, we could become a college
bar and do well."
NCB
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