"It takes a lot of money, and there are a lot of brewpubs, but that also means there are a lot of success stories," Woods said.
Though Philadelphia has a pretty saturated market, the Main Line is not overflowing with brewpubs. In July, Tired Hands Brewing Co. began gutting an old physicians' office along Ardmore Avenue for a brew cafe set to open in the coming months.
Villanova graduates Trevor Hayward and Luke Bowen partnered with Mark Braunwarth to create Evil Genius Beer Co., but they do not own a brewpub and use Four Horsemen Brewing Co. in Indiana to brew and bottle.
With a lagging economy, legal restrictions, and only occasional pockets of time, Boehm and Woods acknowledge that opening a brewpub would not be easy. But they see it as a viable business venture. People like beer, and they want to brew it, too.
Matthew Pieters of Havertown began brewing more than 10 years ago, and over the years, his friends began brewing, too. He started meeting people from different towns along the Main Line who expressed the same interest, and over a couple of beers in November 2010, Pieters and his compatriots decided to create the Main Line Brewers Association.
In February, MLBA convened its first meeting at Flip & Bailey's Bar & Grill in Rosemont. Less than a year later, it has 45 members, who pay dues and take one another's advice seriously. At meetings, the officers lecture on brewing techniques, do off-flavor tastings to help members identify how they can fix a brew gone bad, and talk about quality equipment.
MLBA's success, Pieters said, is why a Narbrew brewpub could thrive.
"There has definitely been a growing interest in home brewing," he said, and an unmet need for an outlet on the Main Line.
