Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicole Corning. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

In my experience, I’ve learned that it takes a lot of patience to be successful. If you put in the hard work and remain goal-driven, you can make it happen. My husband and I have talked about opening our own brewery for at least fifteen years. In 2019 we decided to finally take that leap and began researching properties for our little business! And then 2020 happened…. Things looked bleak for everyone, but we were committed to our cause and continued searching. We finally found the perfect place in late 2021 and are in the process of building our dream! None of it came easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.

Nicole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been an RN for 22 years, and a Nurse Anesthetist for the past 16 years. While I do love my job and enjoy helping people, my passion is creating craft beer and getting to know other people who share that passion. I started home brewing with my husband about 10 years ago, then I kind of took over the kitchen and ran with it! Brewing is very similar to creating culinary magic, but with a chemistry twist to it. When it comes to recipe creation, the sky is the limit – if you can think of it, you can probably make it. They may not all be winners, but you don’t know unless you try! I’ve been involved with several home brewing communities over the years, and the people there are amazingly helpful and quite interesting characters. That is one thing I love about the craft beer community – there is such camaraderie, everyone is readily available to pitch in and help if someone is ever in need. Our craft brewery name is Hydrosaurus Brewing. It is named after a fascinating lizard from the Philippines, the sailfin dragon (genus name is Hydrosaurus). My husband Scott has been working with these beautiful creatures for the past 30 years, so it only seemed natural to name the brewery after them. We are currently working on the design and layout of our taproom, it will have a very tropical, laid back feel to it, featuring a wide variety of craft beers to explore. We also want to promote local artists, by displaying/selling art and having live music whenever possible. Since I really want to focus on craft beer, we will offer simple cafe food rather than have a full kitchen, and will bring food trucks in on certain nights.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Since our brewery is not yet open to the public, we had to think of a way to get our name out there to create a buzz. So we started a Facebook business page, then shortly after an Instagram page. I try to post something about once a week, mostly just to let people know where we are in the building process, introduce new beers, and post videos of brewing days and the process of brewing. Social media is also very helpful in advertising upcoming events where future customers can try our products.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I make sure to answer any messages/emails very quickly when they come in. Many people have mentioned they tried our product at a festival and loved it, anticipating our opening in the near future. We see hundreds of people (potential customers) at fests, and try to talk to them as much as possible, keeping a friendly and open rapport. We also hand out fliers/stickers with our website and social media information to garner more interest. I believe if you take the time to personally make a connection with people, they will remember that and come back to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hydrosaurusbrewing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hydrosaurusbrewing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HydrosaurusBrewing

Image Credits
Nicole Corning Scott Corning