It can take weeks to brew a good beer. But the Bitter TapHouse and Beer Garden in Gilroy ended up being more like a fine wine, involving years of work before opening this past May.
It all started in 2018, when Ryan Dickerson noticed a lack of Gilroy craft beer places where families could gather. So he decided to create that space himself and started working on a taphouse originally set to open in March of 2020.
Then, as happened to so many that month, his plans were disrupted by the pandemic. But Dickerson wasn’t deterred.
He spent the next three years redesigning the business and filing permits until he and his wife finally opened the Bitter Taphouse this May.
“Once I had that date, all of our network, all of our friends, it seemed like everybody in the city of Gilroy was sharing our post about the grand opening,” said Dickerson. “When the grand opening happened, the line was out the door. Sold out of 15, almost 20 kegs.”
Now that it’s open, Dickerson said the taphouse is a space for people to bring their kids and dogs while they drink a beer and relax.
But the road to today wasn’t an easy one for the Dickersons. From COVID to permitting, he said it took a lot of persistence to make the taphouse a reality. He shared some advice for new business owners with NBC Bay Area.
“Number one, just do it. Go after it,” he said. “And number two, do your homework. Opening a business, especially in California, is not for the weak. That’s for sure.”
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