SAN ANGELO, Texas — Despite concerns over the global pandemic and national economy, four San Angelo natives are not letting it stop them from starting their dream business.
Michael Choate, co-founder of Plateau Brewing Company, with two high school friends said he first got into the craft beer hobby while studying at the University of Texas at Austin.
He said he and one of his partners began home brewing in their small apartment. Many years later, in July 2018, Plateau Brewing Company was incorporated and born.
The group has since spent their time building their product and relationships with bars across Texas. Moving forward, Choate said it made sense to all of them to set up their headquarters in the hometown they keep returning to. He said they each have family, friends and memories in San Angelo, and they wanted Plateau Brewing Company to be something the city could be proud of.
The small business is being set up at 214 S. Chadbourne St., a place that has been in Choate's family for four generations. The first being a 1940s restaurant that Choate’s great-grandfather started after immigrating to the United States from Greece. Now, the space is being converted into their taproom and cold floor.
San Angelo native and craft beer enthusiast, Dan Adney, is the company's head brewer. Adney is hard at work setting up their $250,000 worth of brewing equipment that just arrived. He said just some of the machinery received was hot and cold liquor tanks, a mash ton, a boil kettle and a couple of fermenters.
Choate said since they’ve been in the development stage during the pandemic, they are not behind schedule.
However, as Plateau Brewing Company is nearing its grand opening, the co-founders are setting up plans and policies to keep everyone safe, such as utilizing the beer to-go option through online orders. Choate said they are following many other successful brewing company’s lead and hope that it will help give their craft beers a flourishing start despite the pandemic.