Located at 155-A Fort Street, Devil May Care co-owners Colin Koop and Steve Gauthier say they started business planning in 2015, and it took until 2018 to get started as a contract brewer. “Five years on from the start of our stint as a contract brewer, we finally got to open our very own facility,” said Koop. “Suffice to say, it was very difficult!” He says the biggest issue they encountered was raising the capital.

“We’re just two pretty ordinary guys who come from middle-class ordinary families,” said Koop. “There’s no family wealth to speak of and neither of us worked high paying jobs to bankroll a project as capital-intensive as breweries tend to be. You might say we started from less than zero, but through a period of strategic brand building over four years, we were able to convince lenders that we had something financially viable on our hands.”

Construction challenges

Devil May Care spans 5,500 square feet with the production space comprising 2,500 square feet. Describing their construction efforts as very “DIY,” Koop says their biggest challenge by far was the power requirements for an electric brewery, which were significantly larger than the infrastructure their nearly 100-year-old space could provide.

“We worked with Manitoba Hydro to upgrade that service, but the result was a larger-than-expected infrastructure cost and significant delays. To some extent, and in these situations, the only thing you can do is budget accordingly – both financially and timewise, too.”

Koop and Gauthier knew local company Global Drains from other production brewer spaces and were looking for a drainage system that could withstand the daily rigours of brewery life, be that beer waste, harsh chemicals or driving a forklift over the drains. “When it came down to it there really was only one choice and it was Global Drains,” said Koop. “With their guidance, we were able to purchase the right product and install the drains ourselves. They took our requirements, designed the system appropriately and delivered a fantastic product that we use literally every minute of every day.”

Devil May Care had two slot drains installed, which cover the drainage needs for the whole facility. “Since we are a wet environment, a lot of moisture ends up on the ground during a production day. All of this either flows directly or is pushed with minimal effort toward the slot drains,” said Koop. “The two drains both have a catch basin for objects that might fall in. Beyond the filter baskets, they join together to carry all our liquid waste to the main drainage of the building.”

Drain challenges

Jared Shuster, Global Drains’ regional sales representative and drainage expert, says while drainage is sometimes overlooked, it is a vital element of processing design and should be strategically planned. For example, when it comes to beer, wine and spirits manufacturing, there are a few unique drainage complications that must be accounted for.

“First and foremost is the heat and acidity of the liquids being drained,” said Shuster. “If the drains are not manufactured using the proper materials, warping or damage to the drainage system can occur.”

The company’s products combat this by only manufacturing floor drains with high grade stainless steel, which resists these effects. They also manufacture a mobile funnel, the Slot Hog, which fits in anywhere along the Slot Drain, allowing for drainage directly into the drainage system. “This keeps your floor coating safe from acids as well, helping to minimize wear on your facility,” said Shuster.

The Global Drains team worked with Gauthier very early in the facility planning process, acting as consultants on drainage selection and placement to make the process as easy as possible. “The system we manufactured for Devil May Care was from our FoodSafe Slot Drain line of products, specifically the 6000 Series PLUS-R Slot Drain,” said Shuster. “This is a pre-sloped, ready-to-install, fully stainless-steel drain body, which offers extremely high durability and load rating, while also retaining the easy-to-clean features that are standard with any Slot Drain.”

He says the Devil May Care team told them they were planning to use forklifts in their facility, so Global Drains wanted to ensure that the heavy machinery would not cause any issues. “Because of this, we recommended our 6000 PLUS-R Series Slot Drain, which features a reinforced steel angle on the drain lip. This gives the drain an E-Class load rating, meaning that it can handle a load of at least 134,800 pounds per foot, more than enough for any potential forklift.”

What’s next?

As for what the near future holds for Devil May Care, Koop says since the facility is relatively new, he and Gauthier are still getting used to daily operations, especially since COVID-19 caused challenges.

Calling the pandemic a double-edged sword, he says it forced them to move locations once and adopt a largely wholesale business as that was the only way to get their product into consumer hands. “However, we were also able to negotiate a better deal on our new space due to vacancy rates. So, in some respects, we benefited from the pandemic. But, by and large, sales across every sector were severely hampered.”

In the next few years, Koop and Gauthier are looking to expand with larger tanks and the obligatory brewing capacity upgrades. “Ideally, we will be able to grow until physical space becomes an issue and then we’ll see what our options are. We love our downtown location, so we’re here for the foreseeable future and looking forward to being part of this community for years to come. At this point, we’re just happy to be open and we’ll embrace growth as organically as possible.”