Good Design is Good Business - Great Rhythm Brewery Success

Reflections on the 2 Year Anniversary of Great Rhythm.  

Great Rhythm Brewing Company recently celebrated their two-year anniversary, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to chat with our good friend and client, Owner Scott Thornton, about how the award-winning design of their brewery has played a role in their success.

ST: It’s been a fantastic and exciting two years of constant growth here at Great Rhythm. Both our production and staff have increased dramatically. It’s sometimes difficult to believe that we only had five tanks, myself brewing, and a few people in the Taproom when we first opened. We now have over 20 tanks, a more automated packaging line,13 amazing coworkers, and an extremely supportive community. We are absolutely thrilled that our space continues to accommodate this type of growth. It’s always a great feeling walking through the front door of the brewery, thinking about where we started and how far we’ve come in making our dreams become a reality. We have so much appreciation for the many people who have helped shape Great Rhythm Brewing Company, and we're thankful for those who continue to help propel us in a positive direction as we continue on this journey.

WH: In what ways has the design of the brewery benefitted your overall business?

ST: From the outset we wanted to create a family friendly and welcoming community atmosphere here at Great Rhythm, while also embracing a purposeful and industrial design that was functional for our production processes. WH helped us achieve this with our space by utilizing a minimalistic mix material approach while focusing on the relationship between the outdoors and natural light in the Taproom, and by creating a unique relationship between the Taproom and the Brewery. Our customers regularly tell us how much they enjoy sitting by the large overhead doors looking out at the North Mill Pond while enjoying their beer. Similarly, they tell us how great it is to be able to see the entire brewing process from the Taproom. Another one of our initial design goals was to translate the idea of farm-to-table to craft beer by creating a truly unique customer experience. We wanted customers to be able to see first hand where the beer in their glass comes from, while also having the chance to talk with the people that make it. An open concept Brewery and Taproom design was the best way to achieve all of this. Again, WH listened to our initial vision and created a design that achieved this. Looking back at the design process, from directional input to decisions made, and now seeing customers in the space socializing and enjoying a beer, I can honestly say that this space has helped us create a welcoming community atmosphere here at Great Rhythm.

WH: Tell us a bit about the design process working with Winter Holben.  

ST: From our initial conversation with Brandon (Principal Architect) and Elisa (Design Director) we immediately knew we found the right people to work with on this project. They were extremely open to a collaborative approach to design and shared our vision for creating a unique and functional space here in Portsmouth. Their expertise and creative vision helped us bring our dreams to concrete reality through a custom design that we were able to bring to fruition. Their design incorporated the industrial feel of the surrounding landscape as well as the warmth of the river view into the walls of the brewery. Everything from the layout to the material choices and impactful signage —each aspect of what was proposed was exactly what we wanted, making the entire process exciting and seamless. 

Check out what's on tap at Great Rhythm here.