Brothers of Ale: ATasteofWhat’sOnTap

Word of Mouth Attracts Locals and Tourists Alike

by Howler Staff

Three years after opening its doors as Costa Rica’s newest premier craft brewery, Brothers Of Ale Brewing is being well-served by all the entrepreneurial ingredients it takes to grow and thrive: a clear vision, patience, determination, resilience and hard work. Add to that a steadfast commitment to high product quality and customer satisfaction, plus a passion for giving back, and this remarkable Guanacaste success story keeps unfolding.

We are pleased to provide more details in this month’s cover story, and to share these highlights of our conversation with Brothers of Ale founder Alaks Thompson.

What brought you to this area to start your brewery?

In 2016, I was working in South America at the time and planning on the eventual Brothers Of Ale concept. I had been talking with my sister, who knew that I was leaning toward New Zealand and the Queenstown area, as I had such an unreal experience working and traveling in the country years before. However, my sister insisted I check out Costa Rica. At that time, it was scoring so high on the quality-of-life index.

• Great food selections

• Arts, concerts, family events

• Special television viewing parties

• Business meetings

• An exciting atmosphere

You may come as a stranger, but you'll leave as friends.

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So I did. I spent about three months based out of Tamarindo, but traveling around the country. Later on in 2016, I bought my house and made the full-time move.

What were some of the general challenges you encountered?

"Costa Rica makes easy difficult and difficult easy." That phrase never rang so true as it did when I found myself moving here and living a full-time life. It's one thing to vacation here — everything is pura vida — but to live here and operate a business here, it takes patience and an understanding that you will not change Costa Rica — for the better or worse. Banks, government offices, utilities … you name it, they are infamous for long lines and not being well-organized. But it is in these challenges that the successful succeed.

I also found that surrounding yourself with similar-minded people, and those who may have gone through the same processes before you, allows you to surge ahead and not let any roadblocks keep you down.

What is your customer base like and what are their experiences like at BOA?

When we opened at the start of COVID, our base was exclusively locals. I'd say that it took about a solid year of growing our reputation before we really started seeing tourists come in. We aren't in downtown Tama or Potrero. So being a destination location, we had to hit our mark on quality and service, and I believe we are doing that. It's a continual process, but with constant feedback and not settling for mediocrity, I think we have a pretty good stride.

And our customer reviews and feedback have allowed exponentially more people to come and seek us out. We hear pretty often, "So-and-so told us to come here and I'm so happy we did!"

So word of mouth has allowed more locals and tourists to come check us out. Right now I'd say we are about 70% locals and 30% tourists.

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WHICH ONE OF YOU DID THIS??!!

Alaks was 3,500+ miles away on a snowboarding trip in the mountains of Utah (Snowbasin, January 2023).

Of the 11 total lifts (and hundreds of chairlifts) that he could have sat in, he sat in this one: ONE WITH A @brothersofale STICKER ON IT!!

Unbelievable moment and what it’s all about! Thank you for spreading the BOA love! (But seriously, who did this? You rock, and next round is on us.)

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