Otto Dilba Case Study: Ale Asylum

Intense is one word that could be used to describe meeting Otto Dilba, one of the owners of Ale Asylum. His passion for his company, which open in 2006 with his partner and brew master, Dean Coffey as well as five silent partners, was evident throughout our interview. Otto holds a degree in marketing and previously worked in bars to put himself through college. After college, he worked for a graphic design firm for three years when Dean approached Otto about opening a brewery. Dean was already a well-known brew master in Madison. However, Dean wanted to bottle and transport his own beer. Together Dean and Otto created a business plan in attempts to receive loans from the banks in the area. Every single bank turned down the pair. It was now; the pair took out second mortgages on their homes as well as sought help from 5 other silent partners. With these funds, Ale Asylum was established. …show more content…
All beers produced with the Ale Asylum logo contain only four ingredients; water, malt, hops and yeast. This is part of Otto’s and Dean’s core philosophy. They feel as if they add any other ingredients they are brewing malt beverages, not beer. This leads into Otto’s first piece of advice; keep true to your principles but be responsive to change. When you start a company, you must be willing to stand by your values. If a value folds quickly under pressure, Otto believes it was never a value to begin with but rather a hobby. The “four ingredient” rule is of utmost importance to the duo and for good reason, Ale Asylum is, to the best of Otto’s knowledge as well as my own, the only brewing company that only uses 4 ingredients in their beer and never ever deviates in any of their products. This unique feature gives Ale Asylum a competitive edge over other brewing