I remember first meeting Rawley Macias in 2016. A longtime homebrewer who had just secured a home in Carlsbad for his new business, Rouleur Brewing, he was new to the area and so excited to join the San Diego brewing community. Over the years, I have chronicled every twist and turn for his company, a dual-passion concept celebrating Macias’ interests in craft beer and competitive cycling. And there have been many. In the past eight years, Macias was able to purchase the equipment at his original lease-to-brew suite in Carlsbad while also taking over the unit next door, open a satellite venue in North Park, contract brew for numerous local operations, install a deli at his flagship tasting room and win numerous awards at high-profile brewing competitions. Many of these moves represent pivots from Macias, who has maintained one of the most malleable business plans of any local brewery owner, pivoting in response to consumer trends and a marketplace altered in the near- and long-term by 2020’s pandemic. While those adjustments have allowed him to prolong Rouleur’s lifespan, they haven’t been enough. As such, Macias will be closing the business in the coming weeks. As he pedals toward the finish line, he invites local beer enthusiasts, particularly his prized regulars, to visit Rouleur’s tasting room between now and December 31 for some farewell pints.
In interviewing Macias about this development, it was clear how difficult and emotionally trying it is for him to close the book on Rouleur. While most brewery owners are understandably guarded when talking about shuttering their businesses, Macias endeavored to dig deep so that he could share insights with readers as well as beer industry contemporaries who may be struggling with the same challenges and conditions that he has over the past few years, so they know they’re not alone and that their efforts aren’t for naught. We appreciate that level of openness, and in that spirit, are presenting his responses to our questions in their entirety.
What led you to open your own brewing company?
I founded Rouleur in 2016 as a way to combine my passions and chase a dream. My wife, Alissa, and I fell in love with the craft beer industry starting around 2005 while homebrewing in my kitchen during the early days of our relationship. While living in San Luis Obispo, we frequently traveled to San Diego between 2008 and 2015 to explore its thriving beer scene. Memorable experiences included Belching Beaver Brewery’s modest first taproom, with just a few barrel tables in a warehouse, The Lost Abbey’s Christmas in July events, Green Flash Brewing’s original Vista location and drinking Old Numbskull at AleSmith Brewing’s cozy original brewery on Cabot Drive. These visits, along with beer-focused trips to the Pacific Northwest, Denver and across California, planted the seed for creating a craft brewery of my own.
I was intrigued by every aspect of the craft beer industry, especially learning each brewery’s story. That shared passion and curiosity among beer enthusiasts helped grow the industry. People genuinely wanted to know the story behind their local brewery, connect with the people making and pouring their beer, and take pride in being loyal patrons; it’s what got me – and so many others – hooked. In fact, Alissa and I went so far as incorporating our love for beer into naming our two sons: Nathan Porter Macias and Levi Stout Macias. (The family joke is that we always hoped for an Amber!)
While immersing myself in the craft beer scene, I took up amateur cycling when I turned 30. Cycling quickly became an integral part of my life, not just as exercise, but as a way to disconnect from the noise of the world and focus on what truly mattered. It gave me time to process my thoughts, reflect on life’s challenges and think deeply about my future. Ultimately, cycling inspired me to combine my two greatest passions, craft beer and cycling, into a single identity: Rouleur Brewing.
After nearly two years of planning, I took the leap, leaving my secure career in aerospace to start Rouleur. With a $110,000 SBA loan, a $100,000 loan from my wife’s family and my savings, I launched the brewery without formal investors or partners. It was a leap of faith, driven by passion and the dream of creating something truly meaningful.
How have Rouleur’s business plan and operations changed and evolved over time?
I’m an engineer by degree, so numbers, math and the trial-and-error process are deeply ingrained in me. A thorough business plan outlining different scenarios and financial models is incredibly important at the beginning but can only get you so far. At a certain point, you have to move forward, using your plan as a guide, and tackle challenges as they come.
In our nearly eight-year history, we have studied and experimented with many different operational models, taking advantage of opportunities whenever they arose. For example, during the pandemic, we shifted from being taproom-focused to emphasizing packaged beer and takeout sales. When on-premise sales appeared to be rebounding, we opened a satellite taproom and kitchen in North Park. Later, as the beer market began to decline, we adapted once more by consolidating back to our original Carlsbad location. Recognizing that customer needs and wants were evolving, we expanded our Carlsbad location to include a small kitchen and added a deli to enhance the guest experience and diversify our revenue streams. While some decisions didn’t yield the results we hoped for, many did, and we always learned and adapted.
The motivation behind these shifts has always been survival and growth. Everything from the pandemic to rising operational costs and changing consumer habits kept us on our toes, forcing us to evaluate what worked, discard what didn’t and continually evolve. This mindset of analyzing current conditions, creating a plan, executing it and then adapting as new challenges arise has been our approach at Rouleur, especially over the past few years. Our guiding philosophy has always been “onward and upward”, embracing whatever comes our way, moving forward and growing from each experience. It has been a driving force behind every decision we have made. I have celebrated the highs and viewed the lows as mere bumps in the road, always striving to learn and improve with each step.
What were the initial – and lasting – influences of the COVID-19 pandemic?
I am reluctant to talk about the pandemic because it has become a common narrative for many struggling businesses. Yes, the pandemic was an awful and disruptive time. We were forced to shut down and drastically reduce our ways of earning revenue. Like many others, we had to adapt, shift and pivot to stay afloat, and unfortunately, many businesses didn’t make it. These challenges have been widely discussed. However, what most people are not talking about are the long-term impacts of the pandemic, which continue to shape our industry and daily lives.
First, nearly every brewery I know required some form of capital-injection to survive during the pandemic. Some businesses received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from the government that were later forgiven, while others took Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. Some deferred bills like rent and loan payments, while others conducted capital calls with their investors, and many, like myself, tapped into personal savings. Very few businesses had the resources to weather the period from 2020 to 2021 without assistance. While some forms of aid, like the PPP loans, were forgiven, others were not. Most breweries are repaying these loans today, and the strain of that debt has been significant. For Rouleur, we survived that difficult time through a combination of PPP loans, an EIDL loan and significant injections of cash from my personal savings.
Second, the pandemic fundamentally changed consumer habits. Studies have been published about how people are drinking less, going out less and spending less on discretionary items like craft beer. Whether it is due to inflation, the rising cost of goods and living or a shift in lifestyle priorities, these changes are real and lasting. The pandemic disrupted our lives in ways that extended far beyond those initial shutdowns, and its long-reaching impacts continue to affect businesses like mine. The ripple effects are still being felt today, influencing everything from spending habits to operational costs and customer behavior.
The pandemic was not just a moment in time. It created lasting challenges that have shaped how we live and do business. While I don’t want to lean on it as an excuse, I also can’t deny the significant role it has played in the struggles we face today.
What are the impacts on focusing on surviving versus thriving for such an extended period?
I have spent a significant amount of time reflecting on this lately. When writing the business plan for Rouleur, I spent considerable time identifying, studying and discussing the potential risks. I understood that the hospitality industry is inherently risky. When times are good, people go out and spend on discretionary items. When times are tight, people withdraw and spend less. These are risks I was fully aware of and accepted going into this venture. I knew my team and I would have to work tremendously hard to build a brand and make a name for ourselves, but I believed that with hard work, there would be great rewards on the other side.
As Rouleur grew, I made the conscious decision to pay myself modestly or not at all during difficult times. I reinvested nearly every dollar we earned back into the business. At the height of our success, I paid myself $48,000 annually, and during challenging periods, I skipped paychecks entirely to ensure the business could continue operating. This is the reality of being a small business owner. You put the needs of the business and your team above your own, always hoping that the sacrifices will pay off in the long run.
Unfortunately, times are much different now than they were when we launched in 2017. While craft beer is still here, and there are breweries that are genuinely growing, I suspect that the majority are simply surviving. Many owners, myself included, likely keep their true struggles close to their chest, doing their best to manage the challenges without alarming their teams, friends, customers or communities.
Personally, I have pivoted and reinvested everything I could into Rouleur, but it has come at a significant cost to my personal wellbeing as well as my family’s livelihood and future. Simply surviving is not a sustainable business model, and I think it takes many owners a long time to realize and accept that hard truth. The dream of building something meaningful is powerful, but when survival becomes the only focus, it can come at a cost that is difficult to reconcile.
What are your thoughts and feelings as you prepare to close the business?
This is the most emotional and challenging time of my life. Rouleur has been so much more than a business to me; it has been a part of my identity, my purpose and my passion for nearly eight years. Beyond my wife and two kids, it has been at the center of everything I do. My team and I built it from the ground up, celebrated its victories on the best days and mourned its struggles on the worst. The grief I feel now is overwhelming. I poured my heart, soul and every resource I had into this brewery, sacrificing so much along the way, and it is devastating to reach the point where I have to let it go. I have spent countless nights agonizing over decisions, worrying about my staff and wondering what more I could have done. The realization that I have taken Rouleur as far as I can has brought me to tears more times than I can count.
For so long, I couldn’t share these feelings. I felt it was my responsibility to protect the business, our staff and our customers from the truth of our struggles. Every day I came to the brewery, I put on a happy face, even when I was breaking inside. Showing weakness or admitting the challenges we were facing wasn’t an option. I didn’t want to alarm anyone or give the sense that Rouleur was in trouble. I didn’t want to put “blood in the water”.
Now that I have accepted the hard truth that this is the end, I feel a complex mix of emotions. There is deep sadness and a sense of loss that I know will take time to heal, but I also feel a small sense of relief. The burden of pretending everything was fine and carrying the weight of the struggle has been exhausting. Accepting this reality has allowed me to begin letting go, even though it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.
One of the greatest sources of my grief is my team. They are the ones who helped build Rouleur into what it was. Knowing I can no longer provide for them breaks my heart. Losing a job is never easy, and as I prepare to face the same uncertainty myself, I am reminded of just how trying and stressful this time will be for all of us. At the same time, I am forever grateful. To my staff, our loyal customers and everyone who believed in the Rouleur dream, thank you. Your support kept me going through so many challenges and I will always carry that with me.
While it is hard not to feel like a failure or a disappointment right now, I am also trying to remind myself of everything we accomplished. This grief is a testament to how much I cared and how much this journey meant to me. Though the wound is deep, I hope that with time, I can heal and move forward with the same passion and dedication I brought to Rouleur.
What accomplishments are you most proud of during your time helming Rouleur?
Most of all, I am proud of the incredible team we had throughout the years. Some team members were with us for only a few months, while others stayed for many years. Although some moved on voluntarily and others were let go due to the challenges of running a small business, each person contributed to building the legacy that Rouleur will leave behind.
We started in 2017 with a small crew consisting of myself, one full-time beertender and one part-time beertender. Looking back, it is amazing to see how small and different Rouleur was in those early days. Slowly but surely, we expanded the team, created new roles and hired great people to fill them. As we grew, so did our operations. At one point, we were running two taprooms and a kitchen, brewing out of two locations and steadily making a name for ourselves in the craft beer industry. At our peak, I employed 31 people and we produced nearly 4,000 barrels of beer per year, a milestone I never imagined when I first started homebrewing. Along the way, we garnered awards and accolades, including medals for our beers, and we celebrated every victory as a team. These achievements were a testament to the hard work, passion and dedication of everyone who was part of Rouleur. I am proud not just of the growth and accomplishments, but also of the culture we built. Rouleur was more than a brewery; it was a family of people committed to creating something special and sharing it with our community.
What are your thoughts and emotions as you prepare to close the book on this chapter?
As a closing thought, I want to applaud everyone who has ever taken a chance and tackled something outside their comfort zone. Whether you are daydreaming, planning, executing, succeeding or even failing, you will face countless challenges, setbacks, wins and losses. Along the way, you will receive both praise and criticism. In those moments when doubt creeps in, I have always found solace and inspiration in a quote by Theodore Roosevelt. It has guided me through my own journey, and I hope it brings you the same strength and perspective.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
I hope you can find as much value in these words as I have and continue to do.
Rouleur Brewing is located at 5840 El Camino Real in Carlsbad