Check This Place Out!

This quick video builds upon an earlier blog post about the amazing building that Good Beer will live in.  I want you to see how cool the building is before our permits are pulled and we begin construction.  Check it out!

I need to work on my videography skills... more vblogs coming in the future!

Progress and the County Health Department

We've been making some progress, just not as much as I'd like!  I feel like our next big milestone is coming very soon, so stay tuned.  Here are some updates on my progress, the County Health Department and some advice for future brewers.

Minor Milestones


I haven't had any really cool updates for a couple weeks because I've been discussing the project with the County Health Department.  While I wouldn't characterize our discussions as a milestone for Good Beer, I would say that we are making progress. 

Some minor milestones that have happened recently:

• The Good Beer Company has filed paperwork for fictitious business names with the County Clerk-Recorder.
• I filed more paperwork with the State to confirm and finalize Good Beer's presence (at least for a year)
• As discussed below, we came to some solutions with the County Health Department

County Health Department

It has been made abundantly clear that my situation is very unique. Very.  Most breweries select industrial warehouse-type buildings to house their brewing operations.  Because we're permitting in a historic building, the City and County have had some interesting hurdles to overcome.  At first, the County was coming up with concerns about the building at a rate of one-a-day.  This was a lot to handle, and I'll admit, I got a little overwhelmed.

That said, I sat down with the County and we were able to discuss the intricacies and come to compromises about what the brewery will look like.  The discussions shed light on some of the County's biggest concerns, but in general, we came up with creative solutions (compromises).  Here are a few of the solutions:

County concern:  the ceiling above the brewing area could harbor "dust" and should be painted or sealed.  My stance:  I want to maintain the historic charm of the space but also make it a clean and safe work environment.  Solution:  instead of painting the 100+ year old exposed wood ceilings, we will seal it with an industrial transparent silicone coating. 

County concern:  Keep visitors to the tasting room out of the brewery production area.  My stance:  I want the building to be an open and barrier-free experience.  I also need to be able to move large equipment in and out of the brewing area without destroying the barrier.  Solution:  surround the brewing area with metal railings that fit in to a sleeve.  This way the railings can be in place to keep tasting room visitors out of the brewing area and allow us to add equipment to the brewing area in the future without removing a permanent barrier.

County concern:  the grain crusher will generate too much dust if it is out in the open.  My stance:  I understand that it will generate grain dust, but I've read about brewers that have been able to keep the dust under control.  Solution:  less of a compromise than the other two situations, I have elected to enclose the grain crusher in a room by itself.  We will have to move the crushed grain a further distance via auger, but, aside from the added expense, I think this compromise will work out for everyone.

County concern:  The big kahuna was when the County wanted me to paint, stain or seal up the beautiful exposed brick on the west side of the building. My stance:  I did not like this idea because the brick adds so much character to the building.  Painting, or even sealing it with a transparent seal, would be a detriment to the feel of the space.  Solution:  I explained to the County that the brewing tanks and additional distance between the brewing area and the brick would act as a buffer between the brewing activities and the brick.  They liked this idea

If You're a Brewer...

I have some advice for brewers (or anyone opening a commercial food processing facility).  Having gone through this brain damage, here's what I suggest you do to make the permitting process go as smoothly as possible:

• Educate yourself.  Be aware of the legislation that exempts "tasting rooms" from the requirements of a bar.  Review the Department's guidelines.  Read the California Health and Safety Code sections that pertain to both food processing facilities and restaurants and bars.  
• Be verbal.  (As opposed to assuming they know the details of your project.) Go above any beyond the requirements.  The County of Orange told me that I would simply submit a plan set and get comments back.  Feel free to go outside the process and schedule a meeting to consult with the Department heads of the Plan Review and Facility Inspections.  The people that I am working with are much more receptive to a verbal description of what is going on than a written account.  It also helps to get their attention focused on your project for an hour, so I'd suggest sitting down with them to flesh out the details.

I'm making some plan revisions then I'll be ready to submit a plan set to the County.  In the meantime, I'll also get the first round of comments back from the City.  

More great friends!

The beer world is quite different from other industries.  I'd characterize the craft beer industry as more of a community than an industry.  A community full of incredibly nice people.

In early May, I attended the Brew Expo and annual Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego.  Most of my time was spent browsing potential equipment and raw good provider booths and learning about the intricacies of hop contracts and ordering yeast, but I also met a bunch of amazing brewers and business owners.

In particular, I met Owen Williams of Ritual Brewing Company.  Owen was super nice and offered his extensive knowledge base to me if I should have questions along the path to opening The Good Beer Company.  His brewhouse was on display at CBC as well, which was pretty cool to see.

I also met Rick Smets, the brains behind the start up Stereo Brewing.  It's great to meet people that are passionate about beer and are planning breweries close to Santa Ana.  Rick is planning to open Stereo in our neighboring City of Costa Mesa.  I can't wait to see the craft beer community in Orange County grow into something that rivals what LA and San Diego County have.

I also had a chance to talk with Steve Hindy of the Brooklyn Brewery.  I had read his compelling story about his transition from overseas war correspondent to homebrewer to successful brewery owner, and it was very cool to meet and talk with such a successful brewer.  And his keynote speech at the CBC was right on target - brewers represent more than just a local business, they are an integral part of a community.  (As a side note, I met his daughter at a friend's wedding the following weekend - what a small world!)

More recently, I attended the California Craft Brewers Association meeting at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles.  They are working hard to become LA's brewery, which is probably the reason why I don't see Golden Road brews too often down here in Orange County.  They're also canning their beer in tall boys, which is pretty interesting.  The brewery tour was fun and interesting, and we spent a lot of time in their tasting room/restaurant and on the porch enjoying the beautiful weather.

The CCBA organized presentations by Candace Moon and Melani Gordon.  Candace is a Craft Beer Attorney and her knowledge of the ABC was obvious.  She offered to act as a liaison between the CCBA's brewery members and the ABC in the event that a brewery needs an interpretation of the law.  Melani is the co-founder of TapHunter, a beer-oriented social media app that tracks beer menus at local restaurants.  Melani offered some great social media marketing recommendations (that I can hopefully employ here at blogger, and via facebook and twitter).

At the CCBA meeting, I was introduced to Jeff Hansson from Coronado Brewing Company.  Jeff has spent some time in Downtown Santa Ana, so he's familiar with how amazing this community is.  We are going to have to get together for a pint sometime soon.

I also recently introduced myself to Jason Quinn and Jarred Dooley at the Playground, a local craft beer-centric restaurant with fantastic beers and eats.   They're super cool, very close by, and extremely knowledgeable about food and beer.  I look forward to being their neighbors here in Downtown Santa Ana. (I also love their food and Robyn and I have made Friday nights at the Playground a regular occurrence.  There's always several fantastic vegetarian dishes, which works great for Robyn and I.)

I learned a lot at the Brew Expo and CCBA meeting and look forward to working with all my great new friends.

Also, the first weekend in June I attended the Firestone Invitational Festival up in Paso Robles with Robyn, her sister Ann, Kevin, Alex, Shawn, Eric and Lea, Chief, and The Cuss from Santa Cruz (all Good Beer drinkers).  That was a lot of fun.

We definitely hit up Patrick Rue from the Bruery for some Black Tuesday and fancy sour beers.  Patrick's beers were at the top of the list with other great breweries right behind him, including Founders, 3 Floyds, Sun King, Alpine, Russian River, Golden Road, Boulevard, Revolution Brewing, to name a few.   I ended up meeting some really cool people in the craft beer community, including Brad Grider at Beer Geek Radio, Bryant Goulding from Golden Road, and Shawn McIlhenney, the head brewer at Alpine Beer Company (Pure Hoppiness... drool...) whom I admire greatly for their commitment to maintaining an extraordinary level of quality.

When's the next beer festival?!

Pilot Batch: Pale Ale

Every great brewery needs a great pale ale.  Lucky for The Good Beer Company, we are well on our way to having an notable pale ale.  My house pale ale recipe recently placed second in the American Ale class of the first round of the National Homebrew Competition.  It has been brewed again and was selected to advance to the final round of the Competition - it will be judged in mid-June.

The house pale ale is an all-American.  It has a nutty and toasty malt flavor that is complemented by a soft floral and citrusy hop flavor.  It's overflowing with nutty and floral aromas and it is deep gold to pale amber in color.  It clocks in at about 5% alcohol by volume.  It's full flavored and small enough to make it a great choice year round. 

As mentioned, this Pale Ale placed second in the American Ale Category in the first round of the National Homebrew Competition (San Diego).  There were 71 entries in this category and it was chosen to advance to the final round.