Under construction

That's right, we're under construction now!

When I last wrote a blog update, I was waiting for electrical plan check at the City to complete their review.  Our electrical situation has been a thorn in my side so far, and I imagine it'll be that way for many years to come.  But, through some careful engineering and refinements, we put together a functional craft brewery that fits within our electrical limitations.

In the last couple months, I've had many accomplishments:

• Plan approval by the City Building Department
• Completed application and received approval of our ABC Small Beer Manufacturer's License
• Purchased a glycol chiller, heat exchanger, brewery hoses, and 120 half-barrel kegs
• Pulled building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits for construction of tenant improvements
• Started construction

Plan approval was a big step. I had worked for almost two years with the planning and building agency at the City, my engineers and architects, to fit a brewery into our amazing building.  It is an amazing building, but it comes with some less-than-amazing limitations, like our electrical capacity.  Nevertheless, we found a way to make our brewery fit into our limitations, without substantial sacrifice.  So much of planning and design is about getting everyone to understand all of the different elements that go into a brewery.  

An early look at our tasting room tables

In February, I submitted applications to the ABC and TTB, the state and federal agencies that regulate and tax beer production.  I heard back from the ABC near the end of April, and we were approved as a Small Beer Manufacturer.  Under this license, we can operate a brewery and distribute to local bars and restaurants.  We are also able to operate a tasting room in which we can sell beer by the glass or growler direct to the consumer.  We have a great space and I can't wait to share it with you.  I'm still waiting on the TTB to approve our license.

The crazy Butfering machine that levels our tabletops

The glycol chiller, heat exchanger, brewery hoses, and kegs were some of the key major elements that I had not already purchased.  There are still lots of little nick-nacks that we need to run a brewery, like clamps, gaskets and tools.  The last element I'd like to add to my brewery is a variety of wine or spirit barrels, and I'm actively soliciting California wineries and barrel brokers to track down a variety of barrels.  If you walk by our building, you'll see the pile of kegs in the window.

With plan approval, we pulled building permits for all of our tenant improvements.  Immediately after pulling permits, we started construction.  I now have a big hole in the ground with new sewer lines tying into the existing sewer.  I am regularly posting photo updates on our construction to our instagram.com/thegoodbeerco and I would encourage you to follow along.

Picking up kegs in Industry, CA

Electrical approval outstanding, Plumbing and mechanical approved

A quick word about our plan check.  As we've previously mentioned, our electrical plan check is complete.  But the City has a list of corrections we need to address.  Our project engineers are working their way through the corrections.  The good news is that we received plumbing and mechanical plan approval this week.  That means we can pull permits from the City for these two applications.  I'm going to pull the permits as soon as our electrical is approved - might as well take care of everything at once.

Some New Toys

On Saturday, I drove down to Mission Valley in San Diego and loaded up a package of equipment for transportation.  The package is almost a complete brewery!  For the time being, the equipment is basically being stored in my building - we still have a few permits and licenses to obtain.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that only photographs can do justice:

That was fun.

Brewing Equipment

A couple months ago, I was contacted by a guy in San Diego that had been collecting brewing equipment for his own brewery.  His project had to go in a different direction, so he contacted me to check out his brewing equipment.  I did.

Fast forward two months and we have the deposit on the equipment.  We'll be moving it from San Diego to our new home in Santa Ana in May.  The system is going to need some serious tender, loving, care, but this thing has some great bones and was made in the United States of America.  JV Northwest, the manufacturer is one of the most respected names in the business, too.  The brewhouse was built in the mid-90's and used in a brewpub for several years.

Here are some photos of the JV Northwest 15 barrel brewhouse and four 15 barrel conical fermenters.

Planning Commission Approval

On Monday, the Santa Ana Planning Commission approved CUP 2013-01, which enables the Good Beer Company to produce, sell and distribute beer from 309 West Fourth Street, Santa Ana.

This is a major milestone for Good Beer.  The next steps include:

• Building and Fire Department submittal for architectural review
• California ABC License application for Type 23 License
• TTB application
• Equipment identification and purchase
• Construction (once Building/Fire approval is satisfied)
• Brewing!

That's an oversimplification, of course, but it gives you an idea of how much more work needs to be done.

Zoning Administrator Approval

Yesterday morning, myself and a couple fellow craft beer enthusiasts attended the public hearing in front of the Santa Ana Zoning Administrator.  It was an administrative review and open to the public.  After some trouble understanding the technical functions of a brewery tap room, the Zoning Administrator approved the proposal with some changes and sent it to the Planning Commission as a public hearing item.  Thanks to Jason and Joshua for showing up in support!  Here are the details on the hearing:

The Good Beer Company will be discussed at a public hearing in front of the Santa Ana Planning Commission.  The Commission is set to meet on March 25 at 5:30 PM in the Santa Ana Council Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, California.  The Planning Commission can approve, continue or deny the Conditional Use Permit application.  

I'm putting together a slideshow to give the Planning Commission members an idea of what the tap room will look like.  I'll be collecting photographs and short videos of tap rooms across Orange County.  Here is one of the preliminary renderings of the Good Beer tap room:

If you have good photos of local brewery tasting rooms, please submit them to brandon@thegoodbeerco.com 

Upcoming: Zoning Administrator Public Hearing

It's finally official: The Good Beer Company Conditional Use Permit will be considered at the Public Hearing before the Santa Ana Zoning Administrator.  The hearing will take place on March 6, 2013 at 10:30 am and will be open to the public.  Please attend in support of Good Beer!

Conditional Use Permit Application Submitted

Because The Good Beer Company is a use that will produce, distribute and sell an alcoholic beverage, we're required to submit a Conditional Use Permit Application("CUP").  The CUP is reviewed by the Zoning Administrator and the Planning Commission to determine whether the activities are acceptable in the location proposed and is of general benefit to the City, compatible with all surrounding uses, and consistent with the City's General Plan (that's text straight from the CUP form).

Well, the application, fee, and mailing information for all property owners and tenants within 500 feet of the proposed site were submitted to the City today.  Now, we sit back and wait for the Administrator and Commission reviews - which will take place in February.

City "Approval"

Well, we received "approval" from the City's Design Review Committee.  Plans will be stamped on Monday!  It should be a time for celebration, but it doesn't feel appropriate.  There's a long road ahead, including additional plan reviews, public hearings and administrative review, before Good Beer can even think about breaking ground.

I also received a letter from the County Health Department.  They provided a list of changes to the plan set in order to make it compliant with their codes.  Nothing earth shattering, so it shouldn't be a problem to comply with.

Anyways, we're moving forward with the permitting!

On another note, I'll be up in Julian tomorrow to brew a batch of beer with my brother Bryce at the Julian Brewing Company!  Details forthcoming...

City Plan Review and County Health Department

 I have neglected the blog for too long.  Fear not, I have not neglected spending all my free time moving Good Beer forward.
 
In the past week, I have moved two necessary processes forward. I resubmitted a revised plan set to the City of Santa Ana and submitted the initial plan review package to the County of Orange Health Care Agency's Wholesale Food Program.  So we're moving forward through the heaps of licensing, permitting and regulation.

I received comments from the City, revised the plan set, with the help of my talented cousin and recent Architecture graduate, Jen Manckia, and resubmitted the revised plan for a second review.  It's my understanding that some of the staff at the City are getting excited about having Good Beer as a member of the downtown business community.

I had lunch with Vicky from Downtown Inc. back in June.  Downtown Inc is a non-profit serving as Santa Ana's Downtown Business Improvement District (BID).  Downtown Inc receives funding from an assessment on Downtown property owners and the BID's purpose is to market and promote downtown to the world.  Downtown Inc's mission is to facilitate the enhancement of Downtown Santa Ana as a vibrant shopping, entertainment, business and cultural destination for all. I imagine Good Beer will be working closely with Downtown Inc in the coming years as we share a mission to enhance Downtown Santa Ana.

As for the County review, I met with County staff a couple times over the summer and even had one inspector visit my building for a pre-submittal screening.  We came to some great solutions and I expect the plan set to move through the County permitting process rather quickly.  

Can you believe it!

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.  

Milestone Number One

Today, The Good Beer Company celebrated the first big milestone in the implementation process.  High five! We submitted the first tenant improvement plans to the City of Santa Ana Planning Department this afternoon.  Very exciting!

We know it's going to be a long process - with City department review, re-submittals, Commission and Council hearings to consider the project, but this is the first step towards sharing our beer with you.  In the grand scheme of things, this is a big step forward!

Good location

So we're slowly trudging through the mud.  It's not easy to figure out all the public entities that regulate breweries, but we have a pretty good game plan. And we're moving forward! I'm working on taking the designs from concepts to submittal right now.  Basically, I'm putting together a floor plan, site plan and elevations.

I'm fortunate to say that the search for the right space did not require months of searching through leasing websites and calling brokers - the space was right under my nose.  That's right, I currently work in the building that I will be transforming into a brewery.

It's a beautiful building that's over 100-years old.  It was completely renovated in the early aughts and is currently a fantastic contrast of modern 21st century office space and history.  I'm sad to say, however, that the stained concrete floors are going to need to be torn up to accommodate trench drains and sloped floors in the brewing area.  It's not going to be the easiest space to run a production brewery from - there are no freight doors and our only loading/unloading area is on Fourth Street in Santa Ana, but we will make it work.

Here are a couple of photos pre-brewery to whet your appetite. 

Good directions

A quick summary of how I got here:

When you take up home brewing as a hobby, you get a lot of people that say "why don't you start a brewery."  For the longest time, I responded with "it's not something I can be passionate about." And then, it hit me.

Two thousand and eleven -  In early 2011, a small group of talented entrepreneurs, business executives, and government  officials gathered to discuss their futures.  Some of us had recently been presented with a wake up call - Governor Jerry Brown decided that many of our clients were obsolete, and their operating budgets should be reallocated to the state level to close the budget gap.  So we pondered where we had been, what we were doing, what we wanted to do - and most importantly, why.  By mid 2011, the business concept had fully developed in my mind.  My thoughts ran rampant during my bicycle rides to and from work and I began crafting a business plan and developing financial projections.  Mostly to convince myself that I could do it, but also to communicate to my friends, family and business advisers that I had a good idea (and I wasn't a socialist).  Then the fun began.

December - The conceptual business plan for a brewery was rolled out to my closest business advisers.  These advisers gave me great feedback and asked a lot of questions that I honestly could not answer - which led to more research, phone calls, and emails to suppliers and manufacturers.  This is where Santa Ana came in - Kathy was the first to read my plan, and being a downtown property owner, she immediately offered up the downtown location as a possibility.  (I loved that idea from the start because downtown is one of Orange County's historical urban centers and balances a classic historic charm with an urban grit.)

January - The revised business plan was presented to a small group of investors.  Again, more tough questions led to additional research, the development of the "implementation plan," which includes a marketing direction, conceptual brewery plan, outline of the permitting process, proposed business structure, and a refined launch budget.

February - I circulated the implementation plan to a group of investors and advisers.  I also spent a lot of time on the phone with banks trying to ascertain the probability of including a small business association-backed loan in the financing plan.  With the help of the talented Corinne Mayer, the brand was born - The Good Beer Company was given a face, intended to be gritty, real, and authentic.  I also developed really good concept plans for the space and met with the City.  I shared my concepts, my ideas, and my proposal, and got really good feedback.  I've read about nightmares where cities reject brewery plans - I was lucky.

March - Here we are.  It's pretty interesting to sum up the last couple months and see what has been accomplished - we've come a long way.  I have narrowed down my investor team and I'm planning a small gathering next month.  As for the SBA, I received good feedback after sharing my plan with a local banker and her SBA liaison, so that's slowly moving forward.  I'm also getting really serious about developing the tenant improvement drawings for a City submittal.  It took a while to track down accurate plans, but I now have a really solid base plan to superimpose the new tenant improvements over.  I'm planning to have the submittal package complete within a couple weeks - then we're off to the races!

I'm going to try and catalog this adventure and check in here every once in a while.