"The Art of Beer" Trailer

Last Fall, I met Joshua Lang at a little get together at the Food Beast headquarters in Downtown Santa Ana.  Robyn, Jen and I showed up with a couple kegs of beer and were immediately pouring pints.  Joshua was shooting a video of the impressive musical performance at the party.  Robyn started talking to him and it turned out that he was in the process of shooting a documentary about craft beer with director Oscar Ussery!

Anyways, we exchanged contact cards and got in touch shortly thereafter to shoot some footage of a homebrew day and an interview about the Good Beer Company.  Here's the trailer and here's the full 15 minute film shown at the premier:

Check out their Facebook page for more information: The Art of Beer

The Art of Beer is "a documentary about the cultural impact of craft beer in Southern California. Dir. by Oscar Ussery and Produced by Joshua Lang"

Julian Brewing Company Brew Day

My brother Bryce was offered the assistant brewer position a few months ago and has brewed several batches on the Julian Brewing Company's 3 barrel brewing system in Julian, California.  Bryce calls me all the time to talk about what he's doing and I've stopped in several times to sample the house ales - and they never disappoint.  Bryce brews under the tutelage of Mike Gabbard of Pizza Port.

Bryce and I collaborated on the recipe over the last couple weeks of November and Bryce, Mike and I spent the day brewing a batch of Double IPA on December 1st.  Pale malt with a pinch of munich, caramalt, and white sugar made up the fermentables in this big beer that should have a light malt background with crisp dryness.  Warrior hops were used for bittering and Citra and Chinook hops were used in ample quantities for flavor and aroma addition.  I snapped a photo after our final hop addition - check out the green hop slime that coated the top of the boil kettle!

Photo: Bryce gets sacks of grain ready for the mill while I weigh out the munich and caramalt.

Photo: Bryce crushes the grain with the malt mill

 Photo: I'm mashing in (we used masks to avoid inhaling grain dust).

   

Photo: Bryce checks the temperature of the mash. We nailed it.

Photo: That's me monitoring the sparge.

Photo: Sparge arm distributes hot water on top of the grain bed.

 

Photo: I let Bryce do the hard work, like shoveling grain from the mash tun

Photo: Late in the boil, after adding four pounds of hops, the kettle looked like we were brewing green slime...

Photo: Julian Brewing Company's 3 barrel brewery

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!

Beer Experiments

Between brewing pilot batches and moving Good Beer forward, August has been a busy month! 

This past month, the home pilot brewery crafted some really cool beer concepts.  I have several beers I'm extremely excited about, even though I haven't even tried them yet.  Between late July and this past weekend, I brewed a Farmhouse Strong, an Imperial Stout, a Sour Session ale, a Wild Pale Ale, and enough beer to fill a used oak barrel - literally.

The Farmhouse Strong was bottled almost two weeks ago.  The Farmhouse Strong is a dark, strong, American-hopped beer with Belgian yeast flavors.  It was fermented with a delicious Belgian Saison yeast blend which I've been using for a couple years with great success.  It is definitely my go-to Belgian yeast.  I added some dark malts (Special B and Chocolate) to try and achieve a chocolatey raisin flavor.  And, in the spirit of Southern California, I added copious amounts of Cascade, Columbus, and Chinook hops.  It clocked in at 8.0% alcohol by volume.  Like I said, I bottled it a couple weeks ago, and have yet to taste it, but it tasted great along the way.  I'll surely open a couple this weekend (Labor Day) while relaxing by the pool.

The Imperial Stout was inspired by the Haven Brewing Breakfast Stout brewed by my good friend Dave Larsen.  He used a lot of chocolate malt to create a viscous and decadent Breakfast Stout.  I had the pleasure of trying it from the fermenter a few months back, and had the barrel aged version on Monday night at the Haven 3rd Anniversary Party in Orange.  Anyways, I used a bunch of chocolate malt and as many malts as I could to create a thick, viscous mouthfeel.  This beer is sitting in fermenters right now, and I've been toying with the idea of racking it on some oak or vanilla beans before bottling it up.

The Sour Session ale was quite an experience.  I decided to try my hand at a pseudo-sour mash.  I've done a lot of research in sour mashing, recently, and it finally inspired me to try it out.  Boy, was that scary.  I mashed and sparged a grain bill for a pilot batch of pseudo-Berliner Weiss, then drained the wort to a 5 gallon corny keg.  In the corny keg, I let Lactobaccilus and a host of other microorganisms free.  For four days, the keg sat at about 104 degrees to promote the souring.  By day two, the keg was carbonated.  By day three, it was getting scary and I had thoughts of sour beer explosions in the garage.  By day four, I decided I could not just sit back while a time bomb sat in my garage.  I attached a beer serving line to the keg's "outlet" and put the other end in the kettle.  To my surprise, the keg was so carbonated that it pushed all the beer out and in to the kettle.  I boiled the beer (to stop the souring process), added hops, and I am fermenting it with an ale yeast.  It's an interesting experiment.

Photo: pH measurement of the soured session wort

I'm very much looking forward to the Wild Pale Ale.  It's a style that is just now becoming popular in the craft beer world, but wild ales have been brewed for ever.  My Wild Pale Ale is hopped up with citrusy American hops and fermented with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, bruxellensis 'Trois' and lambicus.  I have never used this yeast, and many brewers fear letting it loose in their brewery, but I can't let that stop me. From what I've been able to ascertain from internet research, B. bruxellensis 'Trois' is producing magnificent tropical fruit flavors - think pineapple, mango, papaya.  The B. bruxellensis and lambicus were added to the other fermenter to experiment with yeast blending and to compare the different strains.  Based on this, I thought a hoppy Pale Ale was the way to go.  I'll return with results in the future.

Photo: Brettanomyces yeast strains

Photo: Brettanomyces yeast starters

 Photo: Wild Pale Ale fermenting away (Saison in the background)

Finally, in a collaborative effort with Dave Larsen and Mike Roberts, we brewed enough beer to fill a used oak barrel. In. One. Day.  I'm not kidding.  In a single day, the three of us combined for over 50 gallons of beer.  We brewed a simple, low-gravity Saison, knowing fully well that it would be aged in a french oak barrel that had previously been used for wine, and most recently used by a local brewery for a soured Imperial Saison.  The simple beer we put in the barrel is going to sit there for a while, developing additional flavors, absorbing the oak, and taking on the essence of what had previously filled the barrel.  I also plan on releasing some additional souring strains of Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Brettanomyces, to add complexity.  It's going to come out of the barrel a completely different beer.  I'll report back with results in several months.

Photo: I guess you could say we're starting a barrel program.

Busy Summer

You probably have noticed a lack of updates from Good Beer recently - that's because I haven't had a moment to stop and reflect on what is going on.  Some interesting things are happening right now.  Fear not, I'm still pushing forward and breathing life in to The Good Beer Company.

I'm working on revising the plan set that was submitted to the City of Santa Ana.  There are some technical items that need to be ironed out - like occupancies, fire separation, means of egress, and other extraordinarily exciting elements of the California Building Code, before we can resubmit.  That said, I have great direction and, with the help of my Dad (a California licensed architect), I think we have a proposal that will make everyone happy.  I'm planning on getting the resubmittal in to the City by the end of the month, so stay tuned.

As for brewing, this upcoming weekend will be the Grand Barrel Brewday.  Myself and a couple fellow home brewers are getting together to brew enough beer to fill a used oak barrel.  That's quite a bit of beer to make at home in one day - over 55 gallons!  I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it's going to be an exciting beer.  I also have started in on some fun yeast experiments using non-conventional fermentation techniques.  My hope is that I will get a good grip on using various yeasts and bacterias in fermentation before the brewery opens - that way, I can pump out some fascinating beers in short order.

In the last month, we've visited Track 7 Brewing and Rubicon in Sacramento, Bootleggers and Anaheim Brewery in Orange County, and the Julian Brewing Company in my home town of Julian.  I have brewed a bunch of beer - including an Imperial Stout and American Farmhouse Ale, and a Brown Ale that I have on tap right now, in the last month and I'm amped about what's coming next.

Pilot Batch: Double IPA

Craft beers are constantly brewed to higher and higher strengths - from higher alcohol to more bitterness, it's a growing trend that is not going to disappear.  For some, this trend is an adulteration of craft brewing and historic beer styles.  For others, it's a symbol of the creativity and defiant nature of craft (and home) brewers.  I subscribe to the later.  Brewing extreme beers and breaking style guidelines is good for craft beer because it usually translates to increased flavor, aroma and experience.  Because I hold this perspective, a Double IPA was one of the first beers I wanted to master...

The judges at the Mayfaire Homebrew Competition think I've figured out the style. Five hundred and fifty entries in the Mayfaire and I had the best beer in Class 13 Double IPA and Barleywine.  How awesome is that? Golden - literally!  I'm getting closer and closer to becoming a "pro brewer" thereby disqualifying me from these competitions, so I need to relish in the glory of victory at the home brew scale.

Enough gloating, how about the beer?  It clocks in at around 9% alcohol by volume and rocks about 80 IBU.  The hop flavors are attributed to a pretty elusive hop combination - Citra and Simcoe. These two hops have high oil contents and contribute loads of flavor and aroma.  The Citra hop contributes flavors of tropical fruit and the Simcoe hop provides a piney resinous bitterness - a pair of contrasting hops that is just sensational.  You have to try this beer to 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.  

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.

Pilot Batch: Wheat Beer

This beer has been a hit, let me say.  This beer was brewed as an homage to summer, but exhibits some qualities that set it apart from the mass market wheat beers on the shelves today.

This simple wheat beer is born out of the American style of brewing - there are never enough hops.  The hops add so much orange and lemon aroma and flavor to this beer that you will never need to add a slice of citrus to the rim of your pint glass.   And the hops are balanced by a subtle grainy and bready flavor.  It's a hazy, light colored beer with a big frothy head that reminds me of the surface of the moon.  The lightness and citrus presence make it a fantastic summer beer!

This is a beer that can be enjoyed by anyone, from the macro-beer drinker to the craft beer enthusiast.  It is a beer that a novice should feel comfortable ordering up.  And that's where I need some help... I'm not sure what to call it - does "wheat beer" sound too simple? What would sound good to you?

Let me know what you think it should be called - share on facebook, twitter or via email!

A Really Good Story

So, what makes The Good Beer Company good?

The Good Beer Company vision and mission is to be a socially responsible craft brewery. Proceeds from the sales of beer will be used to enhance the local community.  Why? Because we are part of a mutual symbiosis with our community and consumers.  And we believe it's important to reciprocate support to our community and consumers.  Briefly, we're in the business of betterness. 

Traditionally, the local pub provided sustenance, company and a community gathering place for businesspeople, friends and families to share their experiences. The Good Beer Company takes the social importance of the neighborhood pub to the next level by reinvesting in the community that supports it. It turns craft beer consumers into philanthropists in support of the place where they work, live and play. It’s a business model that is about more than the bottom line - it’s about seeing social, economic and physical progress happen on a local scale.

The Good Beer Company exists because we have a vision of creating a great place - a place that people enjoy, remember and share with their friends and families.  And as we grow, we want to be able to help make Downtown Santa Ana that place.  We are so happy with what the City has preserved over the years and the diverse culture that has blossomed here that we want to be a big part of perpetuating the preservation and enhancement of Downtown Santa Ana.

So, our objective is to make Downtown Santa Ana a place that you want to be.  An authentic place to exist.  It's our community and our source of relationships and experiences.  We want to share the place that we're passionate about with you, your friends, and your family!

Good Beer's face to the world.

Want to know more? Email me at brandon@thegoodbeerco.com 

Brewers are awesome

In an effort to learn as much as I can about brewing on a commercial scale, I have reached out to several local breweries.  The first three brewers I've reached out to have been amazing!

David Larsen at Haven Gastropub and Brewery in Pasadena gave me a brewery tour back in December.  He showed off every element of the brewery - from grain storage to the bright tanks.  Dave's brewery has a very interesting network of passageways and a special lift between the grain delivery and the mill.  In short, it looked like a real pain to get the grain in storage.  But they're figuring out how to overcome this challenge.  I'll have a chance to brew with Dave on his 15 barrel system pretty soon.

Dave introduced me to Evan Weinberg at Cismontane in Rancho Santa Margarita.  Evan gave us an intro to barrel aging as he cleaned and filled a 15 gallon oak barrel with a Belgian ale.  Cismontane placed in the Del Mar Fair in 2011 in the IPA and Pale Ale categories - no small feat amongst a County of breweries known worldwide for their IPAs and Pale Ales.  I had a chance to poke around the brewery, try Cismontane's ales, and bounce a load of questions off both Evan and Dave.  On top of that, I'll be joining Evan from time to time to gain experience on the brewery floor.  This weekend is Cismontane's second anniversary, so show up and have a pint!

I ran in to Patrick Rue from the Bruery at Haven Gastropub in Orange in March and couldn't help but bug him about beer and share my story with him.  From there, I contacted his Director of Brewing Operations, Tyler King, for a brewery tour.  Tyler was a great help - he showed me around the Bruery and gave me an overwhelming amount of advice about brewery equipment.  He's a really smart guy and his beer is testament to that. 

 More exciting photos from the breweries (first two from Cismontane, third is from the Bruery, and the fourth is from Haven Pasadena):

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!

Pilot batch: Belgian Specialty Ale

This marks the first of many blog posts we'll make in the coming year (and perhaps beyond) in which we profile a pilot batch.  We want to be ready to pounce on some really exciting beers right out of the gate, so we'll be refining a few concepts until the brewery opens.  Who knows what Good Beer #1 will be, but it could be an iteration of one of these pilot batches... if not, at least we'll share some great beer stories along the way. 

Homebrew Batch #45:  Brewed five weeks ago, this Belgian specialty ale is delicious.  It fermented to a gravity of 1.001 and is 5.9% alcohol by volume.  It also sports a lofty 59 IBU's with a big portion of the IBU's coming from late kettle hop additions.  The hops were Citra leaf hops and they compliment the Belgian characteristics quite well.  The overall impression is a citrusy and bready Belgian beer with a dry finish.  Oh! This beer will be served at the Southern California Homebrew Festival in Ojai next month, so keep an eye out and let us know what you think!

More to come: Yesterday was a brew day at the pilot home brewery and all the carboys are loaded up.

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.