Building Department

It has been a roller coaster ride trying to get together engineering documents worthy of the building department.  I've brewed a bunch of pilot batches during this time, with each beer being better than the last.  I also recently stepped into blending beers, which has been exciting and full of surprises!

So, without further delay, today I submitted architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings to the building department.  The plans were approved by my project planner at the City, then delivered to the building department with a big fat check.  They are estimating that the initial review will take up to 6-weeks to complete, so we'll check back in around mid-November. I will need to submit a separate plan set (and big fat check) to the Fire Authority because Santa Ana contracts with OCFA for fire services.  I also plan on dropping a revised plan set off at the County Heath Department to get that review underway.

While I'm waiting for the building department to complete their review, I'm going to jump into the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control and Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Marijuana Tax and Trade Bureau licenses.  Wish me luck!

We're getting close now!

Pilot Batch: Farmhouse Ales

If you've ever shared a pint with me, you know that I thoroughly enjoy the flavors of a rustic farmhouse ale.  It's a preference that developed over years of exploring the vast universe of craft beers.  I think that the past will shape the future, and this historically significant style of beer will certainly have an influence on what we do at The Good Beer Company.  With that, I dedicate this blog post to all things farmhouse, from funky barnyard and dry hay to lemon rind and tropical fruit.

Blending geographies, we start our journey in Wallonia, a French-speaking portion of Belgium, where Saison (literally, "Season" in French) was historically brewed to quench the thirst of seasonal farm workers.  The classic representation of the style started brewing commercially around the mid-eighteenth century.  Today, the array of farmhouse flavors inspire American brewers - including myself.

Farmhouse Ale:  To me, the flavors contributed by a used wine barrel meld seamlessly with the flavors of a farmhouse ale.  Last summer, I brewed a simple saison recipe with my friends and fellow homebrewers David Larsen and Mike Roberts.  We brewed up one wine barrel worth and it has been aging in my garage since then.  In December, we brewed up 20 more gallons,  pulled out a couple kegs worth, and refilled the barrel - a process called solera.  We brewed this recipe again last weekend to continue the process.  It's beyond exciting to always have a fine wine barrel aged farmhouse ale available.  The beer features soft oak, red wine, and fruity aromas and flavors with a tartness on the palate and very dry finish.

Wild yeast meets the West Coast:  Last summer I started experimenting with different yeast strains not commonly used in American beer production - Brettanomyces vs Saccharomyces (the later is used in brewing and wine production across the world, the former is often considered a spoilage organism in breweries and wineries).  While Brettanomyces throws of some unsavory flavors when used in a mixed fermentation (it can destroy years of hard work by a winemaker), the flavors it produces in a pure culture fermentation are what interest me.  I'm having a ton of fun blending the flavors of this wild yeast with some flavors we're much more used to here on the West Coast - hops!  The citrus, lemon, mango, pineapple and explosive tropical fruit salad flavors contributed by wild yeast pair up nicely with flavorful American hops prevalent in West Coast India Pale Ales and Pale Ales. 

I blogged about these experiments last summer and I'm happy to report that, with nearly a year worth of refinement, we're heading in the right direction.  

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!