Tons of stuff going on...The big projects at hand right now are getting the building brewery ready and working towards getting licensed. Getting the building ready includes everything from general cleaning to getting our electric and plumbing needs squared away.
Cleaning is actually the fun part. It feels amazing to put a day’s worth of work in straightening the place up and having it look more like a brewery when I leave than when I got there. Unfortunately the previous tenants were tile manufacturers, so they have an entire showroom that is very well tiled. Pulling up tile might be one of the most frustrating jobs on the planet.
Setting the electricity and plumbing up is another matter all together. That is far beyond my scope of expertise, so I kind of have to just relay what we need done to get brewing and hope that it doesn't cost too much. Getting our electric straightened out seems to be working itself out alright, but the plumbing situation has me a little uneasy. With the building as old as it is and drainage being so important in brewing, I have a nervous suspicion that it’s going to be a little more complicated than I’d like. We’ll see…
On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve decided that we’re going to hire a lawyer to help us fill out our state and federal brewing applications. I've spent long enough looking at the applications to realize that there are plenty of places that I can make mistakes on it. Approval can take three months to get back, and mistakes on the forms can delay that by six weeks or more. We decided that whatever the legal fees cost, we’d probably lose more money in lost income if our opening gets delayed just because i’s weren’t dotted and t’s weren’t crossed.
-Dan
P.S.
If you live in NY keep an eye out for Newburgh Brewing Co. I’m not positive on their distribution, but they will be selling beer in the Hudson Valley (Orange, Rockland, Westchester, Putnam counties) and in NYC. They should have beer flowing in the March time-frame. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but they’re really good guys and I’m sure it’s delicious.
