NanoBrewery build

Can you return our CalTrans cones please, na JK.
Snow and ice, you must live a little higher up out of town?
We're hammered in the S.F. bay area with black ice and snow
on peaks and inland cities within 15 miles from me.
Careful on the roads this is a big cold front hitting us.
Did you see that 10 BBL brewing system up 4 sale, asking
price was $75K. You lucked out on your larger system, it may
be in operation sooner than you think. You go Hoss.

BrewBeemer said:

Snow and ice, you must live a little higher up out of town?

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I'm sure downtown Mariposa got plenty of snow out of this last storm... my folks live down in Coarsegold around the 1000 foot level and they managed an inch or two.

knownikko said:

I'm sure downtown Mariposa got plenty of snow out of this last storm... my folks live down in Coarsegold around the 1000 foot level and they managed an inch or two.

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It all fell on Monday. 3,000 ft level started getting snow Sunday night. Town is around 2,000 and I'm at about 2700. I got about 5 in. and town had at least 2-3 in. Had to wait for the roads to clear up better before I went into town. Still was icy last night but this new storm coming in is warming things up a bit.

I'm going to see how long I can keep brewing 10 gallon batches before I have to fire up the 7 bbl system. I may have to convert the current Brewery into one huge fermentation house.
My 7 bbl still needs a glycol chiller and a heat source for the boiler. I also need a hot liquid pump and a much larger grain mill. I would also need to upgrade from cornie kegs to 1/2 bbl kegs.
Time will tell.

Hello neighbor. I drive through Mariposa every day from Oakhurst (work in Livingston) will stop by some time and check it out. Is the Mariposa Brewery still in business? Strange location, I thought. Where do you buy your bulk grain from? I drove to Concord MoreBeer to get 150 lbs a month or so ago, maybe we (I see a Clovis and Coarsegold poster on this thread) could coordinate a group buy some time. Good luck.

Briansierra said:

Hello neighbor. I drive through Mariposa every day from Oakhurst (work in Livingston) will stop by some time and check it out. Is the Mariposa Brewery still in business? Strange location, I thought. Where do you buy your bulk grain from? I drove to Concord MoreBeer to get 150 lbs a month or so ago, maybe we (I see a Clovis and Coarsegold poster on this thread) could coordinate a group buy some time. Good luck.

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That sounds great. Group buys are always a good thing. I was going to check some of the local feed supplies and graineries around here and see if they can get a good deal for me.

EDIT: Yes, the Mariposa Brewery is still there and in business. Sofar the only bulk grain was a 50# bag of 2 Row that I ordered online with a bunch of other stuff.

First post on these boards, I've never homebrewed before, but I'm looking into it. I'm a huge fan of microbrews, and would really like it get into it. I read this whole thread just now, and I hope to one day be able to do the same as you are doing. Congrats, and good luck.

snesxone said:

First post on these boards, I've never homebrewed before, but I'm looking into it. I'm a huge fan of microbrews, and would really like it get into it. I read this whole thread just now, and I hope to one day be able to do the same as you are doing. Congrats, and good luck.

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Thank you and welcome to the addiction.

Great pictures. I still can not wait to hear how opening day goes.

pilotdane said:

Great pictures. I still can not wait to hear how opening day goes.

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It should be on the 17th unless the ABC or County Health decides otherwise.

Wait a minute since when did you have a 7bbl brewhouse? Things are really picking up if your already thinking about going from 10 gal batches to that.

farmbrewernw said:

Wait a minute since when did you have a 7bbl brewhouse? Things are really picking up if your already thinking about going from 10 gal batches to that.

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I have a 7bbl brew rig, but I'm trying not to use it until absolutely necessary.

Just a few more days - good luck!

brownmt said:

Just a few more days - good luck!

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Thank you. It's moving day today. Time to get the Keezer moved and set up and fine tune where everything is going to go.

Set up the keezer and counter in the shop.

This pic shows the position of the keezer in relation to the counter.


Here's a view from the back of the shop looking towards the front door and window.

looking good so far, keep it up.

May have hit a snag in the process here. County Health Dept. wants us to fill out an application and submit a copy of our plan in triplicate. They also want us to check with the County Planning and Building Dept. to see if we need any permits filed (we don't). Then they will come out and inspect the shop. It shouldn't be a problem since we're doing everything based on the County Health Inspectors recommendations and we are not doing any structural changes or changing the electrical or plumbing. We're just tapping into existing services. Minor snag.

Come on man! Two days from opening and this?! I've been following this thread on the edge of my seat and was anxiously awaiting the first pic of beer for money exchange! Don't tell me I have to wait longer?!

ajwillys said:

Come on man! Two days from opening and this?! I've been following this thread on the edge of my seat and was anxiously awaiting the first pic of beer for money exchange! Don't tell me I have to wait longer?!

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I'm hoping it doesn't stop us from selling on the 17th, but it has the potential. ABC may not like our "floating" wall between the Wine shop and the Beer shop and that inspection isn't until the 17th at the earliest. Wanker doodles!

HBHoss said:

There are web sites that list all the permits and licenses etc.. necessary.

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Unless it's specific for your home state, could you share some of these links please? thanks....awesome thread btw

Love the thread! You're living the dream, man. Keep it up!

twst1up said:

Unless it's specific for your home state, could you share some of these links please? thanks....awesome thread btw

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This is the Federal site: http://www.ttb.gov/beer/qualify.shtml

That should get you started. The rest is your state and local sites. For California it's: http://www.calgold.ca.gov/Default.asp?VW=CC

Do to circumstances beyond my control, I won't be selling anything until after the 1st of the year. I am going to pursue some commercial interests in the meantime but nothing will be sold out of the shop yet.

That's too bad, sorry to hear that. Hopefully all goes well in the new year!

ajwillys said:

That's too bad, sorry to hear that. Hopefully all goes well in the new year!

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It will, thanks. The County has an annual fee that is done by calendar year with no prorate done so if I pay the fee now I'll have to pay it again in a couple of weeks. Not worth it to me. This'll give me time to make sure everything is ready to hit the ground running. Plus it never hurts to add a couple of weeks to the aging of the brew.

There is a shiney new restaurant sitting ready to go but not open. Waiting until January 1 for about the same reason. A massive tax bill only to be open a few weeks so they are waiting for the new year.

I've read this entire thread over the past hour and its been amazing fun watching your project grow.

I offer this meager advice - grow slowly and don't be afraid to say no. Excess demand always is better than excess supply.

My father in law had a small (and profitable) lumber company. He made lots of money, but saw the opportunity to expand and grow but it required a huge loan. He did it on the promise of a single buyer and things went well for 5 years - then the buyer dried up overnight and things ended badly.

You seem to have a good perspective on this endeavor and I have no intention of being a killjoy, and my story is a story of the lumber business (more cutthroat) and may not apply. However, keep in mind that having folks dying for the next keg beats having 10 kegs dying for a buyer.

"A brewery may not be established or operated in any dwelling house."

Does an attached room to a garage count as dwelling space??

HBHoss said:

Do to circumstances beyond my control, I won't be selling anything until after the 1st of the year. I am going to pursue some commercial interests in the meantime but nothing will be sold out of the shop yet.

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We are in the same boat.. Its possible for us to be able to brew soon I think. The hood is the last of the inspectors items that needs to be addressed and then we are off.

However the paperwork takes a while and I think it will be the limiting factor. We should be able to brew and use that for the opening party with local business owners but as far as selling it probably not yet.

wildwest450 said:

"A brewery may not be established or operated in any dwelling house."

Does an attached room to a garage count as dwelling space??

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I'm sure that all depends on the mood of the inspectors at the time of the inspection. However, since there are plenty of farm wineries where the proprietors live on premises but brew in other buildings, I think you'd be ok as long as the garage is detached from the main house. Outbuildings, unless specifically set up as such, generally do not count as dwellings, AFAIK.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer. YMMV.

wildwest450 said:

Does an attached room to a garage count as dwelling space??

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The important part you did not mention is if the garage is attached to a dwelling/house or if it is a separate, detached building. The local agents I spoke with said I can put a brewery inside my warehouse building without problem at the federal level. But it seems the federal stuff is easy. My NC General Statutes is where things get a bit more complicated and expensive, but it's not too bad (at least in NC).

wildwest450 said:

"A brewery may not be established or operated in any dwelling house."

Does an attached room to a garage count as dwelling space??

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Here in California they didn't seem to have a problem with the brewery being in the house, mine just happens to be separate. It's a local and state thing and varies considerably.

HBHoss said:

Here in California they didn't seem to have a problem with the brewery being in the house, mine just happens to be separate. It's a local and state thing and varies considerably.

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Then the dream still has a glimmer of hope.

wildwest450 said:

Then the dream still has a glimmer of hope.

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Always!

You've gotta try or you will never know.

simply awsome!!




sd

HBHoss said:

Here in California they didn't seem to have a problem with the brewery being in the house, mine just happens to be separate. It's a local and state thing and varies considerably.

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The care about the house thing at the federal level. That quote was from TTB Regulation § 25.21 Restrictions on location.

I have heard of lots of cases where an attached garage is fine (and I've been told this on the phone as well). Also, I heard of at least one case where the owner permanently blocked entrance to the garage from the house and they allowed it, even though it was attached. I don't remember where I heard that one though, so don't quote me.

hope everything goes well on the new year I'm planning on taking a drive over when I have the time to relieve you of some of that beer.

So is tomorrow going to be your opening day or are you taking the holiday off? I'm dying to hear how your new business takes off.

The good news is with everything I read about the bad economy craft brewing is one of the few industries that is still growing. It looks like you picked a good business sector. That with your sensible approach of starting as small and inexpensive as possible but you've got the big barrel system available if you need to ramp up production quickly.

wildwest450 said:

"A brewery may not be established or operated in any dwelling house."

Does an attached room to a garage count as dwelling space??

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We're still in the homebrew stage of our beer production, but the reason we're building our brewery in the detached garage is because of that same law. In case things look like they will move in the commercial direction, we're already set up in a TTB friendly space.

pilotdane said:

So is tomorrow going to be your opening day or are you taking the holiday off? I'm dying to hear how your new business takes off.

The good news is with everything I read about the bad economy craft brewing is one of the few industries that is still growing. It looks like you picked a good business sector. That with your sensible approach of starting as small and inexpensive as possible but you've got the big barrel system available if you need to ramp up production quickly.

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The state is taking its sweet time approving my new license so I won't be starting until I have approval from them.
I agree with the economics of this. I have 5 interested parties ready to taste my brew to see if they want to carry it in their establishments. I don't mind waiting, it gives the beer longer to age.