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I was passing thru Mariposa today and checked the supermarket for your beer. Couldn't find it on the shelf. I went to the Pioneer Market. Is there another one in town or another area in the Pioneer where your beer is stocked? Maybe just out of stock? (Selling it faster than you can make it?)

I ended up checking out the Prospector's Brewing pub. Their IPA was pretty good. Nice imaginative use of New Zealand hops. I asked the guy in there about you and he had some real nice things to say. He thought your beer was at the market, too.

I would sure like to try your beer and will be back up that way again before too long. So when you get a chance let us know where they are selling it.

Thanks!
 
I was passing thru Mariposa today and checked the supermarket for your beer. Couldn't find it on the shelf. I went to the Pioneer Market. Is there another one in town or another area in the Pioneer where your beer is stocked? Maybe just out of stock? (Selling it faster than you can make it?)

I ended up checking out the Prospector's Brewing pub. Their IPA was pretty good. Nice imaginative use of New Zealand hops. I asked the guy in there about you and he had some real nice things to say. He thought your beer was at the market, too.

I would sure like to try your beer and will be back up that way again before too long. So when you get a chance let us know where they are selling it.

Thanks!

Thank you for checking. They have 4 cases of my beer but haven't put it out on the shelf yet. I don't know why but I'm going to call them tomorrow and find out. My Amber is at "The Alley" in 12 oz bottles. They are downtown near the "Gold Coin".
 
Thank you for checking. They have 4 cases of my beer but haven't put it out on the shelf yet. I don't know why but I'm going to call them tomorrow and find out. My Amber is at "The Alley" in 12 oz bottles. They are downtown near the "Gold Coin".

Thanks! I saw the Gold Coin and thought about trying there but due to time constraints decided to pass. Good thing I did. Will be up that way again in a couple weeks.

Take care!
 
Thanks! I saw the Gold Coin and thought about trying there but due to time constraints decided to pass. Good thing I did. Will be up that way again in a couple weeks.

Take care!

Spoke to Pioneer market this morning and they were sorry for the mix up but will have my beer on the shelf right away.
:mug:
 
Spoke to Pioneer market this morning and they were sorry for the mix up but will have my beer on the shelf right away.
:mug:

Cool. I'll be looking forward to trying that amber.

I'm getting ready to retire this winter and have some good farmland outside of Fresno. I'm thinking of putting in some hop plants. I'll be doing this with an eye toward possibly going commercial (small time) if things go well. What varieties do you use the most? And would you have any interest in buying some locally grown hops if they were available?

Like I said, this is still in the discussion stage. I'm just trying to get a feel for the market. And, of course, it will be at least late summer 2015 before anything I plant next spring will be producing enough to even talk about.
 
Cool. I'll be looking forward to trying that amber.

I'm getting ready to retire this winter and have some good farmland outside of Fresno. I'm thinking of putting in some hop plants. I'll be doing this with an eye toward possibly going commercial (small time) if things go well. What varieties do you use the most? And would you have any interest in buying some locally grown hops if they were available?

Like I said, this is still in the discussion stage. I'm just trying to get a feel for the market. And, of course, it will be at least late summer 2015 before anything I plant next spring will be producing enough to even talk about.

Cascade, Willamette and Northern Brewer would be my top 3. I prefer pellet hops for consistency but there are a lot of brewers who like whole cone hops.
Good luck with it!
 
Cascade, Willamette and Northern Brewer would be my top 3. I prefer pellet hops for consistency but there are a lot of brewers who like whole cone hops.
Good luck with it!

Thanks for the recommendations. I know Cascade will be in my initial planting. And I agree about the consistency of pellet hops. I'll be playing with the hops from the first year's harvest myself. It'll be interesting to see how they work out.

Thanks again.
 
Reading 4 years worth of Hoss' story over two days has been like power-watching Breaking Bad on Netflix before the last 1/2 season aired...incredibly enjoyable and sad that I got to the 'end'...good thing it really isn't the end, just a temporary pause. What a great thread. Thanks so much. Looking forward to the rest of the story in real time.
 
first off, congrats on your dream and wish big things for you. i have the same dream and similar plan as you. you think its possible to post the links to the licenses required to do all this? or at least the names of the licenses i would need? i would like to check this out. thank you!
 
Three days...amazing story. You're truly an inspiration, and I'm really happy for your success. I haven't seen your beer over in New York yet, but I'm anxiously awaiting it.

How about a quick update? It has been a couple of months!
 
Do you know if the TTB requires the brewery to be some certain number of feet away from your (or other) residences?
 
This is a great post! I need to start from the beginning and read the whole thing. Thanks for sharing your experience.
 
How do you like the size building you have?
How big are your batches these days?

I'm trying to figure out how to start out both in building size and brew size. I was also thinking of a roughly 200 sq ft building but don't want to really expand the actual building size later . It's hard to fathom this could be a full time gig at some point down the line but at the same time it makes more sense to size appropriately now versus later worrying about additions., etc.
 
Found this thread a little late, but I've made my way through the entire thing... very cool story, thanks for sharing it, and keeping this thread going for so many years! Do you have any recent updates? Things still clicking along like they were, or still some small growth going on?
 
I was in No Cal a couple of months ago and looked him up. I found this on his facebook page:

"Because of problems with my well, which may or may not be related to the drought we are in, Chappell Brewery is closed until further notice.
I will keep you all updated."
 
It has been awhile since I've updated this post. First off, thank you all for following along with my journey. It has been an interesting one. As you see from the above post I had to stop operations because of well problems. Most likely drought related. It was a tough decision but I've decided to close the brewery permanently. Water is very important in the brewing process and I'm not sure how much it's going to cost to finally have a consistent supply of water. I was at a point of "do I invest more money into the brewery or cut my losses and stop?" So I decided to stop.
I enjoyed being a part of the Microbrewery community and going to events. I really enjoyed having the tasting room downtown and once that was gone it hurt my exposure and sales. It really helps to be in the public eye at all times and the easier people have access to your brew the better the business. It can be done at the small level like this it just requires a lot of time and energy but for those of you out there that want to give it a go I say go for it. Be careful about your overhead and keep the debt to a minimum. Get involved in your community and help out at local events. People can be very supportive out there.
Cheers and best of luck to you all!!! :mug:
 
Oh damn. I just read through this whole thread. What a disappointing ending...

But, you did what few of us will ever get to do, then got out when it made sense for you. My hats off to you.

:mug:
 
This really sucks, as Chappell Brewing was a source of inspiration for me and countless others. I think we be seeing more of this unfortuneately.
 
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I am heading out to Mariposa on Saturday to get some piglets and was going to hit you up while I was out. Bummer on the well, I can totally relate. Just got the news I got into the master brewers program but the cost is what it will cost to drill a new well so I have to make a big choice. No water no beer though. If you are available on the 25th let me know. We can drink a beer to the rain gods or something. Good luck in your next adventure.
 
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I am heading out to Mariposa on Saturday to get some piglets and was going to hit you up while I was out. Bummer on the well, I can totally relate. Just got the news I got into the master brewers program but the cost is what it will cost to drill a new well so I have to make a big choice. No water no beer though. If you are available on the 25th let me know. We can drink a beer to the rain gods or something. Good luck in your next adventure.

I do have some beer to drink. Where are the piglets? Congrats on the master brewer program! :mug: Let me know when you're in the neighborhood.
 
Sorry to hear about the well Hoss.. hope it rains a ton this season!

RRR, if you're out that way I'd also recommend Prospector's Brewing in Mariposa and South Gate Brewery in Oakhurst. Prospector's recently changed brewers, haven't had a chance to try them out since the switch - but they were solid before that. South Gate makes amazing beers, especially the hoppy stuff, and great food - I love their wood fired pizzas.
 
I do have some beer to drink. Where are the piglets? Congrats on the master brewer program! :mug: Let me know when you're in the neighborhood.

Gotta be at the place at 10am on the 25th. They told me it is about 20 minutes outside of mariposa and about an hour and 40 from Sonora so who knows. If it is not raining...... I really hope it is raining..... Than I can hang out a bit but will have the piglets in the back of the truck. Might now matter if I can get my bed cover on before then. Let me know if you are around that morning. Never a bad time for beer. :D
 
Sorry to hear about the well Hoss.. hope it rains a ton this season!

RRR, if you're out that way I'd also recommend Prospector's Brewing in Mariposa and South Gate Brewery in Oakhurst. Prospector's recently changed brewers, haven't had a chance to try them out since the switch - but they were solid before that. South Gate makes amazing beers, especially the hoppy stuff, and great food - I love their wood fired pizzas.

I will check it out if I get a chance. Not sure how early they open though.
 
A wonderful story with a sad end. It was fun while it lasted though i bet :/

It was a lot of fun. Creating recipes, talking to beer drinkers and other brewers, it was some good times. I don't feel bad though, another brewery in town closed its doors also and they had deep pocket investors and didn't last as long as I did. Tough town to keep a business going in but I have no regrets trying! :mug:
 
My town built a big water plant to accommodate a very large manufacturer who then went bankrupt. So now we have a massive over capacity. Anyways, I recently bought a refurbished building downtown (my wife needed the 2nd floor), the building had a working winery in it...so the lower level has all the drainage, chiller and electrical hookups required for a brewery and the streetfront level has 1700 square foot of hardwood floors, bar, restrooms and all brick walls.

You could just move all your equipment from CA to NC, have zero water problems and have brewery and taps in same building. Low cost of living and there are two craft breweries already doing great locally. NC has low regulations and the craft beer scene is rocking.

Very supporting community as well!

I really want to find a brewery for the space. I'd like to do it myself but just don't have the time...

anyways thought I'd throw it out there for you as a way to keep your dream alive, albeit with a drastic relocation. :)

Brent
 
My town built a big water plant to accommodate a very large manufacturer who then went bankrupt. So now we have a massive over capacity. Anyways, I recently bought a refurbished building downtown (my wife needed the 2nd floor), the building had a working winery in it...so the lower level has all the drainage, chiller and electrical hookups required for a brewery and the streetfront level has 1700 square foot of hardwood floors, bar, restrooms and all brick walls.

You could just move all your equipment from CA to NC, have zero water problems and have brewery and taps in same building. Low cost of living and there are two craft breweries already doing great locally. NC has low regulations and the craft beer scene is rocking.

Very supporting community as well!

I really want to find a brewery for the space. I'd like to do it myself but just don't have the time...

anyways thought I'd throw it out there for you as a way to keep your dream alive, albeit with a drastic relocation. :)

Brent

Thank you for the information. I'm not interested but I'm sure you'll find someone who is.
Cheers!
 
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