I went "pro" - What it actually takes to do so

[PasbitinusBluinusRibbinus]

Incredibly good read.

Thanks.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Mini update... Interior walls have started being torn down in the space next to our current space to accommodate a much larger fermentation area (and therefore more capacity) and a much larger, nicer taproom. We already have the license, insurance, etc. to serve pints just like a bar so... Once the new space is fitted out... Pints and fills will be avail.


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[WissahickonBrew]

Thanks Cape!

Do you have any photos of the progress???

 

[Cape Brewing]

None that I would wanna post. I only have a couple pics of a random commercial space with the walls knocked down.

Once we have some serious progress on the re-fit done, I can def post some "before and afters"


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[KeyWestBrewing]

How did you guys go about brewing up Da Honey Stank without risking infecting the rest of the brewery?
What batch size are you guys brewing and what volume are your fermenters? Just wondering if you guys have or had to run double batches and what your approach was to pitching rates and oxygenation.

 

[Cape Brewing]

How did you guys go about brewing up Da Honey Stank without risking infecting the rest of the brewery?
What batch size are you guys brewing and what volume are your fermenters? Just wondering if you guys have or had to run double batches and what your approach was to pitching rates and oxygenation.

We have a small room on the other side of our space and on the opposite side from our normal fermentation area. We ferment the Stank in there. It is isolated and locked so there is no public access.

We are doing 100 gallon batches and have 132 gallon fermenters. No, we don't double batch anything.

Pitching rates are generally an entire brick of US05 (500 grams) per 100 gallons (or about 2.5 times "normal homebrew rates").

We have an inline oxygen feed that directly feeds Oxygen into the wort as it comes out of the plate chiller (we have a good sized commercial brewery chiller)

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

We have a small room on the other side of our space and on the opposite side from our normal fermentation area. We ferment the Stank in there. It is isolated and locked so there is no public access.

We are doing 100 gallon batches and have 132 gallon fermenters. No, we don't double batch anything.

Pitching rates are generally an entire brick of US05 (500 grams) per 100 gallons (or about 2.5 times "normal homebrew rates").

We have an inline oxygen feed that directly feeds Oxygen into the wort as it comes out of the plate chiller (we have a good sized commercial brewery chiller)

Yea I meant how you were pitching/oxygenating your double batches if thats what you were doing but you cleared that up. Thanks for the quick response and keep crankin out the brews

 

[paulthenurse]

The Bog Water has run dry at the BBC and they're waiting for something to kick before they put a new keg of Bog Water on. I TRIED to put a couple of sheckles in your pocket Cape, but it wasn't in the cards.

To console myself I'm going to have a few Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ales.

I think I'll get over my disappointment.

 

[FoCobrewguy]

Hey Brian,

Have a question that I don't think was talked about already. I see on your website how you came up with your brewery name but did you have any issues with actually getting the name locked in with the state? Can you explain that part of the process at all? I have a little experience with starting a business and understand that a business license is needed from the State and when you do that the name is pretty much yours. Then you can go further to protect your name in different ways on the State and Federal level.

I ask because I too have the dream of opening a brewery one day but for me it is a long ways out. My buddies and I have thought of a pretty good name though and I essentially want to see if there is a way I can protect it from being taken from someone else without actually starting a brewery? Could I open up a business account with the name I want and just pay the state fee each year so no one else could take it? I figured I could make a website and what not and just use it as a blog for now, that way the domains are safe too.

I know seems like an odd question and if you don't know an answer that is okay, just figured I would ask someone who went through the process. Thanks!

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

This might help you out...

http://www.legalzoom.com/business-management/starting-your-business/do-you-own-your-business

 

[FoCobrewguy]

Thanks that does help. Do you know by chance if having to make a sell would mean having to sell a beer (which obviously I could not do without going through the whole process) or just selling something with my logo on it would be enough, like a T-shirt or something?

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Thanks that does help. Do you know by chance if having to make a sell would mean having to sell a beer (which obviously I could not do without going through the whole process) or just selling something with my logo on it would be enough, like a T-shirt or something?

I'm just going off intuition here and truthfully that's a question you want answered by the right sources to make sure you were protecting the name.
I would think that if you have trademarked the name and are using it then you could technically sell your ownership rights to that name to your brewery down the road. Trademarks being sold is nothing new your just selling it to another business you happen to partially own. If your in for a read and really want to protect your trademark this is a good start... http://www.idearights.com/trdmrk.htm

 

[MedicMang]

.


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[Demon]

Thanks that does help. Do you know by chance if having to make a sell would mean having to sell a beer (which obviously I could not do without going through the whole process) or just selling something with my logo on it would be enough, like a T-shirt or something?

Need to actually sell the product the trademark represents. So in this case, you'd need to sell beer. You can file intent to use and keep extending up to a maximum of 3 years, plus the six months that it'll take them to process the original trademark.

It's an expensive endeavor, but necessary to protect your business. We were granted the trademark for my brewery last year and it was pretty pain free, lawyers handled it all.

 

[FoCobrewguy]

Good info thanks guys.. I will check out the link when I have some down time. Thanks for your time I appreciate the help.

kf

 

[Cape Brewing]

Been a long time since I've done any updating...

Things continue to go really well. One of the three of us started full-time at the brewery on May 1st. Our taproom (still very small) should be open within about a month and we are waiting to get a few last finishing details on the space finished up and are waiting for our new Pourer's License to show up from the state. We have been licensed to sell pints... just like a bar... for a while but we haven't had the space. This new taproom will give us a nice chunk of space for folks to come in, hang out at the bar, have a few pints, fill growlers, etc. (I've gotta get a couple pics).

Other than that... fermentation space is being expanded pretty dramatically (by our standards) and we're just chugging along.

We have the American Craft Beer Fest coming up at the end of May which we're pretty excited about and we have three new beers we're debuting (a IIPA, a Rye Saison, and a "Belgian/American ale").

It's been pretty exciting and things are moving really fast.

 

[ajdelange]

What it takes to go pro: Enough passion for brewing that you are willing to put up with all the BS that has been enumerated here and don't care that you are turning the best hobby in the world into a job.

And I guess I should add: another source of income to feed your family.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I think you're underestimating some of the benefits.

If it was that bad... we would have turned off the burners, emptied the fermenters, sold the equip, made all of our money back (and them some) and walked away a long time ago.



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[ajdelange]

I don't think so. I don't have the passion.

But I've known several people who do. Some of them have had successful careers as brewers and other have left the profession for jobs that paid better. Hope you will be in the first group.

 

[day_trippr]

I think you're underestimating some of the benefits.[...]

Please don't let it involve yoga pants...

Cheers!

 

[Cape Brewing]

Please don't let it involve yoga pants...



Cheers!

Oh.... yoga pants are just the icing on the cake.


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[shoreman]

Would def like to see Picts once you get the taproom up and running.


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[ajdelange]

Impossible as they are long gone but you can see their descendants if you travel to Scotland. Taprooms are a good place to find them.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Not the most flattering as it isn't done. Tiny but we're psyched with it. We've had a lit of customers say they couldn't wait for it to open... so we'll see.


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[shoreman]

Nice looks good, if I'm ever in the area I'll stop by


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[Cape Brewing]

Little closer to finished. Just trying to get through the last few inspections with the town and are praying to be open next week.


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[BrewinHooligan]

That is pure awesome. I love the ceiling

 

[NewWestBrewer]

Little closer to finished. Just trying to get through the last few inspections with the town and are praying to be open next week. View attachment 211923View attachment 211924


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Looks great...too bad you are a Patriot's fan. Oh well...can't win em all.

Seriously hope everything turns out for you.

:rockin:

 

[revelation]

Brian, had a nice chat with Kinsale about your operation. Well done, you guys certainly are making in roads and keeping people wanting more and more and more.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Thanks. Those guys have been great to us. We've been on tap there, basically, since we opened about 18 months ago. They sell a ton of our IPA.


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