It's official starting my own brewing business!

[akthor]

I will look more but I have yet to find anything saying you can't have a small brewery like I am planning as long as you get municipal approval.

How do you plan to live upstairs and brew downstairs? As far as I know, the TTB doesn't allow a brewery to be located within a dwelling.

 

[OG2620]

Can you do it all under Maine's small brewery license?

 

[OG2620]

Have you been on the TTB website?

 

[thatjonguy]

How do you plan to live upstairs and brew downstairs? As far as I know, the TTB doesn't allow a brewery to be located within a dwelling.

As I recall there are a few brewpubs with apartments above in several locations on the east and west coasts. I think it will depend how the property is laid out. If they are completely separate, such as no stairs from the apartment leading directly into the brewery, I think he would be OK as the commercial part of the building is permanently separated from the brewery.

The section of the federal code covering beer and brewing says you can use the brewery for another purpose beside brewing beer to make a profit as long as revenue to the TTB is protected. (Memory paraphrase) Then you get into the legal definition of dwelling, which I could never get a straight answer on...

I will try and find those examples, lord knows I will need them soon enough.

But I could be wrong, just giving my take on the situation, I haven't dealt with the TTB yet on my building, still waiting to hear back from my bank. I will let you know how it goes if I beat you to it.

Here is an example:
http://digboston.com/taste/2011/11/honest-pint-driven-to-drink-portsmouth/

I believe Rouge's original brewpub also had apartments above it.

 

[shutupjojo]

Good luck with your business. I've been in business now for 23 years installing and refinishing hardwood floors. I built it from the ground up and have been busy through this down economy because I put every single breath in it. What I am sayin is work your ass off . Don't stop. Build disposable income and get quikbooks to manage your finances. I'm not trying to sound like an expert but you need to dedicate yourself 100 % or you will fail. Two different business I know but same get up and kick ass.

 

[kuenro02]

Pictures!!!

 

[bad67z]

Great! Congrats, hope to visit after you open.

 

[brandonhagen1]

i would love to do this but money is way to tight

 

[adworld]

Mid-Coast Maine

if you need help setting up your place I work for beer

I live in SoPo

 

[akthor]

It is totally separate we removed the inside stairs the only way to get into the upstairs apt are outside stairs on the back of the building. I was considering putting in a firepole so I could get down into the brewery lickety split (plus I watched batman and robin too many times) but I would abandon that idea if it would interfere with licensing.

I will research more obviously to make sure everything is legal. The State already crushed my first business dream, The travelling beer truck, since you can't get a mobile liquor license in Maine. Not this time though. Either way I am doing this if I need to move out and in with the GF when I am ready to open or pitch a tent on the back 40 and live in that I will. Hell there is even a big shed I could convert into living quarters if it's necessary

Hey sure any of you guys wanting to work for beer are more than welcome

I am going down friday to start painting the living quarters I will take some "before" pics of the building and the inside and stuff and post them this weekend.

I know this is going to be a ball busting amount of work, especially working full time and school and having a messed up lumbar spine that requires heavy meds just to stand upright. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

 

[akthor]

I'm actually hoping to go down to Portland this weekend to pick up 10+ corny's from a brewpub my friend works at

if you need help setting up your place I work for beer

I live in SoPo

 

[theonetrueruss]

good luck.. I hope it works out. sounds fun. though I can't imagine fitting in running a business with everything else you have going on. If you manage this you are doing awesome. Hope it works!

 

[Ramitt]

Congrats! Check out these Brew Strong going pro episodes if you haven't already. http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew-Strong One thing I just have to add...are you planning on brewing ~15 gallon batches? If so, you might want to reconsider. It's extremely difficult to make money on less than a 1 BBL system. Even then, 5 BBL is preferable. At least that's according to these guys. I am not trying to be a downer, just trying to help.

I think most of that pertains to a package brewery, his model is more brewpub.

 

[rexbanner]

I think most of that pertains to a package brewery, his model is more brewpub.

A 1 BBL package brewery? Stranger things have happened, I guess...

Remember, packaging is what you do after you have outgrown your local territory. There are few things that bring as much profit margin as a brew-pub/tasting room beer...legal, that is.

 

[thatjonguy]

There are few things that bring as much profit margin as a brew-pub/tasting room beer...legal, that is.

The truth. Rexbanner speaks it.

 

[bwomp313]

I'd definitely love to check your place out once it's up and running

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Cool to hear someone chasing their dreams, hope everything goes well for you and I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[buckley28]

Hell F-ing ya man. That's my dream

 

[nvr2low]

subscribed, thinking of something similar in the future so i am curious to how this goes!

 

[BrewinJay]

Congrats man, you are living most of everyone's dreams here. I will be watching closely, as I would love to do this one day myself.

 

[Boar Beer]

good luck...

 

[PistolPete2]

If you build it, they will come.

 

[Lucky_Chicken]

If you build it, they will come.

by they he means us... watch out

 

[wrench]

Sounds like I need to get the guys together for a ride up to Maine this fall or next spring. Road trip! We'll be your first campground customers and just pitch a few tents in the back if you don't mind...

 

[akthor]

Anybody cool is always welcome up here anytime, even before I am open we will still be hanging out and drinking beer, playing foose, lighting fires, shooting guns, trying to find a used pool table to put in my new giant living room There's 35 acres with a road going to the top of the hill/mountain on the property (landlord rents the top to a cell phone company so there's a tower up there) so lots of places you could pitch a tent.

Heading down friday to start painting so I will take photos of everything. Been doing research on building a walk in cooler and priced out a new double bay utility sink and commercial pre-rinse sprayer to replace the old crappy laundry sink downstairs. Hope to order them this weekend. Should be a huge improvement cleaning and sanitizing kegs and stuff over doing it in my kitchen sink

Sounds like I need to get the guys together for a ride up to Maine this fall or next spring. Road trip! We'll be your first campground customers and just pitch a few tents in the back if you don't mind...

 

[natefrog255]

Congrats man, you are living most of everyone's dreams here. I will be watching closely, as I would love to do this one day myself.

+1 and good luck! I would love to get to this point some day in the GB area. Has the permits, tax, etc aka the legalities of selling been troublesome?

 

[Minjin]

Good Luck!

 

[QBBC]

I am in the process of doing everything my self Too here in Texas

 

[akthor]

Good news today! My buddy in Portland hooked me up with his employer who is selling me 12 ball lock corny's for $240! I am going down Sunday to get them. That will give me 20 so far. I will probably need more but it's a good start.

Also have an electric motor I got on Ebay on its way to me I hope to make a motorized grain mill with it.

 

[de3isit]

Livin' the dream! The world is jealous!