Hoses are essential for the brewing process. They make it much easier for moving liquid, than it would be by using a pitcher, or, say, a cup :)
You would think that Phoenix, being the 6th (or 5th) largest city in the Country, we could get pretty much anything. Apparently food grade hoses are the exception to this. Actually, there is ONE place in town (Hose Power on 29th Ave) which carries in-stock beverage/vintners hose.
Lessons to learn:
1) order enough hose so you don't have to do any panic buying.
2) have the hoses BANDED, do not use worm-drive hose clamps. I'm not sure why, but every brewer I see says it.
3) GET A PRICE UP FRONT. Hose is expensive. $15 a foot for Goodyear Vintner. I got a knock-off at $11.46 a foot.
I also wasted 2 hours at the hose store, plus an additional hour of drive time.
One of the counter guys said "Wow man, you've been here a long time. I even went to lunch and came BACK!"
The problem is, I brought in a hose with simple, $12 barbed fittings. The guy at the counter said "Do you want me to put the fittings on them for you?" I said "Wow, you have those in stock? Cool, sure!"
Here is what WASN'T said: "We are going to custom fabricate pressure fit stainless steel hose fittings for you which cost $180 each"
After waiting 2 hours, he says to me "That will be $1028.79"
I LITERALLY laughed out loud thinking he was making a joke. No, no he wasn't.
It was quite a scene at the counter when I had 4 guys working on how to reduce the price- which they really did try to do. The sad part is, it wasted their time, it wasted my time, and now they have 2, 10' brewery hoses sitting on the shelf which will most likely never sell. You see, the fittings are GLUED in place and are not able to be removed and re-used. And they are $500, 10 foot hoses. I am the only brewery in town who uses hoses that size.
I went in expecting to pay $500 for 2, 10' hoses with fittings and 1 additional piece to cut up back at the brewery. There was no WAY I could float even one dollar over that number. I mean come on. That was crazy.
SO- as with everything- ASK the price first, kids. Number one question- "How much does it cost?"
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Plumbing Inspection
Our final inspection for our Certificate of Occupancy, which allows people other than construction crew to be IN the brewery area (also allowing ingredient storage), was yesterday. It went well, only one thing to do.
The other day I woke up in a bit of a panic, thinking "We need an air gap for the water connection to the HLT!"
Seriously, these are the things that come to your head when waking up.
I relaxed, thinking to myself- "Oh, ppfew! It's connected to the filters so there MUST be a backflow preventer before the filters."
Now, I am not sure if you subscribe to the though "Never Assume"...
So the plumber is installing the backflow preventer today.
My good buddies at Arizona Wilderness, just down the street, told me they had a similar experience, and that there also has to be a drain cup below the backflow preventer to catch any drips or, ahem, backflow!
Check them out- they are pretty bad ass.
http://www.azwbeer.com
And a recent article about them: Esquire Magazine
After C of O is acquired on Wednesday, I have a meeting (courtesy walk-through) with the Health Department, on Thursday.
The other day I woke up in a bit of a panic, thinking "We need an air gap for the water connection to the HLT!"
Seriously, these are the things that come to your head when waking up.
I relaxed, thinking to myself- "Oh, ppfew! It's connected to the filters so there MUST be a backflow preventer before the filters."
Now, I am not sure if you subscribe to the though "Never Assume"...
So the plumber is installing the backflow preventer today.
My good buddies at Arizona Wilderness, just down the street, told me they had a similar experience, and that there also has to be a drain cup below the backflow preventer to catch any drips or, ahem, backflow!
Check them out- they are pretty bad ass.
http://www.azwbeer.com
And a recent article about them: Esquire Magazine
After C of O is acquired on Wednesday, I have a meeting (courtesy walk-through) with the Health Department, on Thursday.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Taxes
I took a couple of hours to navigate the paperwork jungle of brewing.
Essentially, "he with the most paperwork, wins"
Daily logs of brewing operations- ingredients received, brewing, moving from one tank to another, packaging, returns of beer, losses of beer, sale of beer, etc.
Monthly inventories
Bi-weekly tax filings
State tax filings
City tax filings
Don't forget any of them, or you'll be an unhappy brewer!
Essentially, "he with the most paperwork, wins"
Daily logs of brewing operations- ingredients received, brewing, moving from one tank to another, packaging, returns of beer, losses of beer, sale of beer, etc.
Monthly inventories
Bi-weekly tax filings
State tax filings
City tax filings
Don't forget any of them, or you'll be an unhappy brewer!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
YESSSSS!
On April 11th, 2014 our application was ACCEPTED by the TTB.
That means we're IN!
For those of you keeping track, it was:
140 days from initial application, November 22nd
115 days since application was accepted as complete on December 17th
88 days since application was marked as complete by Triage on January 13th
So- where do we go from here? Well, now I have a few construction things to take care of. City Certificate of Occupancy and Health Department approval are the final two regulatory items to pass. Since our local Health Authority is considered to be "very stringent" in their review of breweries, this is the next big hurdle.
The Director of the Department does all Brewery inspections. His last name is Brewer. He is also a member of a religion which stringently enforces a "No alcohol" policy among its members. You know, the one based in Salt Lake. That one. Is this really relevant, or am I being a religious bigot? Well, I suppose that is up to individual consideration. Personally, I think it is relevant and is somewhat of a conflict of interest, but... clearly that's not up to me to decide. It's up to me to get my brewery together and dialed in so he really has nothing to complain about.
Stainless transfer lines are installed. EXPENSIVE ones. 80 feet total, and $6000 They are beautiful, to be sure!
Wood and concrete in the storage room are sealed. Shelves are assembled.
I have to connect the final hoses to the fermenters from the glycol system.
There is currently water in the HLT for leak detection- None detected! :)
This week we will go for the C of O Inspection and MAYBE if everything goes perfect, go for Health Department. I also have to get grains! and Hops! and Yeast! And and and and
That means we're IN!
For those of you keeping track, it was:
140 days from initial application, November 22nd
115 days since application was accepted as complete on December 17th
88 days since application was marked as complete by Triage on January 13th
So- where do we go from here? Well, now I have a few construction things to take care of. City Certificate of Occupancy and Health Department approval are the final two regulatory items to pass. Since our local Health Authority is considered to be "very stringent" in their review of breweries, this is the next big hurdle.
The Director of the Department does all Brewery inspections. His last name is Brewer. He is also a member of a religion which stringently enforces a "No alcohol" policy among its members. You know, the one based in Salt Lake. That one. Is this really relevant, or am I being a religious bigot? Well, I suppose that is up to individual consideration. Personally, I think it is relevant and is somewhat of a conflict of interest, but... clearly that's not up to me to decide. It's up to me to get my brewery together and dialed in so he really has nothing to complain about.
Stainless transfer lines are installed. EXPENSIVE ones. 80 feet total, and $6000 They are beautiful, to be sure!
Wood and concrete in the storage room are sealed. Shelves are assembled.
I have to connect the final hoses to the fermenters from the glycol system.
There is currently water in the HLT for leak detection- None detected! :)
This week we will go for the C of O Inspection and MAYBE if everything goes perfect, go for Health Department. I also have to get grains! and Hops! and Yeast! And and and and
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Buying Beer
Have you ever bought beer for a bar with 40 tap handles?
Neither had I.
When things went topsy turvy, since I knew about beer- I got the task of keeping up the draft selections.
This is not as simple as one might think.
Factors to consider-
1) Guest desires.
All your guests do not want the same thing. Some want Bud and Coors Light. Some want sours. Some want Stouts. Some want their favorite craft beer. Some want the RAREST beers they can get their hands on. There is one thing they all have in common- they all want to tell you what they want
2) Time Wasting.
With a large collection of available handles (i.e. revenue streams) in one place, every single salesperson in the market will want to meet with you and tell you why you should have their taps on ALL THE TIME. They will generally show up at any time they want, and want to chat for an hour.
3) Distributors.
A NEW beer bar manager may think "gosh, I need another keg of beer to replace that one that is going to blow tomorrow. I shall order one from my local distributor." The distributors have regular order and delivery days, and with the goal of efficiency in mind, run regular routes on certain days. This makes sense. The thing you haven't considered is that about 15% of the beer you order, won't be on the truck. "Wait, what?" That's right. Due to outages at the warehouse or mispicks on the truck, you will NOT GET about 15% of what you order. Just get used to it, and demand that they replace it immediately. It's maddening to me. The driver today said "Yeah, there are outages all the time with the craft beers" FOR EXAMPLE: I have a large brewery doing a tap takeover on Tuesday. The order was shipped today. Of the 8 kegs I ordered, FIVE were not on the truck. That's right. Shorted 5.
4) Employees.
Your employees need to be sufficiently motivated to change out a keg. Let's just leave it at that. It's really easy for a bartender to say "86 this" instead of going to change a keg that weighs around 140 lbs.
5) Storage.
You will not have enough. I don't care how big, or how MANY walk-in coolers you have, you will not have enough. This means doing inventory every day. This affects your ability to order for major discount, so if you have the ability to increase your cold storage space, ALWAYS do it.
6) Menus.
Do you like deforestation? Then beer list management is right up your alley. We print our menus daily, and we get negative feedback daily because there are items listed, which are not available. Since we have 10 "rotating taps", it is inevitable. Yet, people get upset. I am using TapHunter and updating immediately. I am also implementing a digital menu board which integrates with TapHunter. Our TapHunter is also tied in to our Facebook page.
http://phoenix.taphunter.com/location/The-PERCH-Pub-&-Brewery
7) Education.
Your staff does not know as much about beer as you do. This is why you are "the man" Yes, there may be SOME staff members who know as much as you. USE these people to help others learn. Continual education is the only way to improve your beer program. Your staff are the "front line" out there interacting with guests. Give them as much information as possible.
8) Discount Programs
Ordering kegs 5 at a time can earn free goods or cash or percentage discounts. Different distributors offer different programs. LEARN about these programs and you can make a significant improvement in your costs, meaning more money to the bottom line.
Neither had I.
When things went topsy turvy, since I knew about beer- I got the task of keeping up the draft selections.
This is not as simple as one might think.
Factors to consider-
1) Guest desires.
All your guests do not want the same thing. Some want Bud and Coors Light. Some want sours. Some want Stouts. Some want their favorite craft beer. Some want the RAREST beers they can get their hands on. There is one thing they all have in common- they all want to tell you what they want
2) Time Wasting.
With a large collection of available handles (i.e. revenue streams) in one place, every single salesperson in the market will want to meet with you and tell you why you should have their taps on ALL THE TIME. They will generally show up at any time they want, and want to chat for an hour.
3) Distributors.
A NEW beer bar manager may think "gosh, I need another keg of beer to replace that one that is going to blow tomorrow. I shall order one from my local distributor." The distributors have regular order and delivery days, and with the goal of efficiency in mind, run regular routes on certain days. This makes sense. The thing you haven't considered is that about 15% of the beer you order, won't be on the truck. "Wait, what?" That's right. Due to outages at the warehouse or mispicks on the truck, you will NOT GET about 15% of what you order. Just get used to it, and demand that they replace it immediately. It's maddening to me. The driver today said "Yeah, there are outages all the time with the craft beers" FOR EXAMPLE: I have a large brewery doing a tap takeover on Tuesday. The order was shipped today. Of the 8 kegs I ordered, FIVE were not on the truck. That's right. Shorted 5.
4) Employees.
Your employees need to be sufficiently motivated to change out a keg. Let's just leave it at that. It's really easy for a bartender to say "86 this" instead of going to change a keg that weighs around 140 lbs.
5) Storage.
You will not have enough. I don't care how big, or how MANY walk-in coolers you have, you will not have enough. This means doing inventory every day. This affects your ability to order for major discount, so if you have the ability to increase your cold storage space, ALWAYS do it.
6) Menus.
Do you like deforestation? Then beer list management is right up your alley. We print our menus daily, and we get negative feedback daily because there are items listed, which are not available. Since we have 10 "rotating taps", it is inevitable. Yet, people get upset. I am using TapHunter and updating immediately. I am also implementing a digital menu board which integrates with TapHunter. Our TapHunter is also tied in to our Facebook page.
http://phoenix.taphunter.com/location/The-PERCH-Pub-&-Brewery
7) Education.
Your staff does not know as much about beer as you do. This is why you are "the man" Yes, there may be SOME staff members who know as much as you. USE these people to help others learn. Continual education is the only way to improve your beer program. Your staff are the "front line" out there interacting with guests. Give them as much information as possible.
8) Discount Programs
Ordering kegs 5 at a time can earn free goods or cash or percentage discounts. Different distributors offer different programs. LEARN about these programs and you can make a significant improvement in your costs, meaning more money to the bottom line.
A Busy Restaurant
A very busy restaurant is what we built.
There is a rooftop patio- rare in Arizona for some reason. It is the HOTTEST nightclub in town. It's not a craft beer bar. It is a Scottsdale-style nightclub at night.
A neighborhood craft beer bar with wine and spirits and 7 TV's.
A family friendly casual dining courtyard garden restaurant.
An AVIARY with over 60 birds.
Soon- a private dining space in the brewery with seating for up to 30.
We have all 3 of these venues in one. 250 total seats, with the ability to expand to about 300 without having to do ANYTHING. Just let people sit in the tables and chairs we already have.
And- we are busy. REALLY busy. I don't want to discuss specifics, but our Point of Sale (computer) company said that in 2 years, they have never seen a restaurant, bar, or nightclub open with the sales volume we are experiencing.
There have been plenty of growing pains. Some have been incredibly painful, some have been heartbreaking, and some have been unfathomable. However overall, there have been a TON of truly kind guests willing to overlook some of our flaws and give us 2nd, 3rd, 10th tries.
As operators of a restaurant, it is our responsibility to return as much of our top line sales, into bottom line profitability as possible.
As a brewer in a brewpub, remember this- WITHOUT THE RESTAURANT, THERE IS NO BREWERY.
This is a critical concept for any aspiring brewers to remember. Fortunately, I have 20 years of restaurant management experience (and a B.S. in Restaurant and Hotel Mgt) behind me. Despite wanting to stay as far out of restaurant operations as possible, clearly there is advantage to having as many years of experience as possible, helping make the restaurant successful.
There is a rooftop patio- rare in Arizona for some reason. It is the HOTTEST nightclub in town. It's not a craft beer bar. It is a Scottsdale-style nightclub at night.
A neighborhood craft beer bar with wine and spirits and 7 TV's.
A family friendly casual dining courtyard garden restaurant.
An AVIARY with over 60 birds.
Soon- a private dining space in the brewery with seating for up to 30.
We have all 3 of these venues in one. 250 total seats, with the ability to expand to about 300 without having to do ANYTHING. Just let people sit in the tables and chairs we already have.
And- we are busy. REALLY busy. I don't want to discuss specifics, but our Point of Sale (computer) company said that in 2 years, they have never seen a restaurant, bar, or nightclub open with the sales volume we are experiencing.
There have been plenty of growing pains. Some have been incredibly painful, some have been heartbreaking, and some have been unfathomable. However overall, there have been a TON of truly kind guests willing to overlook some of our flaws and give us 2nd, 3rd, 10th tries.
As operators of a restaurant, it is our responsibility to return as much of our top line sales, into bottom line profitability as possible.
As a brewer in a brewpub, remember this- WITHOUT THE RESTAURANT, THERE IS NO BREWERY.
This is a critical concept for any aspiring brewers to remember. Fortunately, I have 20 years of restaurant management experience (and a B.S. in Restaurant and Hotel Mgt) behind me. Despite wanting to stay as far out of restaurant operations as possible, clearly there is advantage to having as many years of experience as possible, helping make the restaurant successful.
Lag time? What lag time?
There are so many updates... I started full time at The Perch on January 1st. The pub opened on Valentines Day, the 14th of February. This is also Arizona's "birthday" of becoming a state. In addition, the first day of Arizona Beer week. (kind-of)
So the pub is open. It has been quite a wild ride and is just now starting to level out, if ANY restaurant can be considered to be less than insanity.
I did get pulled in to restaurant managing for a few weeks, and am now back to the brewery.
So here is the low-down.
I get asked about 50 times a day when we are going to start brewing. Which annoys the ever-living crap out of me. On the other hand, it is nice that there is so much interest and it warms my heart to think that I'll be making beer very soon, to the great delight of all these inquisitive folks.
Our Federal Brewers Permit process began November 22nd when I started the online application. That was 120 days ago
It was submitted as complete on December 17th. That was 95 days ago.
It was moved to a Specialist out of Triage, on January 13th. That was 68 days ago.
In November, this page listed the processing time as 78 days. It rose to 103, then 113, and is now down to 98 days.
Here is the problem- when does the count start? When the application is submitted as complete? Because that is when I gave it to them. They then got back to me a week later and asked for an additional document. Which is sent immediately. HOWEVER. That was the Friday before Christmas. Which meant the triage specialist was out of the office until January 6th. One would think that when she returned, she would have the document I overnighted to her. Unfortunately, it takes a LONG time for the MAIL ROOM in the basement of the Federal Building in Cincinnatti, to get anything to her desk. Like... 3 weeks, apparently.
Then came the Polar Vortex- the coldest winter storm in the history of the WORLD, apparently. When all the Federal offices closed for 3 days.
Pushing my acceptance back again.
January 13th, it was marked as accepted and moved along to a Specialist.
I immediately emailed the specialist and introduced myself, a courteous thing to do.
I heard nothing in return.
Then I called and left a voice mail, again simply introducing myself. Fine, no need to return the call
I suppose.
Since then, I have received a single reply to the 10's of phone calls and emails I have sent- when I informed the specialist that I had received my equipment. The reply was "Thank you for the update. I will note it"
This shows that yes indeed, the emails ARE getting through.
However, I have not heard a single word since that day.
Indeed it will happen eventually. I know that. The frustration of yelling into an eternally deep well, and waiting for a reply, is quite weighty.
Regarding construction - Phil who built the system (Bru Gear) has been here working through kinks, along with my electrician. They should be done on Monday.
My plumber started working on the Glycol system on Wednesday, but has not appeared since. A resolution must be forthcoming soon.
The transfer lines will be installed late next week.
After that, it's inspection for Certificate of Occupancy and the Health Department (notoriously difficult) and we're ready to go. Brewing in the first week of April? I certainly hope so!
Honestly, I have been so completely consumed by the pub that I have done almost zero regarding brewing- not homebrewing, not reading, not listening to podcasts. I feel out of touch completely.
Due to circumstances, I became the only manager of the restaurant for 10 days- which meant 20+ hour days for that stretch, and 17 hour days for the week prior and 2 weeks after, up until 2 days ago when our new General Manager arrived.
I get to go back to construction manager and future Head Brewer again!
Our Facebook Page!
So the pub is open. It has been quite a wild ride and is just now starting to level out, if ANY restaurant can be considered to be less than insanity.
I did get pulled in to restaurant managing for a few weeks, and am now back to the brewery.
So here is the low-down.
I get asked about 50 times a day when we are going to start brewing. Which annoys the ever-living crap out of me. On the other hand, it is nice that there is so much interest and it warms my heart to think that I'll be making beer very soon, to the great delight of all these inquisitive folks.
Our Federal Brewers Permit process began November 22nd when I started the online application. That was 120 days ago
It was submitted as complete on December 17th. That was 95 days ago.
It was moved to a Specialist out of Triage, on January 13th. That was 68 days ago.
In November, this page listed the processing time as 78 days. It rose to 103, then 113, and is now down to 98 days.
Here is the problem- when does the count start? When the application is submitted as complete? Because that is when I gave it to them. They then got back to me a week later and asked for an additional document. Which is sent immediately. HOWEVER. That was the Friday before Christmas. Which meant the triage specialist was out of the office until January 6th. One would think that when she returned, she would have the document I overnighted to her. Unfortunately, it takes a LONG time for the MAIL ROOM in the basement of the Federal Building in Cincinnatti, to get anything to her desk. Like... 3 weeks, apparently.
Then came the Polar Vortex- the coldest winter storm in the history of the WORLD, apparently. When all the Federal offices closed for 3 days.
Pushing my acceptance back again.
January 13th, it was marked as accepted and moved along to a Specialist.
I immediately emailed the specialist and introduced myself, a courteous thing to do.
I heard nothing in return.
Then I called and left a voice mail, again simply introducing myself. Fine, no need to return the call
I suppose.
Since then, I have received a single reply to the 10's of phone calls and emails I have sent- when I informed the specialist that I had received my equipment. The reply was "Thank you for the update. I will note it"
This shows that yes indeed, the emails ARE getting through.
However, I have not heard a single word since that day.
Indeed it will happen eventually. I know that. The frustration of yelling into an eternally deep well, and waiting for a reply, is quite weighty.
Regarding construction - Phil who built the system (Bru Gear) has been here working through kinks, along with my electrician. They should be done on Monday.
My plumber started working on the Glycol system on Wednesday, but has not appeared since. A resolution must be forthcoming soon.
The transfer lines will be installed late next week.After that, it's inspection for Certificate of Occupancy and the Health Department (notoriously difficult) and we're ready to go. Brewing in the first week of April? I certainly hope so!
Honestly, I have been so completely consumed by the pub that I have done almost zero regarding brewing- not homebrewing, not reading, not listening to podcasts. I feel out of touch completely.
Due to circumstances, I became the only manager of the restaurant for 10 days- which meant 20+ hour days for that stretch, and 17 hour days for the week prior and 2 weeks after, up until 2 days ago when our new General Manager arrived.
I get to go back to construction manager and future Head Brewer again!
Our Facebook Page!
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