Location, Location, Location!

Ask any Real Estate professional and this post's title will ring in your ears.

I'm stuck between a killer location or a place of growth.  Lots of money for Location (lease rate, demo, and full build out) or a lot less money (lease rate, no demo, just drains and some utilities meters) but tucked back in a secret corner of the world.  Many brewers say, build it and people will come.   Yes, they will come, provided you give them a good map.

Before you venture out seeking your own brewery space, please educate yourself about how commercial real estate leases work (gross vs. NNN, CAMS).   Landlords and property managers will want your current business plan with up to date financials.  They will pull your credit.  They will want to know what your burn rate is (how much cash do you have on hand and can go through before you close shop.)  Understand what your brewery system utilities requirements are.  Bring your trades (at least plumbing and electrical) with you to the sites until you have learned what to look for in the plumbing, gas and electrical requirements.  It is VERY expensive to bring in more electrical (3-phase), larger water main regulators and larger gas lines.  If you don't recognize anything I just wrote or why it's important, I would be in your best interest to find some good trades that will visit the site with you.   Most are very willing to quote the job and be part of a the birth of a local brewery.  With them you will learn a ton visiting your potential brewery site.

But most important, don't waste people's time and energy if you are not in a financial position to act.   It gives craft beer a bad image.  Get all your beer bottles in a row before contacting a Real Estate Agent (email me if you want an awesome agent referral. Thanks Mike!)

All that being said, I have an incredible team of tradesmen and an awesome real estate agent.  Space on the Westside of Los Angeles is tight and getting tighter.  Most of the properties zoned for industrial manufacturing for a brewery is being commandeered by Tech, post production, and the likes.  Property managers can get $2.85-3.25 a square foot for urban office space instead of $1.50-1.65 for manufacturing/warehousing.  Almost all the industrial spaces have been converted to urban office space.

When you look at a space, here are some things to consider:
Electrical - 3-phase (a must)
Water - at least 1.25 inch diameter, 2 inches is awesome! Bigger the better
Gas - 1.5 inch diameter would be great
Existing drains - Then you wouldn't have to cut them in
Ceiling heights - at least 14ft, a 30 bbl fermentor might fit.
Depth of Sewer main - you want it deep.  Your trench drains won't drain properly if it's not deep enough.
Room to expand - room to grow (very important and should be at the top of the list!)
Truck access - loading dock doors, would be great if there was a high dock.
ADA bathrooms - separate for men and women (Tasting room requirement for LA City)
Venting - will they let you punch holes into the roof?
Parking - Culver City is strict about onsite parking, Santa Monica not as much, LA City is negotiable)
proximity to schools and residences
Local City Council view of breweries (they can help or hinder your petition for your conditional use permit for a tasting room)

I may say that I'm stuck, but really, I already know which site is the future home of Three Weavers.  I'll unveil the location after the ink is dry.

Ciao.

Three Weavers makes a BIG umami beer splash at TasteMade's LA Foodie Purveyor Event

TasteMade invited Three Weavers Brewing Company to their LA Food Purveyor Event held July 17.  We were one of two breweries involved with the event, pouring our Malibu Summer Saison and pairing it with local Malibu honey, terricherry peppercorns and pecorino romano cheese.

Our umami beer was a great hit with the foodies that attended the invitation only event.  TasteMade launched their new app that allows food purveyors (you) to create on the spot high quality videos of their favorite restaurants and menu items.  Check out the video we made at the TasteMade event:



Check out TasteMade.com and download the app onto your phone!  It's awesome!

By the way, if I totally look flush in the video, I am (and not from beer!)  It was rather toasty under all the lights in the studio.  :D

Thanks Tastemade Team!  It was super cool to meet everyone and I'm looking forward to the next event!

Build it and Growlers will come...

A good friend and investor in Three Weavers tipped me off to this Wall Street Journal article (thanks man!): http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323394504578608383489166540.html

How cool would it be to fill your growler up with your favorite craft beer at your local grocery store? Or even better, at your local Three Weavers brewery?

For those of you who don't know, craft beer will almost always taste the best from draft (draft meaning from a keg) than from a bottle or can.  There is less oxygen pick up when beer is put into a keg than when bottled or canned.  The degradation of oxygen in beer leads to a stale off flavors some describe as cardboard.  Kegs, being steel, also eliminate issues with light penetration.  Craft beer kegs are also continuously in refrigeration.  Since the vast majority of craft breweries do not pasteurize their beer, it is very important to keep the beer refrigerated.

The combination of the above three factors almost guarantees the freshest beer from draft.

If you are new to Craft Beer or the Craft Beer Industry, you will find out quickly that there is an incredible Community between brewers and breweries.  Every single craft brewery started as someone's little beer foam bubble of brewery hopes and dreams.  Every brewery was build with the help and advise of veteran brewery owners and brewers, each paying it forward for the advice they received when they started up.  This Community is what defines us as a Craft Beer Industry and why Big Beer is losing market share.

One of my goals for Three Weavers is to help facilitate the growth of the Craft Beer culture on the Westside of Los Angeles.  The only way to do that is to bring in more beer, awesome beer.  The idea of providing Contract Brewing services as well as a large filling station in the brewery really appeals to what Three Weavers is all about.  Doing what's best for the Craft Beer community in Los Angeles will in turn benefit Three Weavers.

Let me know what your favorite Craft Beers are, we will make up a rotation!

Ciao.

The Home brewing learning curve

I love to home brew.  When I began home brewing, I didn't start the simple way.  True to my A type personality, I read and reread John Palmer's How to Brew Beer.  I decided that if I was going to learn to brew beer I needed to learn every aspect.  Thus I started brewing all grain from the beginning.  With dear husband's (Jonathan) consent, I went out and bought a bunch of second hand home brewing equipment that a guy was selling on Craigslist.  I drove all the way down to San Clemente from the Westside of Los Angeles on a Saturday afternoon to pick up the stuff.  Back at home 5 hours later (yup, Southern California traffic) I was a proud owner of a bunch of home brewing equipment that, to be honest, I wasn't sure how to use.  I even ordered a malt mill (over kill, right?)

Standing outside the Home Beer Wine and Cheese Shop in Woodland Hills (Props Sean!) I was totally intimidated by it's rugged exterior but more by it's 1960's screen front door.  I felt like I was entering a man cave that no woman should enter without consent or a male counterpart.  Knowing that the malt grains, hops and yeast I needed where just on the other side, I stepped over the threshold into what has become one of my most favorite places.  The place is AWESOME!  They pretty much have everything you need.  Sean is totally cool and helpful.

I had done my research and created a recipe loosely based on several beers that Jonathan and I liked.   Jonathan took our girls out of the house so I could focus on brewing.  When our oldest ask why mommy wasn't coming with them, Jonathan replied, "Mommy is brewing Daddy's Sanity." 6 hours later and a super sticky kitchen floor, I had my wort in a conical fermentor.  Thus "Sanity IPA" was born.

Learning to brew all grain was the best decision I made.  It gave me a better understanding of the art of  mixing grains to create recipes.

Status Update on the brewery plans...
We have submitted an offer to lease a place.  YIKES!  (hint: it's on the westside of LA!)
I have received my first investor check.  AWESOME!
Narrowing down the brew system manufacturer. Will post once the decision is made.
Identified and sourced all necessary equipment besides the brew house. (which is a TON!)
Working on the brewery configuration.
Secured an RAD designer for the tasting room.  Totally STOKED!


That's all for now.

ciao.
L