Brewery, we have a problem. While I was getting some legal clarification from the folks at the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, I got a bit of a surprise. Under "current policy" they do not issue licenses to breweries located on the same lot as a private residence. This is because of "past problems". Considering that we hoped to build our brewery on a former barn site behind our house, this could be a problem.
In the past I had been lead to believe that brewery location and design were the domain of the state and local authorities, the feds just handled taxes. Apparently this is no longer the case, if it ever was. This could kill our brewery.
The fellow I spoke to seemed like a pretty straight-forward person and agreed to review our proposal. He also indicated that state and local decisions on the plan would be given consideration.
The local boards are not opposed to the brewery, and in fact suggested its proposed location, but we are waiting on the highway department to give us an assessment of our property access before we can proceed. The state guys say they usually accept the feds decision, however, in this case perhaps I can get them to give a (hopefully favorable) opinion.
So I have spent the last two days preparing and sending documents and emails. Let us pray for success.
It would be a real heart break to not even get the chance to try to make this idea work.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Foundation II - Brewery Update
A third estimate on the concrete work for the brewery was received this Saturday. This fellow, let’s call him “Anaximander”, pointed out that our slab & cellar design was costing us unnecessarily in both money and space. He countered our design with a design for a full cellar with either supports for the boiler etc. cast into the cellar or a concrete floor spanning the whole cellar. The thought of the concrete span was something that had not occurred to me, even though I drive a loaded tanker across one regularly as part of the duties of my real job.
The biggest advantage to Anaximander’s design was the increase of cellar space, which equates to an increase in fermenter space. The biggest factor in a brewery’s ultimate capacity is fermenter space. A boiler may be used up to three times per day. A fermenter may be occupied from one week to months at a time. Thus, fermenter capacity tends to be the limiting factor in a brewery’s capacity. So Anaximander’s design has the potential to greatly increase the final capacity of our brewery.
The most intriguing part of Anaximander’s suggestion was also the most cost saving. He offered to put up his equipment and act as contractor if I could provide a crew. No need for experience, he would teach us the basics of pouring a concrete foundation. I already have a few ideas for crew members. Plus we would save the cost of labor. This would cut the total cost of the concrete work nearly in half.
So what we have is a chance to save some money and learn a new skill. To me, that looks like a pretty good deal.
The biggest advantage to Anaximander’s design was the increase of cellar space, which equates to an increase in fermenter space. The biggest factor in a brewery’s ultimate capacity is fermenter space. A boiler may be used up to three times per day. A fermenter may be occupied from one week to months at a time. Thus, fermenter capacity tends to be the limiting factor in a brewery’s capacity. So Anaximander’s design has the potential to greatly increase the final capacity of our brewery.
The most intriguing part of Anaximander’s suggestion was also the most cost saving. He offered to put up his equipment and act as contractor if I could provide a crew. No need for experience, he would teach us the basics of pouring a concrete foundation. I already have a few ideas for crew members. Plus we would save the cost of labor. This would cut the total cost of the concrete work nearly in half.
So what we have is a chance to save some money and learn a new skill. To me, that looks like a pretty good deal.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Licensing
Trying to ascertain the licensing requirements for a brewery in New Hampshire from what in on the state website is a bit challenging. So I sent off an email and got a response that was unexpected. The respondent advised that I need my federal (TTB) license before I can apply for the state license. The unexpected part was the statement "..if they (TTB)will license your production facility almost certainly we will." In the past, other brewers had told me that the state side of the equation was the difficult part. Maybe times are changing?
Another interesting statement was that a brewery cannot be in a private residence. I have been to a few brewpubs where it seemed that the owners lived upstairs. Maybe a brewpub is different or I was mistaken.
The toughest part is that the physical requirements for a brewery are not too well defined. However, one cannot apply for a license until all construction is completed and they are within 60 days of starting production. This raises the question: What do you do if you have put all this money into a facility and your license application is denied? Hopefully that is a rare occurrence.
Another interesting statement was that a brewery cannot be in a private residence. I have been to a few brewpubs where it seemed that the owners lived upstairs. Maybe a brewpub is different or I was mistaken.
The toughest part is that the physical requirements for a brewery are not too well defined. However, one cannot apply for a license until all construction is completed and they are within 60 days of starting production. This raises the question: What do you do if you have put all this money into a facility and your license application is denied? Hopefully that is a rare occurrence.
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