9/25-10/18 Busy Busy

Well I just had a post about finished and it crashed. I lost everything I just wrote...so a somewhat short post is going to be shorter.

I've fallen behind on the blog posts and hope to begin updating at least weekly once again. The last three weeks has been incredibly busy, time to share what we've done.

We worked day and night for a few days to launch our Dreamfund Campaign. We started this campaign to help raise some funds to make the interior building inhabitable/occupiable. We need these funds to help install I-beams, columns, pour footings, and jack up the floors. We need these things done in the near future in order to install a new roof and new windows, hopefully before the first snow. Our building is going to cost more to rehab and fix than it will appraise for when finished, making this campaign a vital part of the project and meeting our timeline goals. Please check it out and consider picking up some swag. Share the address with others and spear the word...that's half the battle. The address is www.supportmainandmill.com. We need to throw out a big thank you to CMYF (Fran Foster), our designer, for her long hours and amazing work on this campaign. It turned out better looking than we could have ever expected.

We have now brewed three more times over these last three weeks, finalizing our beers for the upcoming Oktoberfest on 10/26 at the Crystal City Elks. The event will be held from 5-10 and costs $35. The entry fee will cover beer from Main & Mill, Urban Chestnut, 4 Hands, Perennial, Alpha, The Civil Life, and O'Fallon Breweries as well as some authentic German food, Gus' Pretzels, and a variety of wines. You can buy tickets at the door without a surcharge and the event will be indoors. We will be serving the Tanglefoot Brewfest's crowd favorite -- Coffee Porter along with Belgian Wit (like Blue Moon), Pumpkin Ale, Brown Ale, Oktoberfest, and possibly a British Pale Ale.

We are within a week of receiving funds from the Economic Development Corporation of Jefferson County. They are providing us a loan for our exterior renovations and that should be completed within a week. This is coming at a great time and we can't thank the EDC more for reaching out to us to further our project and the Main Street rejuvenation.

Speaking of rejuvenation, the Festus City Council recently passed funding to make Main Street into a historical district. We have been working on this for well over a year and they just recently decided to appropriate funding. The Tanglefoot Association has also been pushing this idea over the last few years and with their push along with our talks earlier in the year, the Council found it very appropriate to make a move to further the development of Main Street. Things are changing and the community will reap the benefits. The next year or so will be an exciting time for those around the area.

We've been working hard on a variety of paperwork trying to make sure we're above board on permits, funding, tax abatements, etc. This stuff is tedious and takes a ton of time. The not so visible parts of starting a brewpub aren't visible or known for a reason...boring and time consuming.

Overall, things are moving forward and you should start seeing more activity down at the building in the next 7-14 days. Once that starts, it is likely it won't subside until we open the doors.

Again, please spread the word and check out our campaign page at www.supportmainandmill.com. This isn't easy and we can't do it without the community's help.

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9/17 - 9/24 Taking it to the Bank

Tuesday 9/24

Today is a 9-5 day for me and Barry is in the beautiful confines of the Smokey Mountains until this upcoming Saturday. That doesn't mean things are on a break however.

Today after work, I will be pouring over brewing equipment quotes to determine who we're going with, the cost differences, and the small details that each quote contains over others. I can say that Chinese equipment is much much cheaper than American made, but after hours and hours of research it looks like we are sticking with American made equipment. We want to stay in America for the normal reasons of keeping jobs, economic growth, and sourcing in the US, but like most other things, you get what you pay for in brewing equipment and we want our stuff to last for decades.

Monday 9/23

Another day of the regular job, but spent time debating on flying to California to look at a brewing system. The system is a show piece used for trade shows and looks like an excellent deal. After going over things continuously, we decided to wait. The system itself was sourced from China, and while it may be immaculate and of excellent quality, we are looking to stick with North American made equipment. It was a difficult choice as the cost was well below expectation for what was included.

Sunday 9/22

Took a family and relax day. Watched the Rams embarrass themselves but did so with family and friends, making for a great Sunday.

Saturday 9/21

Found a brewing system that has some serious potential. There are a couple of small concerns but the value looks excellent. We discussed the positives and negatives and may fly out to California to get a closer look.

Barry took a much needed vacation with Jan (wife and mom) to the Smokey mountains for their annivarsary. They'll be relaxing while making some visits to the local brewpubs that surround the area. Some pictures to come.

Friday 9/20

Our investment proposal is final. After meetings, drafts, and edits, we now have what will lead to the opening of Main & Mill Brewing Company. This is the document that will lead to the funds needed by a bank for a full loan.

We discussed the above proposal with a few banks we are now working with, giving them a final idea of our overall financial picture and general plan when it comes to repayment of loans/investors. This is a huge step to hitting our goal opening date.

Jeremy Bell and I also brewed the first version of a Brown Ale. The Brown was the newest "people's choice" from a Facebook and Twitter poll for the October 26th Oktoberfest at the Crystal City Elks. The brewday went very well overall and we're excited to try this first iteration.

Thursday 9/19

We met with Angela from Ameren along with our architect to go over the potential energy credits and reimbursements when starting a new construction/business project. Angela was incredibly nice and knowledgable and will be helping is make the right decisions in regard to our energy usage.

Jeremy, our architect, went over the final floor plans to make sure everything is where it needs to be. We covered a few concerns and things are looking great overall.

We also met with another bank regarding financing to make sure we get the best deal possible.

A very busy but very productive day.

Wednesday 9/18

Spent almost the entire day working on the TTB (Alchol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) Brewers Appication. This is basically what would make Main $"& Mill 100% legitimate in the eyes of the government. We would legally be able to brew beer on premise (once all permits are completed and inspection passed). Overall, this gigantic application takes a ton of time and typically is a big headache for anyone starting a brewery. We're trying to get this thing completed now, to prevent any timing issues in the future.

We also worked on the Dreamfund.me campaign (our upcoming crowd fund effort), trying to finish out our reward levels and the accompanying swag. We hope to have this live on October 11th and are working hard on the video, rewards, and design to meet that deadline.

Tuesday 9/17

A day at the FT job means less gets done when it comes to the brewpub. Drive straight from work to meet with Roger from the Jefferson County Economic Develolment Corporation to discuss funding. He was incredibly nice and helpful.

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9/10 - 9/16 Another Busy Week

Monday 9/16

Overall a quite day. We received the floor plan back with all accompanying dimensions that are needed for the brewing license application, which is great. We set up a couple of meetings but generally a slow Monday as we both had full days of work at the 9-5.

Sunday 9/15

We brewed our first Oktoberfest for the upcoming event on 10/26. Overall we brewed, BBQ'd, and watched some football. Overall a very relaxing brew day compared to the last two. The beer itself looked great and had a very nice caramelly sweet aroma from the selection of malts. We're all really looking forward to trying this in the coming weeks.

Saturday 9/14

We were interviewed for our upcoming crowd fund campaign. The video is currently in production and we hope we end up with 4-5 minutes of excellent footage, containing various interviews, building work, festival activity, etc.

Friday 9/13

We "officially" started our unofficial chef search by meeting with Mr. Steve Berkel, the Director of the Culinary Arts program from Jefferson College. Steve has extensive experience in local (STL) cuisine and has a strong network of individuals throughout he area.

We also worked on the brewer's application and put some finishing touches on the legal investment proposal.

Thursday 9/12

A busy day today. We talked with our lawyer about some of the needed changes on the investment proposal, which is close to finished. This will allow us to move forward on the financial end of our project...meaning its a very big step.

We met with an insurance provider to get a local quote for about every insurance we will need including liquor liability, workers comp, building, equipment, etc. Overall, a productive meetings.

We also spent a decent chunk of the day working through the tedious Brewer's Application through the TTB. This application is as detailed as you may expect when dealing with alcohol and the government. We're working hard to make sure that it is accepted on the 1st submission rather than the 5th.

And finally, we were selected to receive a very very helpful loan from the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation. They contacted us about the idea and it couldn't have worked out better to this point. Their board saw the difference we will be making in regard to Festus Main Street and the Twin City and Jefferson County economies as whole and proceeded with funding to help renovate the exterior of the building. We appreciate their belief in the project a great deal and hope to work with them more in the future to do our part to help develop the county economy further.

Wednesday 9/11

We met with our accountant to discuss a variety of things in regard to taxes, payroll, and other accountant oriented topics. Things look good on this front and the meeting went very well overall.

We also started the brewers application, which would allow us to begin brewing when our equipment arrives, rather than having to wait on an eventual approval. This application would make us an officially recognized brewery in the eyes of the Us Government.

Tuesday 9/10

Tuesday we worked further on the rewards for our upcoming crowd fund campaign. We'll be doing a campaign very similar to those on Kickstarter (for those familiar). However, we have chosen to go with local start-up www.DreamFund.me instead of the more known Kickstarter. We have chosen Dreamfund for because we believe in their cause and because they are St. Louis based. Everything we are working toward is a local first, community oriented aspect. Everything we are doing has the community in mind and going with a local start-up furthers that message. They are obviously more risky than going with the known Kickstarter, but we believe the community will embrace both our project and a nationwide local start-up by spreading the word and making our campaign (and their first featured campaign) a giant success.

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9/3 - 9/9 - Tanglefoot BrewFest, a Success

Monday 9/9

We have set some additional appointments that brings us within the final sprint of accepting unsolicited investment. This is a big deal as it will take the project from moving at a decent pace to moving at a rocket pace. Very big when considering our opening goals and the work needed to get to that point.

Sunday 9/8

We hit 1600 likes on Facebook which is excellent. The support from the community has been excellent and appreciated. This number is indicative of the excitement and enthusiasm we see on a daily basis. Thanks to everyone for each like and share on Facebook, each one helps spread the word.

Overall though we had an off day and recovery. We had what we perceive as an incredibly successful inaugural event at Saturday's Tanglefoot BrewFest. Of the reported 250 people in attendance, we sold approximately 65 shirts, likely more had we not sold out of a few sizes. The feedback on the available beers was excellent as well, making for a very successful first event.

Saturday 9/7

Our first event, the Tanglefoot Brewfest! An excellent time, a successful first showing, and a day with only a few small hiccups, though they didn't seem small at the time.

We (Barry, Jan, Rachel, and myself) want to thank everyone who helped us on Saturday: Ryan Weik, Jeremy and Jenny Bell, Emily Dunn, Justin Lammert, Geoff Baker, Kyle Anderson Train Mayer, Matt Basler, and Doug at Brew & Wine Supply in Hillsboro. In addition, a big thanks to everyone who came out, tried our beer, bought any swag, or just expressed excitement about what we're doing. At the end of the day, this is a project that we want the community involved in, and so far we couldn't be happier.

Friday 9/6

A very busy day preparing for Saturday's BrewFest. We started the day meeting Kyle Anderson from Oasis Sign and Detail to pick up our banner. We also were supposed to have our glasses delivered but found out they were shipped on a FedEx semi, meaning we had to meet the driver at an easier location than a dead-end road (my house), just throwing another wrench in an otherwise crazy day.

We also went on a search for the right copy paper for the beer lists, only to find it at Jo-Ann's Crafts...along with the fabric pens we planned to use to number the shirts from 1-100 (every shirt we produce will be limited). This find at the craft store was a relief after striking out at a few other local establishments.

We had to head to the The Brew and Wine Supply Shop in Hillsboro to grab a few odds and ends from Doug and grab his donation to the event (a full Homebrew starter kit, which was well received at the festival).

We had a ton of other small odds and ends to do...like add the coffee to the porter, finish carbing any beer that may be lower than we had liked, finalize some design work, and get ready for the demo brew on Saturday.

Oh, and we released our new branding and identity via Facebook...making for a crazy day.

Thursday 9/5

More preparations for the BrewFest...taking a decent portion of the day. We also spent a good portion of the day discussing our first business cards and the upcoming branding release that came our on September 7th.

Wednesday 9/4

Met with our very talented designer (sister and daughter) Fran Foster from CMYF to pour the carbonated beers for the first time. We wanted to get an initial taste for upcoming tasting notes, pictures of the beers, and an idea of designs for each beer name. Everything went very well, the pictures turned out excellent as did the tasting notes.

We also met with the two guys helping with brewing, Jeremy Bell and Ryan Weik. Both are instrumental in our pilot batches, the community brew day, and the brewing demo at the upcoming festival. Both help on their own time, providing good advice, feedback, and general help on any busy brew day. They both came over to try the beers for Saturday, discuss the results, and any changes we wanted to make for to the pumpkin beer to be brewed at the festival. Overall, we all were very pleased with the beers.

Tuesday 9/3

After this busy week, it's hard what exactly went down on Tuesday. I can make easy assumptions...working on brand and image identity, carbonation of the beers, and investment stuff. For the last two weeks, these three things were worked on every day for more than a few hours...

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8/30-9/2 Back to the Grind

Monday 9/2

We ended up getting the back grinding completed, meaning it is now ready to tuck-point. When we get it tuck-pointed, we'll likely be only tucking the top half as parts of the bottom will be removed for upcoming additions.

We also kegged the Coffee Porter and the Light Blonde. All 4 festival beers are now kegged and carbonating. Now it's time to start planning for the October 26th Oktoberfest.

Sunday 9/1

Off day for both of us.

Saturday 8/30

Had a yearly even at the house, making it hard to get much done. We hooked up the jockey boxes and poured the pumpkin for an initial taste test. We also sold our first shirts, a pre-order, but they were sold nonetheless.

Friday 8/29

On Friday, more grinding was completed and some paperwork finished for the structural and architectural work.

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8/29 Finding Our Footing

Thursday 8/29

A very busy day but that's the norm any more.

Started the day off with some more branding and graphical work, discussing options and revisions with more to come on Friday.

We met with our lawyer to discuss our investment opportunity and the legality of that opportunity. Things went well and we're well on our way in that regard.

We met with a bank to discuss a variety of things related to financing. This meeting also went well.

Between the two meetings above, we ran to The Brew and Wine Supply shop in Hillsboro to talk with Doug, the owner. We also needed to pick up a few things for our upcoming festival. If you homebrew, make sure to check out Doug's shop. He has about everything and even swaps CO2 tanks for those that keg rather than bottle.

After all the meetings, we changed clothes and went to the building. To finish our structural report, we needed to determine the depth of the building's support footings (the concrete slab at the base of the building). Unfortunately, we needed to dig against the back wall to find these footings. After a few hours of digging, we found the footings -- 7'4" down from the top foundation.

A long day, but a good day.

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8/26-8/28 Grinding in Public Isn't Always Bad

Wednesday 8/28

We spent all day finalizing our graphic branding which entails a final logo and other designs that will support that logo. This new look will roll-out in the near future and will be strongly featured at the September 7th Brewfest. After locking down the look, we ordered our first set of glasses and finalized our first shirt design. The shirts will be at the festival while the glasses likely will make their debut at the October 26th Oktoberfest at the Festus Elks. Thanks to Fran Foster (cmyf on Facebook) for the hard work.

After the design work, I thoroughly cleaned and sanitized 10 kegs in preparation for the festival beer. I ended up kegging 10 gallons of Pumpkin Ale and 9 gallons of American Pale Ale, giving us our first 4 kegs as Main & Mill Brewing Company. Both beers are carbonating as I type.

While working on some of the design work and ordering the accompanying swag, Barry was down at the building making progress on the back wall grinding. The wall is very close to being ready for a cleaning and tuck-pointing.

Tuesday 8/27

After Barry did some grinding, we built scaffolding to try and reach the far right side of the building's back wall. The progress is looking good and we're getting closer and closer to finishing the grind work.

We also went and picked up a large chest freezer that must weigh between 300-400 pounds. This thing is older but works excellent. Barry and I are still recovering from moving this thing. Thanks to Ms. Renee Williams for the freezer.

Monday 8/26

We talked with a lawyer and set up an appointment for Thursday in regard to investment legality. We worked on additional paperwork for local financing through the EDC.

The grinding continues...

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8/23-8/25 Bringing It Back One Brick at a Time

Sunday 8/25

We met down at the building around 9AM to continue grinding the back exterior mortar and to take down and rebuild scaffolding. We ended up getting a lot done over the weekend and hope to have the back fully ground out by the upcoming weekend. Thanks to Jeremy Bell and Glenn Hogenmiller for their help over the weekend.

Saturday 8/24

We really did a substantial amount of exterior grinding, finishing about half of the building. We ended up meeting with the two guys that will be doing some upcoming video work, Train Mayer and Matt Basler. They will be creating a video for us that will be posted on the website and the main video for our crowd-funding campaign. They should be around filming some of the September 7th Brewfest, so be prepared to say great things if you're approached for your thoughts on the beer, the upcoming brewpub, etc.

After building work, we had to prepare and finalize some financing documents, making for a nice little Saturday evening.

Friday 8/23

After we both worked at our actual jobs, we spent late afternoon Friday building scaffolding in preparation for a long weekend of brick grinding. The build went well. We had no injuries. No injuries during the building or dismantling of scaffolding usually means we had a good day.

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8/19-8/22 We Hate Scaffolding

Thursday 8/22

On Thursday we did some split duties. As I (Denny) was home watching my two month old son Luke, I re-added the financials to the business plan, basically finishing it until the next addition. For those who have never written a business plan, the plan is ever changing and the document is living. I wish I had a dollar for every time I said the plan was "done" as we would no longer need any cash to finish our project. Either way, after every addition, edit, and printing, it feels as though this is the final final copy and that feels good. We are now sitting at a 56 page business plan.   

In addition to the business plan, I talked with a well respected individual in the restaurant community and set up an appointment for advice in hiring our future chef. We are beginning to prep for our search and want to make sure we are as prepared as possible when we undertake that portion of the project.  

Fran Foster, our graphic designer, has been putting some finishing touches on our final logo. Over the last 4 or so days, her and I have been working together to finalize our logo which will lead into an array of changes beginning with the look of our website, our Facebook page, and our Twitter handle. We are all really looking forward to locking down our final look and releasing it to the public.  

While I was working at the house, Barry was at the building taking out an upstairs window in preparations to utilize the opening for scaffolding. If you haven't seen him down there the last few days, you likely will over the weekend. On top of the window removal, he has cleaned up the back area and removed some of the mortar from the previous 3 days, 

 

Wednesday 8/20

Yesterday was a busy day...but not for the business. Barry had a very busy day at work and was sore from the prior day's grinding. I had to watch my little one and run errands all day. Outside of logo work, beer recipe formulation, and some back and forth emails, we picked up a free freezer for our festival brews. We ran out of room to crash cool and needed some additional room quickly.   

Thanks to Stuart and Darrell McMillian for the help in getting us a freezer. We really appreciate the help and support. 

 

Tuesday 8/19

Barry spent 6 hours down at the building grinding out the back, picking up a few areas, and generally making progress toward the upcoming tuck-pointing. He ground out approximately 1/4 of the back wall, reducing our future labor costs significantly.  

After work, I was on a mission to price freezers...coming within minutes of buying. Luckily I am glad we waited. 

When home, I spent a couple of hours going over the business plan and adding a few sections to further flesh out our idea.  

 

Monday 8/18

Barry spent a couple of hours grinding on the building back wall. After the FT job, we built scaffolding to prepare for Barry's work plan for Tuesday.  

8/17-8/18 Tours and Brews

Sunday 8/18

On Sunday we had our first community brew day and we were thrilled with the turn out. We weren't sure what to expect but hoped for 15-20 people from the community to come down, say hello, and maybe tour the building. By the end of the day, we had well over 50 individuals come down to show their support and excitement. To those that told us they wanted to come but couldn't, we hope to do this again in the future...and hopefully sooner rather than later.

The brew itself went very well. We brewed 11 gallons of Light Blonde, which will be our house light beer when the brewpub opens. We have to thank Ryan Weik, Jeremy Bell, and Chris Westerhold for helping throughout the brew day, we couldn't have done it without them.

So our beers for the upcoming September 7th Tanglefoot Brewfest are finally finished. Over the next 2 weeks, they will each be kegged and carbonated in preparation for our first event. If you haven't already decided to go, we hope you head down to hear about the beers, the brewpub, and check out our initial t-shirts and glasses.

Saturday 8/17

We assembled some more scaffolding and continued to grind out the mortar on the back wall. After years of neglect, these particular bricks are more brittle from years of water drainage and cold weather. As a result, we've had many bricks just crumble when we attempt to grind. To find the silver lining in an otherwise dark brown situation, many of these bricks will be interior bricks after the build-on (kitchen, bathrooms, access hallway). As interior bricks, we may just seal them as is, giving the interior wall more character.

The back area had a substantial amount of burnt wood that came from inside the building. To prepare for Sunday's brew day, the wood was cut up and removed...allowing for a clean concrete pad.

8/14-8/16 Can you feel the electricity?

Friday 8/16

Today we finally had our temporary electric installed. We are now part of modern society and this electric stuff. It is the first time we have ever seen an electric box read 00000.

We started assembling scaffolding in the back part of the building in preparation for grinding and tuck-pointing.

We had a meeting with the Festus City Administrator to lock up our upcoming brew plan for Sunday, which is to be announced shortly. Mr. Welch has been incredibly helpful throughout the project and we want to thank him publicly.

Our graphic designer, Fran Foster (catchmeifyoufran.com) has been working very hard over the last few days finalizing our logo and our initial t-shirt design. We are very close to having things locked down which is very exciting.

Thursday 8/15

I spent most of the day adding a few sections to the business plan, detailing out some of our plans to prevent any extra questions in the future. We are now sitting at 46 pages without accompanying projected financials.

We met with an upcoming St. Louis nationwide start-up company called StartSource (www.startsource.tv). They will be launching on October 11th and we will be officially using them for our crowd-funding campaign. They fit our goals and our 'community first' motto. We will be releasing additional information in the coming weeks.

Wednesday 8/14

We met with a local lawyer to further discuss our investment scenario and the legality therein. We have to make sure we are 100% legal to prevent any future issues.

8/12-8/13 - From the Windows to the Wall

On Monday we set up a couple of meetings, one with an executive at a crowd-funding site we are considering and another for a window bid. We edited the business plan after the last update and began the process of breaking down the financial model further into specific months for more detail.

Tuesday, August 13th, we called a few lawyers to help with some of our business questions. Most of our questions and concerns tend to deal with government and red tape and how to ensure we are complying with every regulation and ruling.

Our electrician came by to install the temporary electric pole in preparation for the impending service. Thanks to DeCollo Electric. We are hoping to have electric by the weekend, allowing us to use 2 grinders at once! How we've always dreamed of being on scaffolding wielding 2 high powered grinders!

We also met with a couple of very nice guys who measured the windows throughout the building. They will be bidding out window construction and possible installation.

We looked at the interior walls and are preparing for one last clean before sealing the brick.

The busy never stops, but that's a good thing isn't it?

8/11 Digging a Hole

We had to dig a 4' hole for upcoming temporary electric service. We'll be concreting in a 16' very sturdy pole for the service...which needs to be buried at least 4 feet. The soil was angry this day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli (pardon the Seinfeld reference)...full of rocks and glass. Digging isn't fun on Sundays.

We also worked on a small business plan update.

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8/10 - Making Beer

After spending a few days nailing down final recipes for the Coffee Porter and the IPA, Barry and I spent all day Saturday brewing 10 gallons of each beer. Overall the brewday was a success as we hit both gravity targets and generally stayed clear of any issues. On a similar note, we had the initial taste of the pumpkin beer thatwas brewed last weekend and we feel good about the flavor profile thus far.

During the brewday, Barry met with our electrician to discuss the electric service install that should be coming this week.

We also bought some exit signs from a guy for dirt cheap. We're a ways away from needing exit signs but a deal is a deal.


8/8-8/9

So Thursday I spent an hour or so on the phone with a variety of salesmen, contractors, and people around the community. Overall, whether they're a salesman or a person who just wants to learn more about our venture, it's an enjoyable call. People calling means people finally know what we are doing and that is exciting. I spent another hour cleaning out kegs in preparation for the upcoming Tanglefoot Brewfest.

As far as meetings go, I spent a few hours working up ideas and talking points for a meeting Thursday night between Barry, Fran (my sister and our graphic designer), and myself. Our meeting ended up taking about 4 hours. We covered some logo design work, initial shirt designs, final glass designs, and some preliminary, yet detailed, work on our upcoming crowdfunding campaign.

During the afternoon on both Thursday and Friday, Barry spent time grinding out mortar at the building prepping the wall for a professional tuckpointing. In addition, he met with the electric company on Friday afternoon to get a temporary construction line run rather than continue to run from a generator. During the late evening, between taking care of 6 week old Luke, I finished out recipes for the upcoming Coffee Porter and the IPA.

Tomorrow brings another set of challenges that I hope to post about sometime this weekend.

The Start

Today we start an ongoing blog of what is going on and what we are doing. We are relatively active on social media but I know most people aren't dying to know that I spent 3 hours working on our upcoming StartSource.tv campaign (A Kickstarter-like campaign, but done with a STL based start-up). Overall, this will hopefully be a day by day account of what we're are doing, how we're doing it, and the ups and downs. This headlines as "The Start" but it is far from the actual start. The actual start should have been over 2 years ago...but you have to start somewhere. 

Until then, I hope you enjoy our account of the renovation and the process to start the brewery. It will be open and honest. Feel free to comment on posts and let us know people are actually reading this day to day blog.