Monday, January 16, 2017

Building A Brewery - Weeks 24-33

Okay, so I don't really have the whole holidays thing to fall back on anymore. We haven't posted in a while, but that's only because we've been incredibly busy doing some exciting behind the scenes stuff. Trust me when I say, we're taking our time to do everything right because this is just too big of a thing to get wrong. On to the updates!


Back to Brewing
We decided that it had been WAY too long since we brewed up a few batches of beer, so we invited some close friends over to help with another double brewday. Let me tell you, having a few extra sets of hands comes in... well, handy. Big shout out to Jason, Rohde, Jeff, Michael, and Rachel for stopping by to help us brew. Hopefully, we will be brewing a bit more often now so we can start getting some beer ready for upcoming events. We want to get back into the bars and taprooms that were so kind as to host tastings for us in the past, but we also want to start branching out to new locations across the mid-cities area so we can meet even more craft beer fans. If y'all have a favorite watering hole that offers craft beer, let us know and we'll try to set something up!

Funding
We are still meeting with banks to secure the bulk of our funding. It is an arduous process, but a necessary one for startups like us. For the past few weeks, we've been polishing up our business plan, getting all gussied-up, and meeting face to face with a few banks to hopefully begin a mutually beneficial professional relationship. The thing is, even though we think we make some of the best beer around, this brewery is a business and has to be put through its paces. I'm proud to say that we're just as excited about starting and growing our business as we are about the beer we brew.

Renovations
We are also scheduling meetings with contractors to get a better idea of what all goes into the improvements our building needs to become a functioning brewery. Things you don't normally give a second thought like electrical wiring, sewer services, and flooring can make a huge difference in the ongoing success of the brewing operation. With David's project management background and the help of some of our industry friends, hopefully we can build a top-notch facility for beer production and a comfortable, interesting place for the community to unwind.


You may notice the updates becoming shorter in the next few months. That only means that we have less time to tell y'all about the exciting multitude of updates, not that there aren't any to talk about. Keep your eyes peeled on our social media pages for some actual, real-life ways y'all can help us out!


Monday, January 2, 2017

Happy New Year!

Congratulations! We made it through 2016. What a year, huh? I mean, damn. Way to keep on keepin' on. Now enough of blaming crap on four digits (that we'll all spend a few months writing wrong on checks), and let's get to work!


Holiday Developments
In addition to a bunch of great Christmas gifts, New Main Brewing received some much needed support from our friends and family. First and foremost, we were given an amazing steel sign bearing our logo, which now sits prominently in the window above our brewery entrance. Once we build our taproom and bar, that bad boy will sit front and center to remind us how important the support of our family and friends is.

The second surprise came in the form of a big chunk of the funding we need to move forward. With the money we've raised thus far, we can start the loan process with our bank and finally get the ball rolling on things like equipment, renovation, and actual real-live work! Once we have a little money in the bank, we'll start announcing a schedule of things we'll need help building around the brewery that all of you can take part in.

Tastings, Again!
New year, more beer! Now that we've had a chance to refresh the batteries over the holidays, we will be whipping up batch after batch of our various beers to serve at some more free tastings. We encourage those of you who've been to our tastings before to bring any friends you have that haven't heard of us before. For those of y'all who have been lurking on the blog and have yet to try our tasty beer, come out of hiding and you'll be rewarded by fresh, free, fantastic craft beer. No dates finalized yet, but stay tuned for tastings at your favorite mid-city bars and taprooms.

End of an Era & A New Start
For those of you who followed our updates on Atypical DFW Podcast, you no doubt have heard that Atypical taped its last show in December.  The final episode clocked in at over 2 hours, so we're still working on editing it for one last release. We were only part of the show for the last year or so, but we are immensely honored to have been able to share in the fun that was Atypical DFW Podcast. Once it's wrapped up for good, we are moving on to new things in the form of a brand new beer-centric podcast. At this point that's all I can really tell you, but rest assured we are working on putting together a solid show that is entertaining, enlightening, and focused on bringing you the best craft beer related content we can. Beer, special guests, beer, interesting news, beer, games, and BEER! Keep watching our Facebook for more info as we make it available.

Crowdfunding
"But wait, I thought you guys just said you got funding over the break?" Well, yeah we did, but if you've ever planned a construction project you know that there is no shortage of "uh-oh's", "I forgot's", and "well I never thought about that's" involved. A few have already graced us with our presence, so we decided to go ahead and start raising some backup capital through Crowdfunding. The capital we raise here will go towards things like increased parking and fire sprinklers for the brewery so that we can build it exactly the way we want to.

Perks for your crowdfunding contribution will include but are not limited to:

  • T-shirts, Brewer's shirts, stickers
  • Glasses, growlers, Special Edition Mugs/Steins
  • Plaques bearing your name for our Wall of Supporters
  • Your very own Bar Stool in our Taproom (Thanks Chuck and Reid for being the first to grab these!)
  • You can even brew your own recipe with us and have it featured at a private party once we're open!


As you can see, there are all kinds of ways to become a part of our story, and we can't wait to share in the excitement with each of y'all. Keep an eye out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat for news about our progress. Cheers!