In Response To Brian Hernando...

Hey man, for some reason I couldn't comment back to you, but I wanted to respond.


I am glad you have gained a little from our miscellaneous ramblings and venting! As for your question of "what moved you to this step," there is no simple or quick answer to that. This project has been in the works, in one form or another, for over ten years now. It has always been a creative project that my brother and I shared.


As for the new location, size, etc., it came out of necessity. The TTB wouldn't allow us to brew commercially out of our home and so we set out to find a commercial space. In having to pay rent, it quickly became apparent that we would need to increase the size of our brewery in order to brew enough beer to be sustainable and not go completely crazy. So we grabbed a brewhouse when the opportunity presented itself, we picked up larger fermenters and brites as we could, and have been piecing things together over the last two years.


What really drives us is the desire to own our own business, be our own boss, and do things our way and not the way someone else thinks it should be done. It's the desire to create. It's the hope to inspire others to follow their dream. Some people are just born with ambition and drive, and sometimes it takes a long time to figure out what to put all of that effort into, but we have found what makes us happy and gives us fulfillment and we are pursuing it with every ounce of our being. It hasn't been easy. And we still have a really long way to go. But we keep chasing the dream that we share and hoping other people find inspiration in it and support it.


Thanks for seeking out information about the brewery. How did you find out about us? Are you a homebrewer yourself? Are you considering opening a brewery?


P.S. Because I don't really know how to respond on this blog (it's probably quite simple) you might email me @ branden(at)blackshirtbrewingco(dot)com

The Long Road To Opening A Brewery

We are asked often, especially these days, when the brewery will be open. When we say that there are just too many variables to predict, people often give us a look that says "really?" Yes it's true that we have had the space since January, and yes it's true that we have the majority of our brewing equipment in our possession. But it's also true that we are 3 young adults, doing this on our own without the financial assistance of a bank or trust fund, and some things just take longer when you have to do them yourself.

A couple weekends ago, we decided we couldn't wait any longer and rented a concrete saw and jackhammer. Part of our purpose was to do experimental digging to find out what the existing plumbing looked like and where it went. The other part was to get started cutting trench drains and ditches for our future brewhouse, tasting room, bathrooms, and prep area. We had the amazing assistance of our good friends Kyle and Aaron who worked their asses off and asked nothing in return. We are forever thankful for their dedication and strong friendship.

The cutting and removal of the concrete went well. It was hard work, but we got great results. That is, until we ran into our next setback - our master plumber says the fiberglass grates that we had cut specifically for our purpose, and are therefore unreturnable, will not work. After all of our research and asking our GC a million questions, we didn't see this happening. But what do you do? Say fuck it, brush yourself off, and keep moving. It's just money. Lots and lots of money. But you know what? We aren't done yet. It's just another hurdle in a long line of hurdles that make for a long road to opening a brewery. Stay patient everyone, it's coming.