​THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS TO APPROACH FERMENTATION. MANY MODERN BREWERIES WILL BUY JACKETED EQUIPMENT THAT ALLOWS TEMPERATURE CONTROL THROUGH GLYCOL PUMPS.

WE DECIDED THAT IT WAS EASIER AND LESS EXPENSIVE FOR US TO START OUT WITH AN ENTIRE ROOM THAT WILL KEEP OUR BEER AT FERMENTATION TEMPERATURES. WE WILL EVENTUALLY OUT GROW THIS SPACE, BUT IT MADE SENSE FOR OUR PILOT APPROACH.

THE ENTIRE ROOM HAS OVER 6 INCHES OF POLYISO FOAM AND IS TEMPERATURE CONTROLED WITH LG AC UNITS AND COOLBOT CONTROLLERS.

IT HAS DIRECT ACCESS TO THE FLOOR DRAIN AND BENEFITS FROM OUR GREAT EPOXY FLOORING

​OUR BATHROOM FRAMING WAS FINALLY TRANSFORMED INTO WORKING ADA COMPLIANT BATHROOMS!

We learned a lot about framing, california building code, and techniques.
We're happy to say our bathroom could stop a truck. 

We even started running some electrical - you will see more about the bathrooms soon!

After learning to be painters we moved onto the next profession of flooring. 

Firstly we prepped all the cracks, holes, and raised surfaces by grinding them level or filling with some material. 
For cracks you should really widen out the crack so the fill material can better bond to the concrete. Self leveling products can work great for small holes also.

​Here we are prepping all our floors:

In the brewery area we coved the walls, then put 3 coats of epoxy that goes up the wall about 6 inches.

In the main area we coated the concrete with a sealer.

Most of the walls in our building are refinished brick. However, the ceiling was looking quite terrible. It was a dull brown that was flaking off and had no contrast, it was covered in years of dust

So we went from brewers to painters.... Check out the before pictures:

After washing we started adding some paint.
Starting with the Masonry walls we use Dry-Lok which really didnt cover very well...

On the ceiling we use a Graco paint sprayer that worked really well and got it all done in a weekend.
We later cut it in the black beam and red fire suppression system. 

Below you can see the finished product after all our hard work.

We learned a lot doing floor trench drains. The drains come pre-casted in concrete which in theory make them easy to in install. Either set them onto rebar or specially designed seats into the dirt, or hang them. We opted to hang the trench drain.

Unfortunately the floor in our building is not quite level so over multiple days we made small adjustments to get it just right. Then locked it into placed in a few select locations using some fence post mix. 

The chair system is probably easier, but you would still have to weigh the drain down so it doesn't float when pouring concrete. 

After some experimenting we were able to find the beauty of the natural brick hidden beneath many layers and years of paint. We're happy to say we're bringing it back

Its official and we're here to stay. We recently completed an agreement with our building owner and the lease is final

This weekend was big step towards progress for new plumbing. It is amazing how our ideas, plans, and drawings resulted in cutting a big chunk out of the floor. But this means brand new bathroom sewers! new floor drains! brewery drains! and nice new pipes that will be problem free.

Thanks to Albert (our building owner), Wes (our plummer), Mike (concrete cutting) and his wife Lydia we were able to make progress on the new plumbing project. 

Check out the process we took to cut and smash the concrete

We now have plenty of rocks... free to a good home. They are adorable and I promise are potty trained. 

In addition to cutting up the concrete we removed nearly every light fixture, wire, nail, fan, and anything else hanging out on the ceiling. This means we're nearly ready to start preparing it for painting!

We continued our demolition of old and questionable structures inside the brewery space. An existing 2-story loft in the back space had to go. Luckily there was plenty of wood to salvage for any new structures we decide to build. It was a tough but rewarding day, and now our back corner is cleared out. There was also a large pane of glass we salvaged and are unsure what to do with it.

We are nearly ready to start the transition from demolition to remodel!