Archive: Author: sandbox_atpnzs

This is Matt.

We like Matt.

Why do we like Matt?

Well, Matt is with Pioneer Bank in Mankato.

Matt just sat down with us to close on the loan for financing our equipment and construction costs.

That’s right people, this sh*t just got real!

Burning Brothers Brewing, coming soon!

Cheers,

Thom, Dane and Gabe

…away! What can I say, we’re a Minnesota based brewery, of course we are obsessed with weather. It’s in our DNA (how about a little fire in celebration of that fact).

Here’s a quick note to let people know about a few goings on:

• Yet another podcast interview, this time with the Apropos of Nothing team. It’s a bit lengthy (2.5 hoursish), but damn did we have a great time with it.
• We talked with Christa Meland at the Twin Cities Business magazine about the what and why-fors of gluten-free beer in St. Paul
• We got a shout out from our St. Paul City Councilmember Russ Stark in his newsletter along with our friends over at Urban Growler, Bang Brewing as well as Fair Street (Woot! Let’s grow that beer culture St. Paul!)

As to the rest, we’re still plugging away at finalizing construction estimates and equipment sourcing. While not an exciting step in the process, it’s an important one to get right.

Cheers,

Thom, Dane and Gabe

So, the other night we were invited out to talk about this, that and the other thing while enjoying a premium cigar.

The price of admission, why beer of course.

Beer and cigars, how could we go wrong? (besides that moment when our wives and fiances, may they never meet, wouldn’t let us in the house afterwards)

We had a great time chatting with the Porter and Frost from the Burn and Brew Podcast. We talked a little beer, we talked a little personal history, we even talked about Jesse Ventura. You could say, it was eclectic.

You too can listen in on our musings and ramblings.

Many thanks to our wonderful host James at Burn Premium Cigar Specialists.

Cheers,

Gabe, Thom and Dane

It’s been another busy week here at Burning Brothers, only this time it got political.

You see, there’s a somewhat obscure regulation in the city’s zoning policies regarding tap rooms. Specifically, if you are zoned in a true industrial area like our colleagues over at Summit, operating a tap room is no issue. However, if you are located in an area that is not-zoned for industrial (i.e., traditional neighborhood or commercial), a tap room is not permitted. Care to guess which zone we fall into?

Yep, it’s like that.

So, we’ve been talking with the St. Paul City Council and they have proposed reviewing and updating those zoning regulations for commercial breweries.  We were also interviewed by the Pioneer Press, Finance & Commerce and Minnesota Public Radio regarding our thoughts on the matter. At this point, we are waiting to hear back regarding next steps, but thought you all would appreciate hearing what it’s all about.

In the end, this is just another piece of the puzzle. If the tap room has to wait a little bit, it won’t slow down our larger purpose of bringing our gluten-free goodness to the masses.

Cheers,

Thom, Dane and Gabe

We’ve had a pretty kick ass week here at Burning Brothers. Let me outline the events that unfolded:

1. The architect sent us the completed preliminary site plan. This means we can solicit bids and select a general contractor for the build out.
2. We got a shout out in the StarTribune (Liquid Assets: Gluten-free beer? Several choices out there) for being the new up and comer in the local GF beer market.
3. We signed the lease on our brewing space! That’s right, we’ve got a home. We just need to move some plumbing and electric, install equipment and complete the laundry list of other miscellaneous things and then we can start selling beer.

Cheers everyone, the end (or the beginning) is within sight.

Dane, Gabe and Thom

What is the number one question we get via email?

“Where can I get your beer?”

And while I would like nothing better than to tell people that we have an interactive map on our website that lists everywhere it can be found, sadly that is not the case. You see, besides the fact that we are still building the brewery, there are a few “issues” that we have to navigate.

In most business ventures and entrepreneur classes, they coach that you should “test the waters” and see if there is demand for your product. Unfortunately, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (or TTB for short; they used to be the ATF) feels a bit differently about that practice. The law states (paraphrasing to keep your eyes from bleeding, you can find the details here) that until you hold a brewer’s permit, thou shalt not sell beer. Period. Not even a drop.

Give away, yes. Sell, no.

So, my friends, please bear with us while we jump through the appropriate hoops. We’d hate to do things the wrong way and end up having to go back to the drawing board.

All good things……

Thom, Dane and Gabe

Before we get too far into the holiday frenzy, and the fact that we appear to have survived the end of the world yet again ;-), we here at Burning Brothers wanted to take this moment to thank you for being there with us.

It’s been a long road with a lot of ups and downs, but the support and encouragement from people like you is one of the things that helps us to keep pushing forward.

So, (raises glass) here’s to you, our fans, our supporters and hopefully soon, our customers.

Thank you and may you all have a festive holiday.

Well folks, we’ve got no problem admitting that the dog days of summer got the best of us. In between spending some time relaxing with the families and trying to beat the heat, we haven’t gotten nearly as much done as we hoped. That being said, there are a few things worth noting.

First off, we’ve got a spiffy new website up and running at www.burnbrosbrew.com. Feel free to swing by, kick the tires and let us know what you think.

Secondly, we scored first place in the specialty beer category at the 2012 MN Renaissance Festival’s brewing competition. Dane and Gabe attended the event and were able talk directly with the judges about what they thought of our American Pale Ale.

Thirdly, we’re still stomping around St. Paul touring potential locations for the brewery. The process is certainly taking longer than we would like, but considering this is the foundation for the entire venture, we don’t want to make too hasty a decision. Hopefully we will finalize our short list this month, and then get back together with our friends at city hall as well as the bank to move on to the next steps.

Lastly, we haven’t forgotten that we owe everyone a tasting event. We are tentatively planning something for a weekend in October.  More details as we solidify the plan.

Cheers,

Thom & Dane