Thirsty yet?
I know you’re at least as thirsty as I am and I could use a beer right now…about 80 barrels of beer, to be more specific. The bad news is we’re going to have to wait until around the first of the year for that initial round of Black Dog brew. The good news is we finally made it through that pesky state and town building permit process and we get to start installing our floor drains today, which is the first step in getting our brewing equipment situated. So major construction is officially underway and I gotta tell ya, it feels great. We’ve also started holding office hours and operating in our office space which has definitely brought the “good beer energy,” as Shawn likes to put it. Needless to say, we’ve been extremely busy which is why you haven’t heard from me in awhile. It also means I have a ton to share with you! Since it’s Friday and you deserve a half day, grab a beer, kick back, and let’s get you caught up on your favorite brewery to be.
First and foremost, let’s talk about these floor drains. I know….way to start off with a bang, Jeremy. But hear me out on this because if we ain’t got floor drains, then we ain’t got a proper brewing space. Between this and the base plumbing, it’s easily the most costly and time consuming part of our construction project. It’s also the first major step in getting the brewing area completed. So trust me when I say it’s a load off my shoulders to see the guys out there cutting cement and getting material ordered. In the picture you can see how extensive the cutting was and for those of you that have lived in Mooresville for awhile, you can make out the old bowling alley floor just below that top three inches of cement.
Since we announced Black Dog Brewing Company and shared our plans, the most asked question that comes our way is “what kind of beer are you going to have?” That’s a fairly open ended question and the answer is “the delicious kind.” The second most asked question is “will you have food?” The answer was always yes, but the real question is just how much and what kind? Our thoughts on food offerings have evolved over the last year as we continue to get that question and evaluate the business.
So don’t worry – we got you, Fam!
We are very excited to announce the newest member of our Black Dog Brewing Company team, Head Chef, Chris Hendricks. Chris is an entrepreneur himself, having owned and operated Ironsides over in Franklin, where he concentrated on Scandanavian and traditional American pub fare. He’s currently working with Tiffany on a small but amazing menu that includes Swedish meatballs, salted pork belly, beer cheese sliders, and a few other things that will blow your mind. If you like meat, cheese, bread, and maybe a potato or two, then Chris is about to be your new favorite person. He’s absolute magic in the kitchen. By the way, between Chris cooking food samples and Shawn making beer samples, I am living in my own personal heaven. I’ll probably look like Jaba the Hutt the next time you see me, but damn I’m happy!
Speaking of beer, in the midst of all that has been going on, Shawn has continued to work on seasonal offerings and production timelines based on our projected opening. We’ve had countless discussions on which styles to queue up in which months and you probably wouldn’t be shocked to hear that he has our first year’s worth of production outlined. Of course, the best part of this process for me is the small batch brewing we do as we work to slot certain seasonals into the lineup. In the past month, he’s put together the “Highland Hound” Scottish ale (on nitro!), a gold medal winning porter that we have not named yet, “Razmataz” raspberry witbier, and getting ready to head to the keg, our Harvest Pumpkin ale which I absolutely cannot wait to try. He created a “pumpkin slurry” (pictured) that was added to the mash and then used a blend of Fall spices in the boil that smelled incredible! Plus, we’re going to put a cute dog on the label so how can you not love it?
For those of you that routinely follow us on social media, you’ve seen our occasional updates on equipment so I won’t dive into the ultra boring world of water treatment. I’ll just leave it at the fact that last week we hauled in the biggest, baddest reverse osmosis system you’ve ever seen. All that means to you is consistently amazing beer! That being said, let’s talk about something a little more sexy. Remember all those tap handle mock-ups we shared? Well, the prototypes finally came in and suffice it to say, we love them! The design team that put these together really knocked it out of the park and I can’t wait until you see the other toppers we have in the works. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section so don’t be shy…well unless you’re an internet troll and then we invite you to comment on the Budweiser website.
Finally, one of the most exciting things for me over the course of getting the brewery up and running is the shear excitement from the community. From getting high-fives from random strangers while walking through Lowe’s or fielding your questions via social media and email, it’s that buzz and excitement that solidifies my belief that we’ve tapped into something special. As such, we really wanted to give you all a chance to double down on your excitement as you patiently await our grand opening. That’s why we decided to go ahead and open up Mug Club memberships for pre-purchase. Specific to this pre-purchase, you also get to buy your first few rounds of pints and get some one of a kind BDBC swag. Now we’ve had the pre-purchase open for awhile and we only have about 50 spots left (out of 200). Once they’re all spoken for, you’ll have to wait until next year to buy your membership – if any come open. Otherwise, it’s waitlist city. If you’re thinking about purchasing for yourself or even as an incredibly awesome Christmas gift, then you’ll probably want to do so sooner rather than later.
Until the next update, cheers!
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One comment on “Thirsty yet?”
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We are looking very forward to a new, refreshing place to go.
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