The Blog has moved!!!

The Blog has moved on to bigger and better places.  You can now find us at our official website roundhousebrew.com.  See you there!

Another door pic.

Looks like they finished cutting out the opening for the doors. Here is an inside photo of the entrance (west door).

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Approved again.

So this past Monday night Brainerd City Council once again approved our application for a "liquor zone" (I think that is what the kids are calling it these days). As the Chief Information Officer I was fully planning on being there to capture all the action. Mark talked me out of it saying it will probably be just another vote with no discussion. At 9:30 pm I received the photo below of Nick and Mark giving the thumbs up for the approval. A big round of applause for the boys sitting through two hours of city council meeting in the off chance that there may be a question about the brewery.

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The loading dock is gone.

Well they made quick work of the loading dock. That is not all they have also started to make cuts for the new doors. Below is a photo looking west along where the loading dock used to be.

The next photo is the location of the far west door.

Here is a picture of the inside.

Just for fun here is a picture of the middle and east door.

There is going to be a lot of light coming through especially in the winter when the sun is lower.
The next photo is of the space directly east of ours. Is it too early to start talking about expansion?

I caught Rick in action talking with the plumber and digger that are going to bring the water from the street to our brewery. You know what that means, ingredient number one for making beer will soon be flowing to Roundhouse. Baby steps gentlemen (and gentlewomen).

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Progress

Dan sent me some photos and a video of the loading ramp coming down.  After a couple of weeks of teasing us they got to it.   

I will get some photos up next week of the finished product.  It will be interesting to see how the brick wall looks below the loading dock.  

City Council Meeting 10.5.15

Here is the video footage of the Brainerd City Council vote on allowing Northern Pacific Center to be a liquor zone.  Buckle up and turn up the volume if you want to fully experience the excitement.  Sorry I missed the first part, I might have been sleeping.  

Black Tooth Brewing Company

We didn't just go antiquing while in Sheridan we took the time to hang out at the local brewery.  The general manager was kind enough to take us on a tour and answer all of our questions. They had just finished their expansion project taking the brewery from a 10 bbl brew kettle and 4 x 10 bbl fermentors to a 30 bbl brew kettle and a 4 x 90 bbl fermentors!!!  What started out as something similar to what we are starting exploded into a $7 million dollar project in year 5.  We went from thinking about nothing but elk for 7 days to getting pumped about making Roundhouse a reality.  

Check them out:  http://www.blacktoothbrewingcompany.com/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/blacktoothbrewing/timeline/

Destiny

I found this book in a quirky little antique shop in Sheridan, WY while hunting for Elk with El Presidente Mark.  Actually we went into the antique shop after our hunt was over.  I did not want you to think that we spent our elk hunting time antiquing.   I was literally drawn to the section of the store where this beauty was hanging.  If you turn to the back cover you will see that the author is from Crookston, MN.  Three of the investors are Crookston boys:  Tim, Josh, and yours truly.  You may think this is all coincidence, I think not.  This is destiny.  

Second time through the brewery with Hytec Construction

August 28th:  From left to right Rick, David, forgot this guys name but he is the architect, and Craig (owner of Hytec construction)

 This was the second time through the property with Hytec but this time we have some blueprints to go over.

First set of blueprints.  On the left is the common area and bathroom and on the right is the brewery, cooler, and bar.  Disregard that table and chairs they are just the architect doodling.  

This is our plumber.  Can't remember his name but seems pretty knowledgeable.

This is the scale in the northeast corner of the brewery.  Originally we thought of leaving it but now it looks like we are tearing it out along with the floor under where the brewery is going.  

This is a photo looking west towards the door leading to the common area and the bathrooms.  I would be technically standing in the back of the brewery while taking this photo.  The tables in here where used for an event awhile back.

  

The first meeting with the Brainerd City Council.

August 17th 2015:   Mark and Dan speaking to the Brainerd City Council.

Yeah  I know the picture sucks.  I did not want to draw attention to myself so a snuck a photo from the cheap seats.  This meeting was mostly a heads up to the city council.  Mark and Dan had been working with the city administrator and business developer for awhile now and felt like it was time to let the mayor and city council know what we were up to.  Overall I felt like the response was very positive.  We were hoping the Brainerd Dispatch would be there so we could get a little of our first publicity out of it.  Sadly they were at the last city council meeting so Mark and Dan did not make the paper.  

A couple interior pics

Left to Right: David, Nate, Rick.

Here is an inside look at where one of the doors is going to go.  If you compare this photo to the one Nate was standing under outside you can get an idea of high that loading dock is.  

West end door that leads to the common area and bathrooms.

 This is the original fire door that we plan on leaving in place.  You will notice in the picture the track that holds the fire door is at a downward angle towards the door opening.  In the right corner of the picture you will see a lead weight that is keeping the door from sliding closed.  I was told, and I believe everything that I am told, that if there is a fire the lead will melt and the door will slide closed.  For some reason this does not pass current fire codes.  

First on site meeting with Hytec construction

From Left to Right:  Our leader Mark, Northern Pacific Center Property Manager Rick, Hytec Construction supervisor Mitch (?), Northern Pacific Owner David, and Roundhouse Brewery investor and Gull Lake Glass owner Nate Toumi.  

The day after the investors got together we toured the Northern Pacific center with Hytec construction.  This photo is taken facing west along the soon to be removed loading dock.  The exterior will be taken down to ground level with plans for a new walkway and patio outside the brewery.  More about that later.  For now we are looking at where to place 3 glass doors, one going into the brewery area, one that leads to the future patio, and one for the entrance.  The plan right now is for the doors to be put under the large windows like the one Nate is standing under.

Here is a photo facing east along the loading dock.  The new person in the background is investor Tim Bywater out visiting from Utah.  If you are wondering if a door can fit under the large  windows remember in the coming months the outside will be 3 feet or so lower.  

How the sausage is made.

Circa July'ish 2015.  You will find from left to right or you may say clockwise:  Nick Hoelz, Mark Lelwica, Dan Meyer, Mary Beth Scholand (Bywater), Tim Bywater, Sue Meyer, Rachel Hoelz, and Tricia Engelstad.  The man behind the camera is me, Scott Engelstad.

This was our investor meet and greet and our first crack at the operational agreement.  A big thanks to Tim who went over the agreement with a fine tooth comb and proved that not all lawyers are bottom feeders.