Build it, and they will come…

In many ways we are different than any other brewery that’s opened before.  But in many obvious ways we’re the same.  For instance, there’s building going on all around on your brewery:

In Surrey, BC, our cooler panels are being cut and packed up for our insulated beer storage cooler.  And we horse traded for a cooler door, and took delivery of the evaporator.

In Gresham, Oregon at Bridgetown Brew Systems the crew are putting the finishing touches on our Brewhouse – in time to display it at the Craft Brewer’s Conference in Portland (April 14-17).

In Portland our Unitanks (Fermenters) are coming together at Practical Fusion, to meet a mid-May delivery date.

In Greenwood we are planning the art and layout of the Tasting Room (murals!, handcrafted tables, subway tile!!)

At the space we’re fixing masonry walls, building other walls, jackhammering concrete and trenching floors (for drains), drywall mudding (ceilings, walls, doorways!), painting, ordering equipment and planning (electrical layouts, plumbing, cooler placement – the hundreds of little details that get us from here to open).

We are also reviewing all the submissions we have received for Head Brewer and General Manager – literally dozens of them.  Some more qualified than others, some very enthusiastic about the Co-op model and our commitment to education and community involvement – and all of them very passionate about Craft Beer!  One of my personal worries was that we would not attract the talent that we need to brew really great beers (because, hey, it's really mainly about good beer, right?), but my mind is eased now in this regard with the applicants we've received.  We have no reason to compromise in this regard!

It is truly humbling to see the outpouring of support from you, our members, as well as others in the surrounding neighborhood, as well as the Seattle Craft Beer scene!  If you think about it, this is truly an experiment in a totally different way to build a brewery & tasting room.  Most craft breweries start around a guy, or a couple guys (or gals) that are brewers, that convince enough friends or family or investors, to believe in them and help fund a brewery that orbits around them, and their abilities.

Flying Bike is truly a different model, where we, the collective membership, have a commitment to Craft Beer and the Co-op model, and we are building a brewery, AND THEN we are looking for the brewer and the manager.  It’s the “Field of Dreams” approach – and so far it’s proven itself out, remarkably.  Such an incredible attraction this concept is, that we are getting awesome, top-drawer contributions (of time, talent and money) and interest in working for YOU - from some amazing folks.
These next few months are just the beginning of a really amazing thing – I can assure you!

Thank you for all that you do, for OUR Co-op, and for #memberdrivenbeer.