Construction & Final Occupancy Permit

Its been a while since our last blog post, and that’s because we’ve been pretty busy (Not that we aren’t right now, I promise you we are, we only just Passed our State Permit inspection).  Since our last update we’ve:

Finished the Glycol Piping

Beginning the Glycol Piping, just a short 150 foot run

Welded a Brewing Platform

Grinding down the railings, safety first

Mounted our Control Panel to the New Platform

Railings going up, control panel mounted, starting to look like a brewery

Built our Tasting Room Bar

Building and leveling the bartop, just ask us how level this Bar is now

Started some more artwork

Etching in the Labyrinth to bring in the story of Icarus’ father Daedalus and his ever changing maze.

New Jersey Limited Brewing Permit

This was the big day we were all waiting for.  We already have our Federal Tax and Trade Bureau Permit as well as our Lakewood Township Certificate of Occupancy, we just had New Jersey to wait on.  There was a massive checklist of things we needed to get done by the time we opened as well as by the time we went for our inspection, well the inspection checklist was finally all checked off and we invited New Jersey to check on our work.  Success!  We have our Limited Brewing License and the steps were laid out for everything we still need to get done to open our Tasting Room as well as how to operate within their guidelines.  The big takeaway from our meeting was: Follow the rules.  And if you have an issue with the rules: Follow the rules anyway.  Also, Paperwork is coming, so much more paperwork.  But at least when we fill out all the paperwork to come, we can drink a freshly brewed Icarus beer right alongside it.

Brewing and Whats to Come

Now that we are a licensed Brewery, and now that we have all this beautiful artwork and a phenomenal looking tasting room, and the shiniest Stainless Steel all around our brewhouse we only have one thing left to do to truly become a Brewery: Brew Beer.  We’re finishing out the last of the things we need to do to get that done: Order valves, order hoses, Plumb in the Heat Exchanger, plumb in the grist hydrater, passivate the tanks, and then maybe just maybe: Brew.

Its finally beginning to smell less and less like construction around here, Beer Soon.