Art and Wine under the Oaks in Scotts Valley turned out to be a foggy event but that didn't stop the 4 Hot Broads from serving up beer to hundreds of local folks and getting the word out about our local organic microbrewery! Thank you so much - Beth, Bonnie, Kris and Glenda! We couldn't have done it without you. Word is, you broads are going to be our official festival pourers from now on. :)
From reports on the event, it sounds like the organizers may need to do some re-evaluating about having breweries there and how to support the beer business at the event. The pricing scheme was a little strange - customers had to choose whether to buy a beer tasting glass or a wine glass. Also, vendors need to be allowed to sell other merchandise or it just isn't worth it. It was nice to see Boulder Creek Brewing and Seabright there -
(Get that grouchy kid out of there! Frowning is bad for the beer business. )
(what a nice tent and right next to the ticket booth!)
(look at that display table! take notes, boys... this is how a festival display should look.)
(working the crowds)
(kris entertaining the local beer enthusiasts)
Back at the brewery - life is chugging a long. We continue to add sales accounts - USave, Ben Lomond Liquors, all of the New Leaf Markets, Cafe La Vie, 99 Bottles, and Deluxe Foods. We are working on trading some of our smaller 5 gallon kegs for 1/2 barrel kegs so that we can distribute to bigger restaurants and bars. Chad, Dan, Nick and Tom continue to work on the recipes, trying out a new organic malt. The festival beer and judging beer for the Great American Beer Festival are due soon - so they have been sampling and adjusting - trying to get it perfect for the competition.
We are gearing up for Labor Day and several more beer festivals - including the Santa Cruz County Fair! We will be at the fair on Friday Night so mark your calendars!
The brewers took apart the chiller to give it a thorough cleaning - but putting it back together was a whole other story! After talks with the manufacturer, Chester Jensen, we came to learn that the piece of equipment was built in 1961! Amazing.
After many requests, we are experimenting a little with online merchandising - so if you are interested in buying a t-shirt or sweatshirt online - here is our new store...
http://www.cafepress.com/chadbrew
Of course, our amazing shirts from The Print Gallery - available in cool colors and hand printed are still available at our storefront. We are going to be getting more styles and colors by Labor Day.
Back to brewing for now!
