WEBVTT
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What's up, everybody?
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We are live here in the tap room.
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It's now tied to selling with another edition of our Thursday night supplier spotlight.
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We are here every Thursday night at 7 p.m.
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with a different crafty brewer in-house to discuss their brand, their brews, and the future of their content.
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Alrighty guys, I think we can settle in now.
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Thanks for your patience.
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And uh thanks to the crew, Mr.
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Jaime Salazar, Mr.
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Sean Fernandez, making it work.
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We love you guys deeply.
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Alright, so we're gonna roll right in and get this whole thing going.
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Again, you know, you guys kind of got your company off the ground, and uh I would never take credit for providing a great place for you guys to sit down and really get your thoughts out and creative inspiration.
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Table 10, right there.
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Right, and think deeply about uh what kind of concept you guys want to create.
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But um no, it was fun getting uh uh know you will.
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And uh, you know, Nate uh in particular has a little bit of uh history here in Fort Worth.
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So uh let's see here.
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What do we got?
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What do we got here?
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Oh, I heard there might be a lot of people.
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Do we do we have something here?
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Mr.
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Nate Swan, former uh head brewer at Ramar Brewing and also Martin Howe's Brewing Company bringing those chomps to a new concept here in the near south side and uh anything to embarrass him.
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So yeah.
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Do you any any pictures of me uh when I was that young are are perfect.
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You look exactly the same.
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How long is it?
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How long is it?
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I don't know.
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We were we were laughing about it earlier.
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We called you the Paul Rudd at Fort Worth, so uh I think it's probably appropriate.
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This is this is Jeff Wood's fault if anybody knows Jeff Wood.
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Oh, we all know Woody.
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And there's an even better one of Derek Bruce Out and About.
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Did y'all find any of that?
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Well, yeah.
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This was hanging in the office window.
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So I I don't know if you have this hanging up in your own house, but it is signed.
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So if you want to frame it and keep it, that's it's going on eBay.
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That's all you'll auction, yeah.
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I'll I'll gift it to the cellar.
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Yeah, there it is.
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Well, we'll hang it in the cellar of the cellar.
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No, but um yeah, man, uh when you told me you were gonna be adding some brews to the lineup there, particularly for your your tasting room, uh, that made a lot of sense to me.
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And uh thank you so much for lending the beers to our tap wall.
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So let's dive right in and uh let's talk about blue flag as a company.
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So, Will, you want to take the helm of that?
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And what's the what's the genesis?
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Why did why did we decide we're gonna be crazy and open a open a distillery?
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That's a really good question.
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Um no, we I was just I was looking for uh business to buy about five years ago and uh came across uh a distillery for sale here in Fort Worth.
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And during my research process, I just I fell in love with the people.
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I went up to Iron Root and down to Still Austin and Balconis, and everybody was it was such a a welcoming community, and and it was you know part manufacturing, which I you know, I have an operations background, and and and then it was part hospitality, which we wanted to be a part of.
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That was something we like to do uh you know just at home.
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Personally, that was something we've always enjoyed as entertaining, and being able to combine those two things I thought would uh maybe be a good business.
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And yeah, five years later, you know, I I decided not to try and turn another brand around and decide to start our own and can kind of make our mark on our own.
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And uh about a year into it, you know, uh legendary brewer Craig Mikoskey who is also my uh my godfather's youngest son.
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So I've I've had a little history with him being around Fort Worth.
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He introduced Nate and I.
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And uh I met Nate.
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Gosh, we had beers and just chatted for a little while.
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I told him about distilling.
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I said, you know, I'm doing some distilling.
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We're I think we're gonna do some American single malt.
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And you know, we parted ways.
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And about a month later, Nate called me and said, Hey, let's uh let's meet up for beers again.
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And in the the interim of those four weeks, Nate had read three books on distilling and knew more than I had after a year and a half of trying to get into uh get into the business.
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So I kind of decided at that point it would maybe be a good idea to partner with Nate.
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Um and I don't know, a couple of weeks after that, I I did notice that every time I went anywhere with Nate where a beer was served, someone knew who he was and they liked to give him a hug.
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So it was uh it was it it was good to see you know his how people felt about Nate, what kind of guy he was.
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And that at that point it it was decided that I think we should partner on this.
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And if we're gonna make good products, it has to be driven by somebody like Nate.
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I love that.
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So even when you walked in here and I slapped him in the face and told him to get out, like that isn't it.
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Well, now that we now that we've been partners for as long as we have.
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Yeah, now he knows me well.
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Now that we've been around, yeah, it's good to have that every now and then.
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No, that's amazing.
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Well, uh, let's turn it over, brother.
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Um, you know, obviously I've never been able to work with you in uh a coworker type sense, but here in the industry, uh we know we spent time together and obviously paths crossed countless amounts of times, but um, you know, everything that I know about you from everybody you worked with, uh sorry I'm not speaking clearly enough.
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Um everything you just described is kind of all all I've heard in terms of, yeah, give him a problem, give him a bug, he'll solve it, you know.
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So um tell us your side of that story, Nate.
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Like what you know I know a little bit, and obviously your passion for the beer industry.
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We were talking a little bit about uh you know the post-Martin House days, and you were down in the Granberry area uh working uh adjacent to construction.
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I think that would be the right way to say it.
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Like you were working with a guy down there.
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Oh yeah, well, yeah, I ironically I was I was looking to get out of the the beer business and and do something else.
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Um and that's that's when I met Will.
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Um Craig and I were I was working on opening a brew pub in Granberry.
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Talk a little bit.
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Oh, sorry.
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There you go, there you go.
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Thank you for having our beers on tap.
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I'm like starstruck and pumped up.
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Like this is like we talked about this for a long time.
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I was like, we're gonna get we're gonna get a beer on its seller.
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This this was on Nate's list of goals was to to be here.
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It's a check mark.
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This was goal number one with the beer, yeah.
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So thank you.
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Jesus, way to set the bar low, man.
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No, seriously, honored, man.
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It's it's fun to see you guys, and uh you know, there's a few different types of things.
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I'm sorry, but you know it's a it's a neat thing that uh multiple people have started something in here.
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You know, I've had people that have written wedding vows in here, you know, like each other write their wedding vows in here separately, and you know, see you guys, you know, through excruciating detail, formulate your business plan and and get everything going.
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So it's an honor, man.
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So sorry.
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No, and and thank you again for for allowing us to do that.
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You let us in here before you were open, and you know, we were almost really, really close neighbors.
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Now we're I know, I know neighbors.
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I was super excited about that.
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But this is just as good, if not a million times better.
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All worked out all worked out the way it way it was was meant to.
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So um, but no, kind of the way I came into the picture, like like Will said, we were introduced through a mutual friend.
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Craig and I worked together um at the brewery.
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He's uh a friend, he's a mentor.
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Uh we stayed in touch.
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So uh when I when I left Martin House and I was looking to get out of the beer business, that lasted about a month, I got introduced to somebody opening a brew pub, and um just sounded like a heck of a lot of fun.
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And I've I've told you this, I've told you this, like I still get just as excited today to make a batch of beer as I ever have, you know, in in 15 years of doing it professionally.
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So you're the one.
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Um I don't know if that's I'm gonna interject.
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When when anyone wants to know why a distillery is making beer, it's when your distiller is this passionate about making beer and it keeps him happy, you let him make a little bit of beer.
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So that's that's why we're making beer at the distillery.
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Well, you're gonna need when you're in your tasting room anyway.
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Well, clearly.
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It's also 120 degrees in August, and whiskey does not, you know, does not always sound appetizing in that weather.
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That's fair.
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So, anyhow, I was talking to Craig, we were talking shop about brewing, and I was setting up a new production area, a really small one.
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Got to do it all myself and you know, write recipes and and commission everything, and it was it was a blast.
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Um then talking with Craig, he's like, Oh, well, you gotta meet Will.
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I was like, Who's Will?
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He's like, He's he's my godbrother, he's starting a distillery in Fort Worth, and I think he needs a brewer.
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So, you know, being a beer guy, I I wasn't really um well versed in in whiskey and spirits and the production and even like you know, the the appreciating of the different categories and cocktails and things like that.
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So um long story short, I was useful because I knew how to make beer because Will was gonna make uh the distillery was gonna do gin and single malt whiskey, and single malt is a natural extension of the beer production process.
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So that's really how we got introduced and got connected, and so you know, from there I dove in on distilling and single malt specifically and and all those things, and so yeah, it's um yeah, you told me brewers were quitters, and so challenged me to finish the job.
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Brewers are quitters, distillers finish the job.
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So that's how we first connected on the business and started talking and and exploring uh those things.
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So so literally knowing how to make beer made me made me useful.
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Fun times.
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Well, let's let's talk the hard shit, you know, let's peel it all the way back.
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So uh for those that don't know, uh the guys were literally about to be adjacent uh behind us on Bryan Avenue in the old uh uh machine shop over there.
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Jar Tex.
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Jar Tex, yeah.
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Which was gonna be uh quite a project in its own just to get that place cleaned out and everything.
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Uh but I was with you guys, you know, when y'all first said, hey, I think we got a lease, you know, and we talked about it.
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I was like, bro, I mean, you know, from a customer service standpoint and everything you can do, I thought, you know, that it would be great.
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Well, it turns out you guys just needed to let 10 times the space, you know, for your vision.
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So tell us a little bit about that one.
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Well, we we've bounced around a few times.
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Uh you know, we would the first place I looked at was over on Off of White Settlement.
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Um put a lot of time and effort into that.
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It was too big a project.
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Uh it was too property, it was development.
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And uh so uh after I met Nate kind of at the end of that, we bounced around to uh we actually looked at a couple of different breweries to partner with.
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Uh you know, we we use 90% of the same equipment.
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So we we looked at a couple of breweries.
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It was really hard to get two brands in the same building, and and so we found then found a space over in the warehouse district um near uh near TCU.
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We were excited about that, got engineering drawings, did you know architecture drawings, and five days before uh we were supposed to move into the building, the landlord called and said, I found a better deal, and uh you know, good luck, guys.
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So thanks for letting us leverage you.
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So 10 months in.
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So we um you know, and I that was honestly the first time that that I was relieved.
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You know, like it that when I walked out, I expected to feel a lot worse about it than I did.
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I was excited that now, hey, look, we get to do this, we get to do it again, we get to do it right.
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That's when we found this building over here.
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But pretty immediately we were we were under an LOI for this building, and the tenant uh wasn't ready to leave.
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They they were they stayed and stayed and stayed and stayed to the point where um where our you know I was like, hey, like we can't we can't wait any longer.
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We we are burning cash waiting on you.
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And um that's I I was I was sick in my stomach to get back onto LoopNet and to look for another place.
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And I was on LoopNet for about five minutes, and I saw that uh that the you know the old Ron Sons place was up for lease, and I called the landlord and got under an LOI in a couple of weeks.
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So we went from uh having uh an 8,500 square foot building to having 37,000 square feet.
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And and Nate was like, yes, I can't wait.
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This is where I want.
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Full circle, man.
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Full circle.
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Full circle, it's it's exciting in a lot of ways just to be in a space that's purpose-built for beverage production from a logistical functional standpoint.
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Like like Will said, we we try to partner with breweries because the infrastructure that's there, the equipment, the process, we're using we're doing the same thing when we're making single malt.
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So um it was a great it was a great fit, and you know, such a big campus, a long shot, um, you know, for us, but it worked out and and and things happened quickly after that.
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And then um, you know, also for me personally to be back there, I I've I've lived a lot of life in that building um as a consumer, as an employee.
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Um so just to be back there and and see the legacy of production continue there and breathe some new life into it is it's awesome.
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It's uh it's interesting to see you.
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It speaks to the kind of person you are.
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You already have perspective and you haven't even opened the doors really in the news space, you know.
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But to kind of be able to take that in, you know, because uh for a place like this, and not just for the whiskey club guys, you know, but for everybody, that that building has a lot of meaning, you know, for people that are beer lovers here in Fort Worth.
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I mean, it's like that was it.
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You know, that was that was the first first flag that was planted, you know.
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So it is a it is a neat full circle moment for the uh Fort Worth brew scene to have you guys going in over there and um you know having such a a brewer with gravitas to come in there and and be part of the team and uh and still provide great brews for us.
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So uh I want to move in straight to the beers, but I do want to move into the beers and let you talk a little bit about the beers, and then I really want to give everybody a minute and let Will take the mantle there and talk about what uh blue flag blue flag is gonna provide.
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God, I can't speak for shit tonight.
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Sorry.
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But uh uh, you know, talk about the sp the space at Blue Flag and all the events and everything you guys are gonna provide.
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But let's go, let's go ahead with the beers.
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So uh especially now that I need to order one.
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Tell tell us what we got, brother.
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Well, yeah, so our our beers, I'm I would I would consider myself a traditionalist when it comes to beer, just the process.
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I don't ever want to reinvent the wheel.
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Um spend a good bit of time making 30A junks, crazy, some wild and crazy beers, and that's that's a great time too.
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Um but you know, as a distillery first, uh doing spirits, cocktails, uh, we always kind of align behind a beer portfolio that's very approachable.
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So if you don't want that, you know, we don't want you to choose from a bunch of 10% stout and and and big big beers and eccentric things.
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So yeah, the beers the beer's boring, but in a good way.
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And that's that's how that's how I like it as a consumer.
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That's what I like to do.
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Beer for drinking.
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So um we don't have anything over five percent in our portfolio.
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Um so we're starting out with a few simple, like uh this is the liminal loger is an international pale loger, so it's just a couple of base malts, some noble hops, 20 IBU, um, four and a half percent.
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The word liminal, um if if you haven't heard that word, it means uh the the space in between where you are and and where you're headed.
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So that's a word that kind of echoes through our portfolio.
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Um, and we'll talk a little bit more about the whiskey.
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We have a liminal series uh of whiskies while we produce our own whiskeys, but we decided to call our our house beer Liminal Lager.
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Um so it's it's something that we can offer in the meantime while we're gonna oh yeah, cheers.
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So while we're in that liminal space, starting a business, starting whiskey production, we're you know a good three or four years out from having whiskey ready that we made ourselves in-house to offer.
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So that's what that's where liminal comes from.
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So we called it liminal lager.
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:27.599
The other fun part about this beer is um we ahead of the designation for the ratification for American Single Malt, which happened January of last year, uh we were looking to source whiskey, and we went to Scotland thinking we would bring some gorgeous malt whiskey back, and again, wanting to do everything traditional.
00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:31.920
Our our production in the single malt has always been named as something traditional.
00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:41.839
Just replicate, you know, take traditional methods and offer an expression of that and that is made in Fort Worth.
00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:43.119
What does it taste like aged here?
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:47.759
You know, what does it taste like when the barley's grown here and and and we do it here?
00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:51.519
So we we we explored that.
00:18:51.759 --> 00:19:03.039
Um as it turned out that January the the designation was was approved for American single malt, so we wanted to source American single malt.
00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:06.799
Um but on that trip, there's a beer in Scotland.
00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:10.559
If anybody's ever been to Scotland, Tenant's Lager is the thing.
00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:12.480
Gare Bear, Tenants Lager.
00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:13.759
What's that?
00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:15.920
Tenants Lager, you remember that one?
00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:21.279
The Scottish are very loyal to uh, I guess, their their products.
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:24.319
So I think they have like 60% market share with this beer.
00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:28.799
It's just the you know, it's like the Bud Light of Scotland.
00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:30.319
Um it's a great lager.
00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.279
And it's awesome.
00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:36.240
So that was I I wanted to clone that, I wanted to replicate that.
00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:40.880
I'm not I can't get one here, so I don't know how close it is, but it's that beer in a nutshell.
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:44.559
We want to it's not a Vienna lager, but it does have a little bit more of a malt back.
00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:45.839
It's got a little touch.
00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:52.160
And okay, and if a little touch of breadiness in it, which is so weird in a you know kind of traditional lager.
00:19:52.400 --> 00:20:05.279
And if anybody wants to nerd out for a second, we tr I tried to do this beer with just like five, six percent Munich malt to give it that touch of malt character, and it was just a little too much.
00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:16.559
So this this is literally um Pilsner malt uh with about 30% uh pale ale malt instead of a concentrated dose of the Munich.
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:26.880
So it still gives it a little bit uh bit of malt complexity north of just uh a pilsner and you know tet Nang hops, 20 IBU, first work, and that's that beer.
00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:27.920
It's beautiful, man.
00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:28.960
It's clean.
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:35.039
Um anyway, I'll probably waste all of our time talking about the beers if I talk about all of them.
00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:40.079
So we have a dry Irish stout that is actually on as well, did that uh around St.
00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:42.559
Patty's Day called Scoops.
00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:46.559
Um why did you call it Scoops?
00:20:46.880 --> 00:21:02.960
Scoops, well I don't know better, but it's my understanding that in Dublin specifically, they they still refer to like if if we're going out for for pints, or you know, we're gonna go to the cellar, let's go have pints.
00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:06.640
In Ireland they would say they would call that scoops, like let's go have scoops.
00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:16.799
And it apparently dates back to uh pre-draft equipment when they were still like ladling beer out of vessels.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.880
So it was scoops of beer, so we're leaning into that.
00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:24.480
If anybody from Ireland ever comes in, they'll they'll get it, I guess.
00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:26.640
Um, so that's scoops.
00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:31.839
Um Czech style Pilsner, which we've done pilot batches of.
00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:38.079
Um there's a whole fun story about Malico pores and all that that we want to do in-house.
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:43.680
And we've got uh an English bitter, so English pale ale.
00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.799
Um I've got, yeah, you have that on there.
00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:48.480
I've got the Belgian right now.
00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:50.720
Yeah, the Belgian was just for funsies.
00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:52.160
I don't know if that'll be a thing.
00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:59.759
So the Belgian is a fun story because I reached out to people like uh allegedly may or may not have been before.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:08.160
We moved into the space, but while we were pilot uh you know testing recipes for the single malt, it's like, hey, we're starting a distillery, we'd love to try your grain.
00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.640
Can I get some samples of this and yeast?
00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:18.480
And I ended up with like box, like they were they were mailing stuff to the house, so I was getting like you know, full bags of malt and boxes of yeast, so I ended up with all this stuff.
00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:21.200
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:30.319
I had some Belgian yeast, and uh Lucas and I, our hospitality director, I was kind of involving him in production a little bit while he was training up.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:31.680
Hey, there's Lucas right there.
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:33.920
So Lucas and I brewed the Belgian beer.
00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:40.799
We literally brewed uh like one barrel of it, so that's the only keg ever, other than the one that we had.
00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:42.799
One-on-one, baby, and you got it here.
00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:48.480
Belgian duble with uh coriander orange peel and grains of paradise.
00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:52.799
So and that was that was just to use the Belgian yeast that we never used in a single malt.
00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:54.400
So well thank you, sir.
00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:55.119
Appreciate that.
00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:55.759
Of course.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:56.559
I love it.
00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:00.480
Um so yeah, that's kind of our portfolio on the beer, simple stuff.
00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:01.759
And a hazy pale ale.
00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:05.279
The hazy pale ale is called Floral Friday.
00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:06.400
Sub 5%?
00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:08.160
It's it's five percent.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:08.799
Yeah.
00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:13.279
It's called Floral Friday, and that'll be our hop forward offering.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:17.839
But I love a hoppy beer that's low in alcohol because the hops come out even more, and it's you know.
00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:19.519
I love it.
00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.960
So roughly six-ish beers available in the tasting room.
00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:28.720
Yeah, so um we're the tasting room is still under construction.
00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:29.920
We're starting construction.
00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:32.640
Event space uh is open.
00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:37.599
We we will probably always have at least two or three of those beers in-house.
00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:46.880
So all right, we're gonna move on to the hard hard stuff now because yes, I will drink your beers, but when I go there, you know what I'm drinking.
00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:55.359
So let's move on to the uh Yeah.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:01.440
Uh so moving on a little bit and uh talking about the building, the event space.
00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:05.759
Um let's let's start with the the the branding, you know.
00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:07.839
So why do we go with blue flag?
00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.880
And you know, what's the genesis of that for everybody?
00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:18.880
So the the story of blue flag, and actually there's there's a there's a couple of folks here that helped out with this.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:31.200
Um years and years ago, you know, back pre-COVID, uh, as we we grew up, we we live in an older neighborhood in Fort Worth, and we we wanted to meet our neighbors.
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:36.000
We had it, you know, we wanted to to find a way to have people over and to meet our neighbors.
00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:53.440
And so what we would do is one Friday a month, I would cook a large family-style meal and and we would stock the bar and we would hang a blue flag out in front of the house to let everyone know that that hey, you know, the porch is open, come join us, we've got food, we've got booze, we've got sometimes good conversation.
00:24:53.759 --> 00:25:04.240
And so over you know, over months we we kind of word of mouth spread, and we would just have these great Friday evenings on our porch.
00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:24.720
And when we were looking for what we wanted to represent as a brand and and find the name, um I beat my head against the wall for about three months trying to come up with a name, and my wife, you know, her only input to it was uh the last input, which is you know you should just call it blue flag, and then we that that stuck.
00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:26.640
That was the one that we wanted to do.
00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:30.720
So that's that's where blue flag came from.
00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:35.119
It's you know community, community, community hospitality.
00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:43.440
We we enjoy having even now uh you know as we're getting built up, we we enjoy having people at the distillery.
00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:51.359
We we've hosted some some big events, we we had 40 people last night for an orientation, and it's great.
00:25:51.440 --> 00:26:00.400
We we we just like having people in the building, and and I think you know, obviously Nate's uh Nate's attention to detail and what he's doing.
00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:06.480
You hear him talk about the beer is uh he's he he is a a yeast rancher.
00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:18.319
Like he he he is he makes those yeast happy, and our whiskey, the whiskey that he has made to to this point has gotten, you know, the new make has gotten some rate reviews from people who know what they're talking about.
00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:32.880
So um, so yeah, so what you know part of what we did to be able to have that you know to offer that hospitality is we have the event space, which is the you know 705, the large large space right there in the parking lot.
00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:38.880
Um we we can host, you know, I think get lit, the the vendor book fair we had.
00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:42.960
Uh we had about a thousand people come through uh last Sunday.
00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:47.759
Um and we're also doing uh we're gonna we're gonna use that 700 South Main Building.
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:51.119
I know there's been uh threats of that for many, many years.
00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:54.480
Uh we are going to turn that into our tasting room.
00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:57.200
We're gonna build out a small theater.
00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:00.240
Um and oh for what purposes, sir?
00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:04.559
Not not publicly uh not publicly announced yet, but Four Day.
00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:05.599
Oh, all right, there we go.
00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:11.440
But uh the uh improv group four-day weekend is gonna move in and be our resident at at the theater.
00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:20.240
So every Friday and Saturday night you'll be able to come uh have some blue flag whiskey or beer and uh and see four-day weekend.
00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:22.079
Maybe some both a little bit of both.
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:22.799
A little bit of both.
00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:23.519
Some gin.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:24.559
We have some gin.
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:28.640
We do have a little bit of a little bit of vodka, you know, our our portfolio.
00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:30.960
We're sticking with four spirits.
00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:34.160
So um at for the tasting room.
00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:35.599
All right, well, let's go through them.
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:40.000
So our flagship spirit is obviously American single malt.
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:41.759
We we we chose that.
00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:46.160
Uh I chose you know, that was something I I leaned towards when I fell in love with whiskey.
00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:55.279
You know, I was uh we were living overseas, and but that's you know, the the the world drinks malt whiskey, you know, every everywhere but the US.
00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:57.200
And that's what I was introduced to.
00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:01.680
You know, the first time I could afford to buy a nice bottle of whiskey was was when we were there.
00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:21.920
So uh I fell in love with single malt, I fell in love with gin as you know, for you know the cocktails, uh, and and the things that you know can tell you, I can tell you great stories about my first Pete at Scotch and where I had it, and the memory, you know, the the the the things that I attached to to being able to do that.
00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.680
Um so so that's you know that's why we went to Singapore.
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:27.519
It was a new category coming in.
00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.400
Uh it still hadn't been ratified at that point in time.
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:35.200
It was the way the government defined it was kind of wishy-washy.
00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:39.119
And we we just we we caught it just at the right time.
00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:56.559
Where at you know, January of last year, the TTB, what's that trade, trade bureau, tax and trade bureau, uh federal government, after a nine-year process, uh accepted the first new whiskey category in over 50 years, and it was American Single Ball.
00:28:56.799 --> 00:29:00.720
And so we're we're excited to be in that category.
00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:05.599
Uh the gin, as Nate talked about, that's our you know, we got to do a couple of things.
00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:17.440
It takes four years for that whiskey to age, so we we have to find some ways to uh to make a little revenue, keep the lights on until until we get to our whiskey being age or our whiskey aging out.
00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:20.079
And so we're we are sourcing some whiskey.
00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:23.759
Nate and I were very intentional about where we went to find this whiskey.
00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:36.559
We found a distillery that the people were great, the equipment was set up very similar to ours, their attention to detail and quality, their cleanliness, uh everything really matched what we want to do, and the quality of their whiskey.
00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:42.079
Our whiskey's gonna taste different, but our quality is going to be the same, and you'll be able to you'll be able to tell that.
00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:45.839
And then the gin was that's just been a passion project.
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:54.079
That's just something we've been working on for almost two years, and we're just we are ecstatic about how it turned out.
00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:56.079
Um we just don't know.
00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:57.759
You don't know until you do it.
00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:02.079
And uh so so those are our two our two big products.
00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:09.920
Um I don't know, you know, I don't know how many of y'all are aware of this, but it at a production distillery you can only serve what you make.
00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:15.440
So we we want to have a cocktail program, we want to be able to serve a wide variety.
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:19.039
We have a very talented bar manager standing back there.
00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:32.319
And so we added vodka and uh the rye to our to our portfolio, so we can we can you know you're not you're gonna have plenty of choices when you come in.
00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:38.880
Um what's the other that there is a little little special thing to our vodka and our our gin.
00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:44.799
Uh for our base we use what's called a grape neutral spirit instead of a instead of a grain neutral spirit.
00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:50.640
Whereas typically it would be made with corn or corn, wheat, another grain.
00:30:50.880 --> 00:31:01.440
Uh we are using uh wine as our as our we we distill wine to 192 proof and then we use that uh as as our base.
00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:08.799
It's actually a little bit higher quality ingredient, but right now it's very easy to get large quantities of wine uh to distill.
00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:11.519
So uh we're we're taking advantage of that.
00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:14.559
We're reusing a product that would otherwise be dumped out.
00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:15.920
So we're happy about that too.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.920
It checks a lot of boxes for us.
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.440
I love it, man.
00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:20.319
I love it.
00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:32.960
So uh to kind of touch on it, uh you know, you said obviously you guys have a long runway until uh that single mod is ready for uh consumption to the market.
00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:38.160
Uh so I'm super excited about the vault.
00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:40.480
So do you want to take a minute to talk about that?
00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:46.880
Because I think most people in this room have been in there, you know, and so now it's gonna be such a different experience.
00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:49.279
Uh can you guys talk a little bit about that?
00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:54.559
Maybe even uh talk about the website and where they can go to take a look, you know, get a little preview.
00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:55.519
Yeah.
00:31:55.839 --> 00:32:01.200
The uh so we took the the old, I don't know, what would you call it?
00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:01.920
Tasting room.
00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:03.039
Tasting room, tap room.
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:05.519
We took the old tap room.
00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:10.400
Um we put in uh I think this is what people have been most excited about.
00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:16.480
We put in uh eight toilets, so there is now not just one toilet in that space.
00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:18.640
Uh we added Who thought of that?
00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:19.440
Yeah, I don't know.
00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:20.720
Yeah, the architects.
00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:22.720
The architects thought of that.
00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:33.279
Uh we added uh we added a bar, we added a permanent bar fixture and a little prep kitchen for our bar so we can do cocktails and and six taps on the wall.
00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:39.680
So we have a space now we can host up to about 525 people.
00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:44.240
Uh we did a seated 400-person dinner, it was our first event.
00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:48.960
That was you know, we're not afraid of a challenge, I guess is the best way to put it.
00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:53.759
Um we were putting fixtures on on bathroom doors at 3 p.m.
00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:55.920
Uh, and the event started at 6.
00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:58.960
So we we made it in just under the wire.
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:02.559
But uh, but yeah, we it was a successful event.
00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:05.440
We we had the vendors come out for the book fair.
00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:28.960
That was that was great, and and we're excited about we're you know able to having the full bar, the permanent bar there, and to be able to staff that bar and and serve uh serve that many people, have that many people through, and and let them you know have Nate's beer, Nate's Spirits, and Lucas's cocktails has been uh it's been an absolute joy to talk to, you know.
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:32.799
I get to go out and and talk to people and see them being happy about it.
00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:34.400
So I love it, man.
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:35.440
That's phenomenal.
00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:41.359
Uh I feel like I have about 400 questions.
00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:49.839
The problem is I don't want to keep us here all night, and I'm not that interesting, so I want to make sure that everybody in the room gets an opportunity to talk to you guys.
00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:53.119
So we're gonna open it up to the QA.
00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:57.519
Uh but before we do, uh I want to give uh a little bit of love.
00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:01.039
We're having a little technical difficulty tonight, but these guys make this thing cool.
00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:01.519
It's Mr.
00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:03.359
Sean Fernandez, Mr.
00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:04.960
Jaime Salazar.
00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:06.160
They do this thing every week.
00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:11.440
And then they make this thing cool.
00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:15.119
I do want to give some love to the kitchen stamp, our brand new pizza kitchen.
00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:19.920
Uh the Zelda is delicious, and not because I say so, it's because you got a stay so.
00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:24.480
So a little bit of love for everybody in the kitchen, and then chicken.
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:30.559
Oh yeah, we're gonna there it is.
00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:31.519
I love it.
00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:32.239
I love it.
00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:36.480
All right, let's open it up to the to uh everybody in the room.
00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:38.880
You guys got any fun questions?
00:34:39.679 --> 00:34:40.400
Gotcha, man.
00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:40.880
I got things.
00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:49.440
Oh no, bigger moment, uh moment.
00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:50.639
Oh gosh.
00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:53.280
Um baby.
00:34:53.599 --> 00:34:55.760
Well, that's well, how much time do we have left?
00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:14.239
Um I'll tell you, as a you know, first-time business owner, uh it wasn't one moment, but the first week and a half that we're there, the first 10 days we were there, I think every piece of equipment in that distillery broke.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:19.679
Our forklift, our garage, the garage door where we were loading everything in.
00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:22.880
Um the chiller went down.
00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:24.960
The oh no, the chiller didn't get down.
00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:29.039
The entire chilling system got cut out by the the guys that were moving out.
00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:31.280
It's a miscommunication.
00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:33.360
Um what else?
00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:43.119
Yeah, as an Ono, it was just as an Ono, it was finally got everything you this yeah, we got wanted and wished for, and then you get in so much.
00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:56.719
The the running joke at the distillery is that we're we're just if if the blue flag name doesn't catch on, we're gonna change it to option B because we have never the first thing that we have thought of to do has never once happened.
00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:58.000
As in with the pot.
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:03.119
This is this is on brand for us to where we start something and we go, wait, wait, wait, we gotta go back and fix it.
00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:05.440
And so switch this sounds too.
00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:10.880
Um the biggest aha moment was Nate's first whiskey.
00:36:11.039 --> 00:36:27.280
Uh I mean, it it when he I say his first whiskey, it was actually batch 13, but he he brought he he allegedly made some whiskey and uh and brought it out, and it was so I say I say one whiskey.
00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:28.079
He made three whiskeys.
00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:42.400
He made he made three whiskeys with three different yeasts and uh three different malts, and he had he knew exactly what they were gonna do and what they were gonna taste like, how to treat those yeasts, and he brought them out.
00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:51.519
And I think our second day there, we had a large group uh and a large investor group there, and Nate, you know, they brought it out to Nate and they were all blown away.
00:36:51.599 --> 00:37:04.559
And these were single malt, these were they're specifically single malt whiskey investors, and they were so blown away that they have come back to the distillery, I think, four or five times in the last eight months.
00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:07.039
So that was the real aha moment for me.
00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:09.599
It was like, hey, like we're we're heading the right direction here.
00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:10.800
We're doing something right.
00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:13.360
One of those was a Saison yeast, though.
00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:16.159
So not on the beer side, but yeah.
00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:17.440
There you go.
00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:20.559
Hell yeah.
00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:23.039
Alright, so Saison in the tap room, got it.
00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:23.760
Wait, what?
00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:24.960
Did we already talk about it?
00:37:27.519 --> 00:37:28.800
Wait, well, do we talk about it?
00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:29.679
It's it's me.
00:37:29.920 --> 00:37:30.960
You know what the question I'm gonna ask.
00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:33.039
We haven't talked about it yet.
00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:33.760
Okay, go ahead.
00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:36.400
Um, so um what about Saisons?
00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:37.920
Are you gonna make any Saisons?
00:37:39.760 --> 00:37:43.519
We don't have a Saison in the beer lineup.
00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:44.800
I I love a Saison.
00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:45.280
Heck yeah.
00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:49.360
We are using Saison, French Saison yeast in one of the whiskey profiles.
00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:55.519
So that one is, yeah, it's it's like a it's like a fruit basket.
00:37:55.679 --> 00:38:04.719
Like um also some of that uh phenolic character really concentrates after you distill it, and it's it's it's really good.
00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:05.039
Yeah.
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:05.679
Sweet.
00:38:05.920 --> 00:38:11.599
That was that was the favorite of of the new make that we made for most people who tasted it, quite honestly.
00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:15.119
So well, let's talk about Saisons after this.
00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:15.760
Okay.
00:38:16.639 --> 00:38:16.880
Deal.
00:38:18.960 --> 00:38:21.920
Have you ever heard of a little uh side project called the Priory?
00:38:22.239 --> 00:38:22.639
I don't know.
00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:23.039
I don't know.
00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:24.079
You ever heard of them?
00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:26.239
Uh talk after.
00:38:28.719 --> 00:38:33.760
You guys are doing it copper scales and putting them in two barrels doing well afterwards.
00:38:35.199 --> 00:38:35.840
That's correct.
00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:36.800
That's a very good question.
00:38:36.960 --> 00:38:38.639
Uh we haven't talked about our equipment all.
00:38:40.960 --> 00:38:42.400
I just heard about you guys tonight.
00:38:43.039 --> 00:38:43.920
Okay, I'm excited.
00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:53.119
But maintaining it, we have copper scales and uh mature and both barrels.
00:38:54.639 --> 00:39:01.199
Brand new we're using brand new at the end, but what that would be brand new barrels at the end of the point.
00:39:01.679 --> 00:39:02.000
How long?
00:39:02.079 --> 00:39:04.320
How long are they going to have to take away?
00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:05.599
That's a great question.
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:07.679
I I will I will try and keep this short.
00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:21.119
Um, when we decided to move into the space that that that we're in now, we had a 250-gallon Vendome pot still, uh hybrid uh pot still that was going to do all our production.
00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:36.719
Um about three weeks later, we walked into a warehouse that had two 2,000-gallon pot stills and two 700-gallon spirit stills, and we were able to acquire those and bring them into the distillery.
00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:47.440
Uh those stills were built uh in Waco, Texas, by handmade in Waco, Texas by uh by Chip Tate, uh, as many of you know are the founder of Balconus.
00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:52.719
Um and so those stills are now uh sitting in in our distilleries.
00:39:52.880 --> 00:40:00.079
So we uh from our production standpoint uh on copper pot stills, just big, beautiful.
00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:04.159
Uh each each one weigh each one of the wash stills weighs about 10 tons.
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:08.320
I'm sorry, each one of the wash still weighs about five tons, about 10,000 pounds.
00:40:08.559 --> 00:40:12.719
And uh they are they're really the showpiece of what we're doing.
00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:14.960
We're we're excited to get those fired up.
00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:21.039
We will be using um uh Still Austin, second-use barrels.
00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:22.159
Still Austin.
00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:25.280
Um they're they're they're bourbon barrels.
00:40:25.360 --> 00:40:35.199
Uh we find that you know, if you put uh you can't put bad whiskey in good barrels and get good whiskey, but if you put good whiskey in good barrels, you get you get fantastic whiskey.
00:40:35.280 --> 00:40:46.800
And we know those guys are uh are dedicated to a they have an amazing barrel program, and the person that's running it is the best in the maybe in the world at what she does.
00:40:46.960 --> 00:40:55.280
So we're we're really excited that they have uh partnered with us and letting us use some of their their and for the age, we don't know.
00:40:55.360 --> 00:41:05.280
Uh it's maybe three years, maybe four years, our environment, uh, you know, how you know what the tilt wall panels do there.
00:41:05.679 --> 00:41:08.400
Uh we will keep a close eye on it.
00:41:08.559 --> 00:41:11.119
We hope that it's perfect in three years.
00:41:11.199 --> 00:41:14.719
Uh we plan for it to be perfect in four.
00:41:15.840 --> 00:41:17.280
So we'll we'll see.
00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:25.760
We've we've done some blends with some five-year-old barrels and have been really excited about it, but they were five-year-old barrels from a milder climate.
00:41:25.920 --> 00:41:33.679
Um, so we're we're we also, you know, what we put into the barrel is gonna be a little bit different in expectation of that timeline.
00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:40.480
So we're we're not gonna put anything too heavy in there expecting for it to change in five years instead of twelve years.
00:41:43.360 --> 00:41:44.639
So glad to see you back in.
00:41:45.280 --> 00:41:54.719
Uh so back on the brewer versus the distiller side, uh, fermentation temperatures how does that work with distilling?
00:41:54.800 --> 00:41:56.239
Does it make a difference if we're using a bullet?
00:41:58.000 --> 00:41:59.519
That's an excellent question.
00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:02.719
Uh I d I believe it matters tremendously.
00:42:02.880 --> 00:42:20.880
Um and you know, coming at this with a brewer's perspective, you know, I I see an opportunity to influence things with um brewer's yeast and distiller's yeast.
00:42:21.119 --> 00:42:45.519
Um I d just based on the trials that we've done, like we we found significant differences in um just different fermentation profiles, not only different yeast, but just like in beer, different timelines, different temperatures, all of all the things that impact yeast performance um are ways to Yes, please.
00:42:45.920 --> 00:42:46.960
Can I try the Belgian beer?
00:42:47.280 --> 00:42:48.000
Would you like a Belgian?
00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:48.800
I would like a Belgian beer.
00:42:49.039 --> 00:42:49.760
Damn right you'd like a Bible.
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:50.719
Speaking of yeast.
00:42:51.119 --> 00:43:06.960
So so yes, um I and I think if you look at distilling historically, the yeast is performing a mechanical function, full attenuation, you know, the ethanol yield, you know, from a financial standpoint, that's the important thing.
00:43:07.039 --> 00:43:09.119
You want to get all the alcohol yield out of it.
00:43:09.199 --> 00:43:15.280
So tr traditional distiller's yeast is is um designed to do just that.
00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:34.719
So um but yeah, we we've had a lot of fun playing with brewer's yeast for flavor contribution and then giving giving that some time on its own, and then kind of backing that up with distiller's yeast to come in and uh fully attenuate uh everything in the wort.
00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:38.960
Uh so I I think it I think it makes a huge difference.
00:43:39.119 --> 00:43:53.119
Now, that being said, we haven't had it spend four years in the barrel yet, so I can't fully say what that what that looks like, but um at least in the new make it it makes a tremendous tremendous difference.
00:43:53.280 --> 00:44:01.199
Just like if you uh made a batch of wort and put a hundred different yeasts on it, you get a hundred different beers.
00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:02.960
So I think the same holds true.
00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:15.760
And I I hope nobody else is paying as much attention to it because it's a way for you know I'm excited to to use that to differentiate some of our whiskey.
00:44:16.559 --> 00:44:29.360
We we've you know Saison yeast, Kvike yeast we played with which is kind of a cool fit for whiskey in Texas because it's happy in very warm temperatures into the 90s.
00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:31.440
It's not a fussy yeast.
00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:34.239
It's done quick very little off flavor.
00:44:34.880 --> 00:44:41.039
And then we've done some really traditional stuff with you know English ale yeast, malt whiskey yeast.
00:44:41.280 --> 00:44:52.400
So yeah I think I think there's I think there's infinite room but just within the category to make different whiskey that has yeast driven flavor.
00:44:53.440 --> 00:44:54.800
Just like in craft beer.
00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:10.400
That's one of the fun things about single malt is is we we can the variety of flavor profiles that we can do with with just malted barley is is expansive.
00:45:10.639 --> 00:46:06.639
I mean it's we we can yeah and and then you start talking about adding smoke and you know adding you know peat or or or uh mesquite or you know all the all the things that you can do we we just have uh uh huge opportunity to to to go through all these flavors create something that's fun and new you know every time or or just a couple of times the only other thing I'll say on that um again not having seen it you know four years down the road but using refill casks and not getting too much oak influence I think some of that fermentation character has a better chance to shine through um so we'll see yeah I'll piggyback just a touch I always find it interesting when you get some of these very established breweries that uh that jump into the distilling world I always gravitate to anything they use with the Belgian yeast.
00:46:06.880 --> 00:46:28.320
I find that those like no matter what it is I typically whiskey but I I tend to think that those are the most exciting you know you get some wild flavors like is that really banana whiskey you know like yeah there's some we there's some weird stuff that happens a little bit but anyway I'm I'm always curious about that I'm curious if you're gonna play with some of that.
00:46:28.719 --> 00:46:32.320
If you want to see a good example of that real ale does a single malt.
00:46:32.559 --> 00:46:45.519
Oh big time and it's it's absolutely fantastic and they've just got a little small on the small still on the bag but they're they're using that brewing knowledge to create something that created distilling double speed is is fantastic.
00:46:45.840 --> 00:47:40.800
And the uh and the weavy surprise they have two they have two yeah they have two profiles I love it so heck yeah what do we got what do we got is there an expected opening date for the tasting room there it is not a we start demolition next week uh we start demo next week on the old offices that were in there assuming there's no asbestos which we don't we don't think there was I haven't gotten the report back yet but as soon as that comes back we start demo um and we're looking at 10 weeks from from from that that's the I four day weekend wants to do their first show next weekend so um there we're under some we're under a timeline.
00:47:41.440 --> 00:48:13.920
Hopefully this summer maybe after 4th of July um in the event space though we'll we'll be doing um uh open house we're calling it April 25th sneak peek yeah we're we're gonna we're gonna open it up we get asked that question uh we get asked that question a lot and uh we're gonna do an open house on the 25th and we're gonna just we're gonna pull up a couple of food trucks we're gonna set up tables we're gonna have uh have some music and we'll have cocktails and beer and we'll give tours on the hour every hour and everybody can come through and see what we're doing.
00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:23.840
And we'll have uh we'll we've our four spirits we have packaged so we'll that'll be the first opportunity to to buy bottles as well.
00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:31.840
I'll have some can I'll finish it out.
00:48:32.159 --> 00:50:07.360
Um I'm gonna show one from uh the Murphys what is your most memorable beer experience and why Nate Swan I want to hear this my most memorable memorable beer experience yeah so so this is the it's the amalgamation of like what's your favorite all-time beer what's your desert island beer but he he's axed those and turned it into you know it doesn't matter what the beer is a great but what's your favorite all-time beer experience hmm this is this is gonna be so uh boring and unassuming but no it's not like I literally remember my first Sierra Nevada pale ale and I was in my parents' backyard I went out and there was a little deck out back by the shed and you know you gotta you gotta try that beer I was starting my beer journey this is like before I even worked in a brewery I was homebrewing and uh you drink that beer now right it's it's it's a standard baseline pale ale it's it's it's not an eccentric beer by any means but I remember I remember being blown away by the hop character and I remember like like you know and I'm not well versed in wine but you know when it dances on the palate and it and the and the sip continues and it just like the way it the way it uh the malt and the hops kind of duke it out on your palate and you just want another sip.
00:50:07.440 --> 00:51:29.360
But I remember thinking oh my god what is happening here this is the h like I I'd never experienced that uh that level of hoppiness on the palate and this is just a Sierra Nevada pale again like uh you know yeah but your first is still an all-time grape I mean I think I literally have some in my fridge and that's 20 years ago or more so I I can remember that day so I are you saying you have 20 year old Sierra Nevada in your fridge oh wouldn't that be something favorite beer of all time I have more than once answered uh Sierra Nevada celebration ale I now you can get it in cans so oh sorry well that that's mine that's what comes to mind like that's yeah it's one of my fondest spear memories you you got uh you got a lot on your plate but if you guys ever do a wet hop ale down there you just let me know okay I'll mash in with you it'd be great you guys are wonderful we got another one let's go keep it going guys how did your perspective change or what did you learn as a result of your journey to Scotland?
00:51:29.440 --> 00:52:53.519
I know you went up there and and toured a lot of distilleries that's a great question um I think it reinforced our our desire to be traditional in what we're doing um and and you know you you look at it from uh 10,000 foot and it all looks like they're doing the same thing and then you start talking to them and you bring a person who can ask the right questions and you find out that it's you know it's in the devil's in the detail and that they all do you know that they all do something very specific multiple things very specific to their brand and to make their whiskey taste different and that's that's that was the perspective it gave me is that we need to pay attention down to you know to a couple of degrees you know if we're talking Scotland Celsius that uh that in everything that we do to make sure that that you know we can reach the level of quality that we want to and that we can maintain you know we we can do that on a on a day-to-day basis and that was you know watching those guys work who you know not only been doing it day to day but decade to decade and you know century to century so that was that was what we that's what I think that's what I took away from it.
00:52:53.599 --> 00:52:54.639
I don't know about you.
00:52:55.360 --> 00:53:18.800
Yeah and just you know appreciating that you know the the nuances of all the different distilleries and and everybody has kind of their their thing that they lean on so just wanting to take that traditional approach and again just br bring to life whatever single malt whiskey tastes like when it's made right here.
00:53:18.880 --> 00:53:23.440
Like that was you know we we want to stay out of the way of that and just like facilitate that.
00:53:23.599 --> 00:54:12.400
So um yeah I'll I'll I'll add to that the the regionality of Scotland you know when you you pick it up you put it you put Scotland inside of Texas and how distinct that they have made each region as a brand new category we're gonna start I I do think over time we're gonna start falling into our you know our our flavor profiles and and I think that the Texas whiskey is going to be different than California single malt whiskey than than Virginia single malt whiskey and I'm excited to see that you know you think about all of those different flavors that are coming from such a small space you know such a small geographic area and how that's gonna look over time as this category develops I'm excited about that.
00:54:12.480 --> 00:54:25.679
That was that was a big thing big takeaway from a for us as well all right guys very much go ahead no I was gonna say thank you thank you all for coming and and thanks for the great question.
00:54:25.920 --> 00:56:31.599
100% man for having us yeah well I I love you guys I'll you want to come back we can do it again next week are we tasting gin yeah we can we can we can do the spirits next time you know Nate and I are both uh rule followers by personality and we didn't even think about until we in until we got here that we probably should have brought a bottle of gin oh calm down well it gives us all an opportunity to meet up at your guys' house you know let's go to the vault everybody want to go to the vault let's go to the vault that's yeah I will I will add this i'll I'll I will say this this is last last thing no please we we we do occasionally if you're driving by the distillery and we have the blue flag hanging out on the on the garage door you'll see it it we pull the garage door halfway up we hang the flag we are open if that if you see that hanging feel free come inside have a drink with us and uh enjoy yourself so just keep an eye out for it heck yeah man well guys thank y'all so much for uh for hanging out with us on Thursday nights we love you deeply I know this was a special one uh considering what the guys do and and the nature of this uh I I I feel very confident in this uh local south side business we're all gonna be very happy to spend our money at so we love you guys deeply uh one more round of applause for Sean Jaime thank you so much for getting us through this thing God bless thank you so much for uh JOE and house who has lent his his stylings if you guys look at us up on Spotify Apple or wherever you get your podcast you will hear Joe's intro into every Southside seller uh supplier spotlight uh podcast and uh of course as we do every week the sexiest man in beer Mr.
00:56:31.679 --> 00:56:48.639
Matthew Gigliani serving up the goodies on my lung he loves that he is a beautiful man I'm just saying uh and of course last but not least thank you guys so much for spending your Thursday night with us Mr.
00:56:48.719 --> 00:56:49.920
Will Rucker Mr.
00:56:50.000 --> 00:58:20.320
Nate Swan legend in the local beer and industry and about to be legends in the local distilling industry we love you guys we look forward to blue flag so give it up guys love you baby all right let's put some music on let's party guys cheers don't trap and not go back to go five out of the back
00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:18.000
What's up, everybody?
00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.160
We are live here in the tap room.
00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:24.079
It's now tied to selling with another edition of our Thursday night supplier spotlight.
00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:26.719
We are here every Thursday night at 7 p.m.
00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:33.679
with a different crafty brewer in-house to discuss their brand, their brews, and the future of their content.
00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:46.479
Alrighty guys, I think we can settle in now.
00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:48.159
Thanks for your patience.
00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:49.840
And uh thanks to the crew, Mr.
00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:51.359
Jaime Salazar, Mr.
00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:53.280
Sean Fernandez, making it work.
00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:54.479
We love you guys deeply.
00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:59.119
Alright, so we're gonna roll right in and get this whole thing going.
00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:11.760
Again, you know, you guys kind of got your company off the ground, and uh I would never take credit for providing a great place for you guys to sit down and really get your thoughts out and creative inspiration.
00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:13.040
Table 10, right there.
00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:16.640
Right, and think deeply about uh what kind of concept you guys want to create.
00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:20.319
But um no, it was fun getting uh uh know you will.
00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:28.000
And uh, you know, Nate uh in particular has a little bit of uh history here in Fort Worth.
00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:29.920
So uh let's see here.
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:30.560
What do we got?
00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:31.439
What do we got here?
00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:32.560
Oh, I heard there might be a lot of people.
00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:34.239
Do we do we have something here?
00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:38.560
Mr.
00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:51.680
Nate Swan, former uh head brewer at Ramar Brewing and also Martin Howe's Brewing Company bringing those chomps to a new concept here in the near south side and uh anything to embarrass him.
00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:52.560
So yeah.
00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:56.959
Do you any any pictures of me uh when I was that young are are perfect.
00:01:57.280 --> 00:01:58.560
You look exactly the same.
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:00.239
How long is it?
00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:01.680
How long is it?
00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:02.799
I don't know.
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:04.719
We were we were laughing about it earlier.
00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:08.639
We called you the Paul Rudd at Fort Worth, so uh I think it's probably appropriate.
00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.919
This is this is Jeff Wood's fault if anybody knows Jeff Wood.
00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:13.039
Oh, we all know Woody.
00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:18.319
And there's an even better one of Derek Bruce Out and About.
00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:19.919
Did y'all find any of that?
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:21.439
Well, yeah.
00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.000
This was hanging in the office window.
00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:28.479
So I I don't know if you have this hanging up in your own house, but it is signed.
00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:33.199
So if you want to frame it and keep it, that's it's going on eBay.
00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.680
That's all you'll auction, yeah.
00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:37.759
I'll I'll gift it to the cellar.
00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:38.960
Yeah, there it is.
00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:41.759
Well, we'll hang it in the cellar of the cellar.
00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:52.240
No, but um yeah, man, uh when you told me you were gonna be adding some brews to the lineup there, particularly for your your tasting room, uh, that made a lot of sense to me.
00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.360
And uh thank you so much for lending the beers to our tap wall.
00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:00.000
So let's dive right in and uh let's talk about blue flag as a company.
00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.039
So, Will, you want to take the helm of that?
00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:04.479
And what's the what's the genesis?
00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:08.639
Why did why did we decide we're gonna be crazy and open a open a distillery?
00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:10.400
That's a really good question.
00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:21.039
Um no, we I was just I was looking for uh business to buy about five years ago and uh came across uh a distillery for sale here in Fort Worth.
00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:24.800
And during my research process, I just I fell in love with the people.
00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:42.000
I went up to Iron Root and down to Still Austin and Balconis, and everybody was it was such a a welcoming community, and and it was you know part manufacturing, which I you know, I have an operations background, and and and then it was part hospitality, which we wanted to be a part of.
00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:46.080
That was something we like to do uh you know just at home.
00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:54.159
Personally, that was something we've always enjoyed as entertaining, and being able to combine those two things I thought would uh maybe be a good business.
00:03:54.479 --> 00:04:03.360
And yeah, five years later, you know, I I decided not to try and turn another brand around and decide to start our own and can kind of make our mark on our own.
00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:15.199
And uh about a year into it, you know, uh legendary brewer Craig Mikoskey who is also my uh my godfather's youngest son.
00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:18.720
So I've I've had a little history with him being around Fort Worth.
00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:20.319
He introduced Nate and I.
00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:22.639
And uh I met Nate.
00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:26.000
Gosh, we had beers and just chatted for a little while.
00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:27.199
I told him about distilling.
00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:29.040
I said, you know, I'm doing some distilling.
00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:31.600
We're I think we're gonna do some American single malt.
00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:33.920
And you know, we parted ways.
00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:38.959
And about a month later, Nate called me and said, Hey, let's uh let's meet up for beers again.
00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:50.000
And in the the interim of those four weeks, Nate had read three books on distilling and knew more than I had after a year and a half of trying to get into uh get into the business.
00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:56.560
So I kind of decided at that point it would maybe be a good idea to partner with Nate.
00:04:56.720 --> 00:05:07.600
Um and I don't know, a couple of weeks after that, I I did notice that every time I went anywhere with Nate where a beer was served, someone knew who he was and they liked to give him a hug.
00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:15.839
So it was uh it was it it was good to see you know his how people felt about Nate, what kind of guy he was.
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:19.920
And that at that point it it was decided that I think we should partner on this.
00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:23.279
And if we're gonna make good products, it has to be driven by somebody like Nate.
00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:24.399
I love that.
00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:28.720
So even when you walked in here and I slapped him in the face and told him to get out, like that isn't it.
00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.079
Well, now that we now that we've been partners for as long as we have.
00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:34.959
Yeah, now he knows me well.
00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.879
Now that we've been around, yeah, it's good to have that every now and then.
00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:40.399
No, that's amazing.
00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:42.160
Well, uh, let's turn it over, brother.
00:05:42.399 --> 00:06:01.439
Um, you know, obviously I've never been able to work with you in uh a coworker type sense, but here in the industry, uh we know we spent time together and obviously paths crossed countless amounts of times, but um, you know, everything that I know about you from everybody you worked with, uh sorry I'm not speaking clearly enough.
00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:10.399
Um everything you just described is kind of all all I've heard in terms of, yeah, give him a problem, give him a bug, he'll solve it, you know.
00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:14.879
So um tell us your side of that story, Nate.
00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:21.040
Like what you know I know a little bit, and obviously your passion for the beer industry.
00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:30.240
We were talking a little bit about uh you know the post-Martin House days, and you were down in the Granberry area uh working uh adjacent to construction.
00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:32.399
I think that would be the right way to say it.
00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:34.480
Like you were working with a guy down there.
00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:44.000
Oh yeah, well, yeah, I ironically I was I was looking to get out of the the beer business and and do something else.
00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.519
Um and that's that's when I met Will.
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:52.720
Um Craig and I were I was working on opening a brew pub in Granberry.
00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:53.360
Talk a little bit.
00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:54.079
Oh, sorry.
00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:55.279
There you go, there you go.
00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:57.759
Thank you for having our beers on tap.
00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:00.480
I'm like starstruck and pumped up.
00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:03.439
Like this is like we talked about this for a long time.
00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:05.839
I was like, we're gonna get we're gonna get a beer on its seller.
00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:08.639
This this was on Nate's list of goals was to to be here.
00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:09.680
It's a check mark.
00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:11.439
This was goal number one with the beer, yeah.
00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:11.920
So thank you.
00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:13.920
Jesus, way to set the bar low, man.
00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:18.240
No, seriously, honored, man.
00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:22.800
It's it's fun to see you guys, and uh you know, there's a few different types of things.
00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:28.879
I'm sorry, but you know it's a it's a neat thing that uh multiple people have started something in here.
00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:43.199
You know, I've had people that have written wedding vows in here, you know, like each other write their wedding vows in here separately, and you know, see you guys, you know, through excruciating detail, formulate your business plan and and get everything going.
00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:44.639
So it's an honor, man.
00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:45.360
So sorry.
00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:48.399
No, and and thank you again for for allowing us to do that.
00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:55.519
You let us in here before you were open, and you know, we were almost really, really close neighbors.
00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.279
Now we're I know, I know neighbors.
00:07:57.600 --> 00:07:58.639
I was super excited about that.
00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.360
But this is just as good, if not a million times better.
00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.040
All worked out all worked out the way it way it was was meant to.
00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:12.800
So um, but no, kind of the way I came into the picture, like like Will said, we were introduced through a mutual friend.
00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:16.560
Craig and I worked together um at the brewery.
00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:19.519
He's uh a friend, he's a mentor.
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.199
Uh we stayed in touch.
00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:33.840
So uh when I when I left Martin House and I was looking to get out of the beer business, that lasted about a month, I got introduced to somebody opening a brew pub, and um just sounded like a heck of a lot of fun.
00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:43.519
And I've I've told you this, I've told you this, like I still get just as excited today to make a batch of beer as I ever have, you know, in in 15 years of doing it professionally.
00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:44.720
So you're the one.
00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:47.759
Um I don't know if that's I'm gonna interject.
00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:57.519
When when anyone wants to know why a distillery is making beer, it's when your distiller is this passionate about making beer and it keeps him happy, you let him make a little bit of beer.
00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:00.240
So that's that's why we're making beer at the distillery.
00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:02.720
Well, you're gonna need when you're in your tasting room anyway.
00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:03.679
Well, clearly.
00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:10.320
It's also 120 degrees in August, and whiskey does not, you know, does not always sound appetizing in that weather.
00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:11.519
That's fair.
00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:18.639
So, anyhow, I was talking to Craig, we were talking shop about brewing, and I was setting up a new production area, a really small one.
00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:25.279
Got to do it all myself and you know, write recipes and and commission everything, and it was it was a blast.
00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:30.720
Um then talking with Craig, he's like, Oh, well, you gotta meet Will.
00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:31.840
I was like, Who's Will?
00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:36.639
He's like, He's he's my godbrother, he's starting a distillery in Fort Worth, and I think he needs a brewer.
00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:52.240
So, you know, being a beer guy, I I wasn't really um well versed in in whiskey and spirits and the production and even like you know, the the appreciating of the different categories and cocktails and things like that.
00:09:52.639 --> 00:10:07.279
So um long story short, I was useful because I knew how to make beer because Will was gonna make uh the distillery was gonna do gin and single malt whiskey, and single malt is a natural extension of the beer production process.
00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:26.320
So that's really how we got introduced and got connected, and so you know, from there I dove in on distilling and single malt specifically and and all those things, and so yeah, it's um yeah, you told me brewers were quitters, and so challenged me to finish the job.
00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.480
Brewers are quitters, distillers finish the job.
00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:34.480
So that's how we first connected on the business and started talking and and exploring uh those things.
00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:38.080
So so literally knowing how to make beer made me made me useful.
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:39.360
Fun times.
00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.120
Well, let's let's talk the hard shit, you know, let's peel it all the way back.
00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:52.799
So uh for those that don't know, uh the guys were literally about to be adjacent uh behind us on Bryan Avenue in the old uh uh machine shop over there.
00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:53.519
Jar Tex.
00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:54.480
Jar Tex, yeah.
00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:59.440
Which was gonna be uh quite a project in its own just to get that place cleaned out and everything.
00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:05.200
Uh but I was with you guys, you know, when y'all first said, hey, I think we got a lease, you know, and we talked about it.
00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:12.960
I was like, bro, I mean, you know, from a customer service standpoint and everything you can do, I thought, you know, that it would be great.
00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:18.399
Well, it turns out you guys just needed to let 10 times the space, you know, for your vision.
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:20.639
So tell us a little bit about that one.
00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:23.279
Well, we we've bounced around a few times.
00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:28.799
Uh you know, we would the first place I looked at was over on Off of White Settlement.
00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:31.519
Um put a lot of time and effort into that.
00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:33.279
It was too big a project.
00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:36.000
Uh it was too property, it was development.
00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:46.639
And uh so uh after I met Nate kind of at the end of that, we bounced around to uh we actually looked at a couple of different breweries to partner with.
00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:51.440
Uh you know, we we use 90% of the same equipment.
00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:53.840
So we we looked at a couple of breweries.
00:11:53.919 --> 00:12:03.840
It was really hard to get two brands in the same building, and and so we found then found a space over in the warehouse district um near uh near TCU.
00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:18.720
We were excited about that, got engineering drawings, did you know architecture drawings, and five days before uh we were supposed to move into the building, the landlord called and said, I found a better deal, and uh you know, good luck, guys.
00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:20.639
So thanks for letting us leverage you.
00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:22.320
So 10 months in.
00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:29.759
So we um you know, and I that was honestly the first time that that I was relieved.
00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:35.919
You know, like it that when I walked out, I expected to feel a lot worse about it than I did.
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:40.720
I was excited that now, hey, look, we get to do this, we get to do it again, we get to do it right.
00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:42.559
That's when we found this building over here.
00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:50.639
But pretty immediately we were we were under an LOI for this building, and the tenant uh wasn't ready to leave.
00:12:50.799 --> 00:13:00.399
They they were they stayed and stayed and stayed and stayed to the point where um where our you know I was like, hey, like we can't we can't wait any longer.
00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.720
We we are burning cash waiting on you.
00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:10.879
And um that's I I was I was sick in my stomach to get back onto LoopNet and to look for another place.
00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:26.159
And I was on LoopNet for about five minutes, and I saw that uh that the you know the old Ron Sons place was up for lease, and I called the landlord and got under an LOI in a couple of weeks.
00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:34.159
So we went from uh having uh an 8,500 square foot building to having 37,000 square feet.
00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:37.200
And and Nate was like, yes, I can't wait.
00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:38.159
This is where I want.
00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:44.320
Full circle, man.
00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:44.879
Full circle.
00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:54.320
Full circle, it's it's exciting in a lot of ways just to be in a space that's purpose-built for beverage production from a logistical functional standpoint.
00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:04.480
Like like Will said, we we try to partner with breweries because the infrastructure that's there, the equipment, the process, we're using we're doing the same thing when we're making single malt.
00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:19.279
So um it was a great it was a great fit, and you know, such a big campus, a long shot, um, you know, for us, but it worked out and and and things happened quickly after that.
00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:31.120
And then um, you know, also for me personally to be back there, I I've I've lived a lot of life in that building um as a consumer, as an employee.
00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:40.399
Um so just to be back there and and see the legacy of production continue there and breathe some new life into it is it's awesome.
00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:42.720
It's uh it's interesting to see you.
00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:44.399
It speaks to the kind of person you are.
00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:50.320
You already have perspective and you haven't even opened the doors really in the news space, you know.
00:14:50.399 --> 00:15:03.840
But to kind of be able to take that in, you know, because uh for a place like this, and not just for the whiskey club guys, you know, but for everybody, that that building has a lot of meaning, you know, for people that are beer lovers here in Fort Worth.
00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:05.360
I mean, it's like that was it.
00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:09.200
You know, that was that was the first first flag that was planted, you know.
00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:26.000
So it is a it is a neat full circle moment for the uh Fort Worth brew scene to have you guys going in over there and um you know having such a a brewer with gravitas to come in there and and be part of the team and uh and still provide great brews for us.
00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:42.320
So uh I want to move in straight to the beers, but I do want to move into the beers and let you talk a little bit about the beers, and then I really want to give everybody a minute and let Will take the mantle there and talk about what uh blue flag blue flag is gonna provide.
00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:43.919
God, I can't speak for shit tonight.
00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:44.159
Sorry.
00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:51.759
But uh uh, you know, talk about the sp the space at Blue Flag and all the events and everything you guys are gonna provide.
00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:53.679
But let's go, let's go ahead with the beers.
00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.720
So uh especially now that I need to order one.
00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:58.559
Tell tell us what we got, brother.
00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:07.919
Well, yeah, so our our beers, I'm I would I would consider myself a traditionalist when it comes to beer, just the process.
00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:11.039
I don't ever want to reinvent the wheel.
00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:20.320
Um spend a good bit of time making 30A junks, crazy, some wild and crazy beers, and that's that's a great time too.
00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:32.879
Um but you know, as a distillery first, uh doing spirits, cocktails, uh, we always kind of align behind a beer portfolio that's very approachable.
00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:43.679
So if you don't want that, you know, we don't want you to choose from a bunch of 10% stout and and and big big beers and eccentric things.
00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:46.799
So yeah, the beers the beer's boring, but in a good way.
00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:50.879
And that's that's how that's how I like it as a consumer.
00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:51.759
That's what I like to do.
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:55.600
Beer for drinking.
00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:00.720
So um we don't have anything over five percent in our portfolio.
00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:15.440
Um so we're starting out with a few simple, like uh this is the liminal loger is an international pale loger, so it's just a couple of base malts, some noble hops, 20 IBU, um, four and a half percent.
00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:25.680
The word liminal, um if if you haven't heard that word, it means uh the the space in between where you are and and where you're headed.
00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:29.839
So that's a word that kind of echoes through our portfolio.
00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.400
Um, and we'll talk a little bit more about the whiskey.
00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:40.640
We have a liminal series uh of whiskies while we produce our own whiskeys, but we decided to call our our house beer Liminal Lager.
00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:46.960
Um so it's it's something that we can offer in the meantime while we're gonna oh yeah, cheers.
00:17:47.119 --> 00:18:00.079
So while we're in that liminal space, starting a business, starting whiskey production, we're you know a good three or four years out from having whiskey ready that we made ourselves in-house to offer.
00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:01.839
So that's what that's where liminal comes from.
00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:03.440
So we called it liminal lager.
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:27.599
The other fun part about this beer is um we ahead of the designation for the ratification for American Single Malt, which happened January of last year, uh we were looking to source whiskey, and we went to Scotland thinking we would bring some gorgeous malt whiskey back, and again, wanting to do everything traditional.
00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:31.920
Our our production in the single malt has always been named as something traditional.
00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:41.839
Just replicate, you know, take traditional methods and offer an expression of that and that is made in Fort Worth.
00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:43.119
What does it taste like aged here?
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:47.759
You know, what does it taste like when the barley's grown here and and and we do it here?
00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:51.519
So we we we explored that.
00:18:51.759 --> 00:19:03.039
Um as it turned out that January the the designation was was approved for American single malt, so we wanted to source American single malt.
00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:06.799
Um but on that trip, there's a beer in Scotland.
00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:10.559
If anybody's ever been to Scotland, Tenant's Lager is the thing.
00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:12.480
Gare Bear, Tenants Lager.
00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:13.759
What's that?
00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:15.920
Tenants Lager, you remember that one?
00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:21.279
The Scottish are very loyal to uh, I guess, their their products.
00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:24.319
So I think they have like 60% market share with this beer.
00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:28.799
It's just the you know, it's like the Bud Light of Scotland.
00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:30.319
Um it's a great lager.
00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.279
And it's awesome.
00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:36.240
So that was I I wanted to clone that, I wanted to replicate that.
00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:40.880
I'm not I can't get one here, so I don't know how close it is, but it's that beer in a nutshell.
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:44.559
We want to it's not a Vienna lager, but it does have a little bit more of a malt back.
00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:45.839
It's got a little touch.
00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:52.160
And okay, and if a little touch of breadiness in it, which is so weird in a you know kind of traditional lager.
00:19:52.400 --> 00:20:05.279
And if anybody wants to nerd out for a second, we tr I tried to do this beer with just like five, six percent Munich malt to give it that touch of malt character, and it was just a little too much.
00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:16.559
So this this is literally um Pilsner malt uh with about 30% uh pale ale malt instead of a concentrated dose of the Munich.
00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:26.880
So it still gives it a little bit uh bit of malt complexity north of just uh a pilsner and you know tet Nang hops, 20 IBU, first work, and that's that beer.
00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:27.920
It's beautiful, man.
00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:28.960
It's clean.
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:35.039
Um anyway, I'll probably waste all of our time talking about the beers if I talk about all of them.
00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:40.079
So we have a dry Irish stout that is actually on as well, did that uh around St.
00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:42.559
Patty's Day called Scoops.
00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:46.559
Um why did you call it Scoops?
00:20:46.880 --> 00:21:02.960
Scoops, well I don't know better, but it's my understanding that in Dublin specifically, they they still refer to like if if we're going out for for pints, or you know, we're gonna go to the cellar, let's go have pints.
00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:06.640
In Ireland they would say they would call that scoops, like let's go have scoops.
00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:16.799
And it apparently dates back to uh pre-draft equipment when they were still like ladling beer out of vessels.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.880
So it was scoops of beer, so we're leaning into that.
00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:24.480
If anybody from Ireland ever comes in, they'll they'll get it, I guess.
00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:26.640
Um, so that's scoops.
00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:31.839
Um Czech style Pilsner, which we've done pilot batches of.
00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:38.079
Um there's a whole fun story about Malico pores and all that that we want to do in-house.
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:43.680
And we've got uh an English bitter, so English pale ale.
00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.799
Um I've got, yeah, you have that on there.
00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:48.480
I've got the Belgian right now.
00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:50.720
Yeah, the Belgian was just for funsies.
00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:52.160
I don't know if that'll be a thing.
00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:59.759
So the Belgian is a fun story because I reached out to people like uh allegedly may or may not have been before.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:08.160
We moved into the space, but while we were pilot uh you know testing recipes for the single malt, it's like, hey, we're starting a distillery, we'd love to try your grain.
00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.640
Can I get some samples of this and yeast?
00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:18.480
And I ended up with like box, like they were they were mailing stuff to the house, so I was getting like you know, full bags of malt and boxes of yeast, so I ended up with all this stuff.
00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:21.200
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:30.319
I had some Belgian yeast, and uh Lucas and I, our hospitality director, I was kind of involving him in production a little bit while he was training up.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:31.680
Hey, there's Lucas right there.
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:33.920
So Lucas and I brewed the Belgian beer.
00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:40.799
We literally brewed uh like one barrel of it, so that's the only keg ever, other than the one that we had.
00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:42.799
One-on-one, baby, and you got it here.
00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:48.480
Belgian duble with uh coriander orange peel and grains of paradise.
00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:52.799
So and that was that was just to use the Belgian yeast that we never used in a single malt.
00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:54.400
So well thank you, sir.
00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:55.119
Appreciate that.
00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:55.759
Of course.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:56.559
I love it.
00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:00.480
Um so yeah, that's kind of our portfolio on the beer, simple stuff.
00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:01.759
And a hazy pale ale.
00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:05.279
The hazy pale ale is called Floral Friday.
00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:06.400
Sub 5%?
00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:08.160
It's it's five percent.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:08.799
Yeah.
00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:13.279
It's called Floral Friday, and that'll be our hop forward offering.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:17.839
But I love a hoppy beer that's low in alcohol because the hops come out even more, and it's you know.
00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:19.519
I love it.
00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.960
So roughly six-ish beers available in the tasting room.
00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:28.720
Yeah, so um we're the tasting room is still under construction.
00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:29.920
We're starting construction.
00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:32.640
Event space uh is open.
00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:37.599
We we will probably always have at least two or three of those beers in-house.
00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:46.880
So all right, we're gonna move on to the hard hard stuff now because yes, I will drink your beers, but when I go there, you know what I'm drinking.
00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:55.359
So let's move on to the uh Yeah.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:01.440
Uh so moving on a little bit and uh talking about the building, the event space.
00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:05.759
Um let's let's start with the the the branding, you know.
00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:07.839
So why do we go with blue flag?
00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.880
And you know, what's the genesis of that for everybody?
00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:18.880
So the the story of blue flag, and actually there's there's a there's a couple of folks here that helped out with this.
00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:31.200
Um years and years ago, you know, back pre-COVID, uh, as we we grew up, we we live in an older neighborhood in Fort Worth, and we we wanted to meet our neighbors.
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:36.000
We had it, you know, we wanted to to find a way to have people over and to meet our neighbors.
00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:53.440
And so what we would do is one Friday a month, I would cook a large family-style meal and and we would stock the bar and we would hang a blue flag out in front of the house to let everyone know that that hey, you know, the porch is open, come join us, we've got food, we've got booze, we've got sometimes good conversation.
00:24:53.759 --> 00:25:04.240
And so over you know, over months we we kind of word of mouth spread, and we would just have these great Friday evenings on our porch.
00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:24.720
And when we were looking for what we wanted to represent as a brand and and find the name, um I beat my head against the wall for about three months trying to come up with a name, and my wife, you know, her only input to it was uh the last input, which is you know you should just call it blue flag, and then we that that stuck.
00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:26.640
That was the one that we wanted to do.
00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:30.720
So that's that's where blue flag came from.
00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:35.119
It's you know community, community, community hospitality.
00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:43.440
We we enjoy having even now uh you know as we're getting built up, we we enjoy having people at the distillery.
00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:51.359
We we've hosted some some big events, we we had 40 people last night for an orientation, and it's great.
00:25:51.440 --> 00:26:00.400
We we we just like having people in the building, and and I think you know, obviously Nate's uh Nate's attention to detail and what he's doing.
00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:06.480
You hear him talk about the beer is uh he's he he is a a yeast rancher.
00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:18.319
Like he he he is he makes those yeast happy, and our whiskey, the whiskey that he has made to to this point has gotten, you know, the new make has gotten some rate reviews from people who know what they're talking about.
00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:32.880
So um, so yeah, so what you know part of what we did to be able to have that you know to offer that hospitality is we have the event space, which is the you know 705, the large large space right there in the parking lot.
00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:38.880
Um we we can host, you know, I think get lit, the the vendor book fair we had.
00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:42.960
Uh we had about a thousand people come through uh last Sunday.
00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:47.759
Um and we're also doing uh we're gonna we're gonna use that 700 South Main Building.
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:51.119
I know there's been uh threats of that for many, many years.
00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:54.480
Uh we are going to turn that into our tasting room.
00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:57.200
We're gonna build out a small theater.
00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:00.240
Um and oh for what purposes, sir?
00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:04.559
Not not publicly uh not publicly announced yet, but Four Day.
00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:05.599
Oh, all right, there we go.
00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:11.440
But uh the uh improv group four-day weekend is gonna move in and be our resident at at the theater.
00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:20.240
So every Friday and Saturday night you'll be able to come uh have some blue flag whiskey or beer and uh and see four-day weekend.
00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:22.079
Maybe some both a little bit of both.
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:22.799
A little bit of both.
00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:23.519
Some gin.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:24.559
We have some gin.
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:28.640
We do have a little bit of a little bit of vodka, you know, our our portfolio.
00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:30.960
We're sticking with four spirits.
00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:34.160
So um at for the tasting room.
00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:35.599
All right, well, let's go through them.
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:40.000
So our flagship spirit is obviously American single malt.
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:41.759
We we we chose that.
00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:46.160
Uh I chose you know, that was something I I leaned towards when I fell in love with whiskey.
00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:55.279
You know, I was uh we were living overseas, and but that's you know, the the the world drinks malt whiskey, you know, every everywhere but the US.
00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:57.200
And that's what I was introduced to.
00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:01.680
You know, the first time I could afford to buy a nice bottle of whiskey was was when we were there.
00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:21.920
So uh I fell in love with single malt, I fell in love with gin as you know, for you know the cocktails, uh, and and the things that you know can tell you, I can tell you great stories about my first Pete at Scotch and where I had it, and the memory, you know, the the the the things that I attached to to being able to do that.
00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:25.680
Um so so that's you know that's why we went to Singapore.
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:27.519
It was a new category coming in.
00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.400
Uh it still hadn't been ratified at that point in time.
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:35.200
It was the way the government defined it was kind of wishy-washy.
00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:39.119
And we we just we we caught it just at the right time.
00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:56.559
Where at you know, January of last year, the TTB, what's that trade, trade bureau, tax and trade bureau, uh federal government, after a nine-year process, uh accepted the first new whiskey category in over 50 years, and it was American Single Ball.
00:28:56.799 --> 00:29:00.720
And so we're we're excited to be in that category.
00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:05.599
Uh the gin, as Nate talked about, that's our you know, we got to do a couple of things.
00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:17.440
It takes four years for that whiskey to age, so we we have to find some ways to uh to make a little revenue, keep the lights on until until we get to our whiskey being age or our whiskey aging out.
00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:20.079
And so we're we are sourcing some whiskey.
00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:23.759
Nate and I were very intentional about where we went to find this whiskey.
00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:36.559
We found a distillery that the people were great, the equipment was set up very similar to ours, their attention to detail and quality, their cleanliness, uh everything really matched what we want to do, and the quality of their whiskey.
00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:42.079
Our whiskey's gonna taste different, but our quality is going to be the same, and you'll be able to you'll be able to tell that.
00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:45.839
And then the gin was that's just been a passion project.
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:54.079
That's just something we've been working on for almost two years, and we're just we are ecstatic about how it turned out.
00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:56.079
Um we just don't know.
00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:57.759
You don't know until you do it.
00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:02.079
And uh so so those are our two our two big products.
00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:09.920
Um I don't know, you know, I don't know how many of y'all are aware of this, but it at a production distillery you can only serve what you make.
00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:15.440
So we we want to have a cocktail program, we want to be able to serve a wide variety.
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:19.039
We have a very talented bar manager standing back there.
00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:32.319
And so we added vodka and uh the rye to our to our portfolio, so we can we can you know you're not you're gonna have plenty of choices when you come in.
00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:38.880
Um what's the other that there is a little little special thing to our vodka and our our gin.
00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:44.799
Uh for our base we use what's called a grape neutral spirit instead of a instead of a grain neutral spirit.
00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:50.640
Whereas typically it would be made with corn or corn, wheat, another grain.
00:30:50.880 --> 00:31:01.440
Uh we are using uh wine as our as our we we distill wine to 192 proof and then we use that uh as as our base.
00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:08.799
It's actually a little bit higher quality ingredient, but right now it's very easy to get large quantities of wine uh to distill.
00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:11.519
So uh we're we're taking advantage of that.
00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:14.559
We're reusing a product that would otherwise be dumped out.
00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:15.920
So we're happy about that too.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.920
It checks a lot of boxes for us.
00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.440
I love it, man.
00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:20.319
I love it.
00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:32.960
So uh to kind of touch on it, uh you know, you said obviously you guys have a long runway until uh that single mod is ready for uh consumption to the market.
00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:38.160
Uh so I'm super excited about the vault.
00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:40.480
So do you want to take a minute to talk about that?
00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:46.880
Because I think most people in this room have been in there, you know, and so now it's gonna be such a different experience.
00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:49.279
Uh can you guys talk a little bit about that?
00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:54.559
Maybe even uh talk about the website and where they can go to take a look, you know, get a little preview.
00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:55.519
Yeah.
00:31:55.839 --> 00:32:01.200
The uh so we took the the old, I don't know, what would you call it?
00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:01.920
Tasting room.
00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:03.039
Tasting room, tap room.
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:05.519
We took the old tap room.
00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:10.400
Um we put in uh I think this is what people have been most excited about.
00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:16.480
We put in uh eight toilets, so there is now not just one toilet in that space.
00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:18.640
Uh we added Who thought of that?
00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:19.440
Yeah, I don't know.
00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:20.720
Yeah, the architects.
00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:22.720
The architects thought of that.
00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:33.279
Uh we added uh we added a bar, we added a permanent bar fixture and a little prep kitchen for our bar so we can do cocktails and and six taps on the wall.
00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:39.680
So we have a space now we can host up to about 525 people.
00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:44.240
Uh we did a seated 400-person dinner, it was our first event.
00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:48.960
That was you know, we're not afraid of a challenge, I guess is the best way to put it.
00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:53.759
Um we were putting fixtures on on bathroom doors at 3 p.m.
00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:55.920
Uh, and the event started at 6.
00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:58.960
So we we made it in just under the wire.
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:02.559
But uh, but yeah, we it was a successful event.
00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:05.440
We we had the vendors come out for the book fair.
00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:28.960
That was that was great, and and we're excited about we're you know able to having the full bar, the permanent bar there, and to be able to staff that bar and and serve uh serve that many people, have that many people through, and and let them you know have Nate's beer, Nate's Spirits, and Lucas's cocktails has been uh it's been an absolute joy to talk to, you know.
00:33:29.039 --> 00:33:32.799
I get to go out and and talk to people and see them being happy about it.
00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:34.400
So I love it, man.
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:35.440
That's phenomenal.
00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:41.359
Uh I feel like I have about 400 questions.
00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:49.839
The problem is I don't want to keep us here all night, and I'm not that interesting, so I want to make sure that everybody in the room gets an opportunity to talk to you guys.
00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:53.119
So we're gonna open it up to the QA.
00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:57.519
Uh but before we do, uh I want to give uh a little bit of love.
00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:01.039
We're having a little technical difficulty tonight, but these guys make this thing cool.
00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:01.519
It's Mr.
00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:03.359
Sean Fernandez, Mr.
00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:04.960
Jaime Salazar.
00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:06.160
They do this thing every week.
00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:11.440
And then they make this thing cool.
00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:15.119
I do want to give some love to the kitchen stamp, our brand new pizza kitchen.
00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:19.920
Uh the Zelda is delicious, and not because I say so, it's because you got a stay so.
00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:24.480
So a little bit of love for everybody in the kitchen, and then chicken.
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:30.559
Oh yeah, we're gonna there it is.
00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:31.519
I love it.
00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:32.239
I love it.
00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:36.480
All right, let's open it up to the to uh everybody in the room.
00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:38.880
You guys got any fun questions?
00:34:39.679 --> 00:34:40.400
Gotcha, man.
00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:40.880
I got things.
00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:49.440
Oh no, bigger moment, uh moment.
00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:50.639
Oh gosh.
00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:53.280
Um baby.
00:34:53.599 --> 00:34:55.760
Well, that's well, how much time do we have left?
00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:14.239
Um I'll tell you, as a you know, first-time business owner, uh it wasn't one moment, but the first week and a half that we're there, the first 10 days we were there, I think every piece of equipment in that distillery broke.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:19.679
Our forklift, our garage, the garage door where we were loading everything in.
00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:22.880
Um the chiller went down.
00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:24.960
The oh no, the chiller didn't get down.
00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:29.039
The entire chilling system got cut out by the the guys that were moving out.
00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:31.280
It's a miscommunication.
00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:33.360
Um what else?
00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:43.119
Yeah, as an Ono, it was just as an Ono, it was finally got everything you this yeah, we got wanted and wished for, and then you get in so much.
00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:56.719
The the running joke at the distillery is that we're we're just if if the blue flag name doesn't catch on, we're gonna change it to option B because we have never the first thing that we have thought of to do has never once happened.
00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:58.000
As in with the pot.
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:03.119
This is this is on brand for us to where we start something and we go, wait, wait, wait, we gotta go back and fix it.
00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:05.440
And so switch this sounds too.
00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:10.880
Um the biggest aha moment was Nate's first whiskey.
00:36:11.039 --> 00:36:27.280
Uh I mean, it it when he I say his first whiskey, it was actually batch 13, but he he brought he he allegedly made some whiskey and uh and brought it out, and it was so I say I say one whiskey.
00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:28.079
He made three whiskeys.
00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:42.400
He made he made three whiskeys with three different yeasts and uh three different malts, and he had he knew exactly what they were gonna do and what they were gonna taste like, how to treat those yeasts, and he brought them out.
00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:51.519
And I think our second day there, we had a large group uh and a large investor group there, and Nate, you know, they brought it out to Nate and they were all blown away.
00:36:51.599 --> 00:37:04.559
And these were single malt, these were they're specifically single malt whiskey investors, and they were so blown away that they have come back to the distillery, I think, four or five times in the last eight months.
00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:07.039
So that was the real aha moment for me.
00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:09.599
It was like, hey, like we're we're heading the right direction here.
00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:10.800
We're doing something right.
00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:13.360
One of those was a Saison yeast, though.
00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:16.159
So not on the beer side, but yeah.
00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:17.440
There you go.
00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:20.559
Hell yeah.
00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:23.039
Alright, so Saison in the tap room, got it.
00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:23.760
Wait, what?
00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:24.960
Did we already talk about it?
00:37:27.519 --> 00:37:28.800
Wait, well, do we talk about it?
00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:29.679
It's it's me.
00:37:29.920 --> 00:37:30.960
You know what the question I'm gonna ask.
00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:33.039
We haven't talked about it yet.
00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:33.760
Okay, go ahead.
00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:36.400
Um, so um what about Saisons?
00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:37.920
Are you gonna make any Saisons?
00:37:39.760 --> 00:37:43.519
We don't have a Saison in the beer lineup.
00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:44.800
I I love a Saison.
00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:45.280
Heck yeah.
00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:49.360
We are using Saison, French Saison yeast in one of the whiskey profiles.
00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:55.519
So that one is, yeah, it's it's like a it's like a fruit basket.
00:37:55.679 --> 00:38:04.719
Like um also some of that uh phenolic character really concentrates after you distill it, and it's it's it's really good.
00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:05.039
Yeah.
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:05.679
Sweet.
00:38:05.920 --> 00:38:11.599
That was that was the favorite of of the new make that we made for most people who tasted it, quite honestly.
00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:15.119
So well, let's talk about Saisons after this.
00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:15.760
Okay.
00:38:16.639 --> 00:38:16.880
Deal.
00:38:18.960 --> 00:38:21.920
Have you ever heard of a little uh side project called the Priory?
00:38:22.239 --> 00:38:22.639
I don't know.
00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:23.039
I don't know.
00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:24.079
You ever heard of them?
00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:26.239
Uh talk after.
00:38:28.719 --> 00:38:33.760
You guys are doing it copper scales and putting them in two barrels doing well afterwards.
00:38:35.199 --> 00:38:35.840
That's correct.
00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:36.800
That's a very good question.
00:38:36.960 --> 00:38:38.639
Uh we haven't talked about our equipment all.
00:38:40.960 --> 00:38:42.400
I just heard about you guys tonight.
00:38:43.039 --> 00:38:43.920
Okay, I'm excited.
00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:53.119
But maintaining it, we have copper scales and uh mature and both barrels.
00:38:54.639 --> 00:39:01.199
Brand new we're using brand new at the end, but what that would be brand new barrels at the end of the point.
00:39:01.679 --> 00:39:02.000
How long?
00:39:02.079 --> 00:39:04.320
How long are they going to have to take away?
00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:05.599
That's a great question.
00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:07.679
I I will I will try and keep this short.
00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:21.119
Um, when we decided to move into the space that that that we're in now, we had a 250-gallon Vendome pot still, uh hybrid uh pot still that was going to do all our production.
00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:36.719
Um about three weeks later, we walked into a warehouse that had two 2,000-gallon pot stills and two 700-gallon spirit stills, and we were able to acquire those and bring them into the distillery.
00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:47.440
Uh those stills were built uh in Waco, Texas, by handmade in Waco, Texas by uh by Chip Tate, uh, as many of you know are the founder of Balconus.
00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:52.719
Um and so those stills are now uh sitting in in our distilleries.
00:39:52.880 --> 00:40:00.079
So we uh from our production standpoint uh on copper pot stills, just big, beautiful.
00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:04.159
Uh each each one weigh each one of the wash stills weighs about 10 tons.
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:08.320
I'm sorry, each one of the wash still weighs about five tons, about 10,000 pounds.
00:40:08.559 --> 00:40:12.719
And uh they are they're really the showpiece of what we're doing.
00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:14.960
We're we're excited to get those fired up.
00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:21.039
We will be using um uh Still Austin, second-use barrels.
00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:22.159
Still Austin.
00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:25.280
Um they're they're they're bourbon barrels.
00:40:25.360 --> 00:40:35.199
Uh we find that you know, if you put uh you can't put bad whiskey in good barrels and get good whiskey, but if you put good whiskey in good barrels, you get you get fantastic whiskey.
00:40:35.280 --> 00:40:46.800
And we know those guys are uh are dedicated to a they have an amazing barrel program, and the person that's running it is the best in the maybe in the world at what she does.
00:40:46.960 --> 00:40:55.280
So we're we're really excited that they have uh partnered with us and letting us use some of their their and for the age, we don't know.
00:40:55.360 --> 00:41:05.280
Uh it's maybe three years, maybe four years, our environment, uh, you know, how you know what the tilt wall panels do there.
00:41:05.679 --> 00:41:08.400
Uh we will keep a close eye on it.
00:41:08.559 --> 00:41:11.119
We hope that it's perfect in three years.
00:41:11.199 --> 00:41:14.719
Uh we plan for it to be perfect in four.
00:41:15.840 --> 00:41:17.280
So we'll we'll see.
00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:25.760
We've we've done some blends with some five-year-old barrels and have been really excited about it, but they were five-year-old barrels from a milder climate.
00:41:25.920 --> 00:41:33.679
Um, so we're we're we also, you know, what we put into the barrel is gonna be a little bit different in expectation of that timeline.
00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:40.480
So we're we're not gonna put anything too heavy in there expecting for it to change in five years instead of twelve years.
00:41:43.360 --> 00:41:44.639
So glad to see you back in.
00:41:45.280 --> 00:41:54.719
Uh so back on the brewer versus the distiller side, uh, fermentation temperatures how does that work with distilling?
00:41:54.800 --> 00:41:56.239
Does it make a difference if we're using a bullet?
00:41:58.000 --> 00:41:59.519
That's an excellent question.
00:41:59.599 --> 00:42:02.719
Uh I d I believe it matters tremendously.
00:42:02.880 --> 00:42:20.880
Um and you know, coming at this with a brewer's perspective, you know, I I see an opportunity to influence things with um brewer's yeast and distiller's yeast.
00:42:21.119 --> 00:42:45.519
Um I d just based on the trials that we've done, like we we found significant differences in um just different fermentation profiles, not only different yeast, but just like in beer, different timelines, different temperatures, all of all the things that impact yeast performance um are ways to Yes, please.
00:42:45.920 --> 00:42:46.960
Can I try the Belgian beer?
00:42:47.280 --> 00:42:48.000
Would you like a Belgian?
00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:48.800
I would like a Belgian beer.
00:42:49.039 --> 00:42:49.760
Damn right you'd like a Bible.
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:50.719
Speaking of yeast.
00:42:51.119 --> 00:43:06.960
So so yes, um I and I think if you look at distilling historically, the yeast is performing a mechanical function, full attenuation, you know, the ethanol yield, you know, from a financial standpoint, that's the important thing.
00:43:07.039 --> 00:43:09.119
You want to get all the alcohol yield out of it.
00:43:09.199 --> 00:43:15.280
So tr traditional distiller's yeast is is um designed to do just that.
00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:34.719
So um but yeah, we we've had a lot of fun playing with brewer's yeast for flavor contribution and then giving giving that some time on its own, and then kind of backing that up with distiller's yeast to come in and uh fully attenuate uh everything in the wort.
00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:38.960
Uh so I I think it I think it makes a huge difference.
00:43:39.119 --> 00:43:53.119
Now, that being said, we haven't had it spend four years in the barrel yet, so I can't fully say what that what that looks like, but um at least in the new make it it makes a tremendous tremendous difference.
00:43:53.280 --> 00:44:01.199
Just like if you uh made a batch of wort and put a hundred different yeasts on it, you get a hundred different beers.
00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:02.960
So I think the same holds true.
00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:15.760
And I I hope nobody else is paying as much attention to it because it's a way for you know I'm excited to to use that to differentiate some of our whiskey.
00:44:16.559 --> 00:44:29.360
We we've you know Saison yeast, Kvike yeast we played with which is kind of a cool fit for whiskey in Texas because it's happy in very warm temperatures into the 90s.
00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:31.440
It's not a fussy yeast.
00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:34.239
It's done quick very little off flavor.
00:44:34.880 --> 00:44:41.039
And then we've done some really traditional stuff with you know English ale yeast, malt whiskey yeast.
00:44:41.280 --> 00:44:52.400
So yeah I think I think there's I think there's infinite room but just within the category to make different whiskey that has yeast driven flavor.
00:44:53.440 --> 00:44:54.800
Just like in craft beer.
00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:10.400
That's one of the fun things about single malt is is we we can the variety of flavor profiles that we can do with with just malted barley is is expansive.
00:45:10.639 --> 00:46:06.639
I mean it's we we can yeah and and then you start talking about adding smoke and you know adding you know peat or or or uh mesquite or you know all the all the things that you can do we we just have uh uh huge opportunity to to to go through all these flavors create something that's fun and new you know every time or or just a couple of times the only other thing I'll say on that um again not having seen it you know four years down the road but using refill casks and not getting too much oak influence I think some of that fermentation character has a better chance to shine through um so we'll see yeah I'll piggyback just a touch I always find it interesting when you get some of these very established breweries that uh that jump into the distilling world I always gravitate to anything they use with the Belgian yeast.
00:46:06.880 --> 00:46:28.320
I find that those like no matter what it is I typically whiskey but I I tend to think that those are the most exciting you know you get some wild flavors like is that really banana whiskey you know like yeah there's some we there's some weird stuff that happens a little bit but anyway I'm I'm always curious about that I'm curious if you're gonna play with some of that.
00:46:28.719 --> 00:46:32.320
If you want to see a good example of that real ale does a single malt.
00:46:32.559 --> 00:46:45.519
Oh big time and it's it's absolutely fantastic and they've just got a little small on the small still on the bag but they're they're using that brewing knowledge to create something that created distilling double speed is is fantastic.
00:46:45.840 --> 00:47:40.800
And the uh and the weavy surprise they have two they have two yeah they have two profiles I love it so heck yeah what do we got what do we got is there an expected opening date for the tasting room there it is not a we start demolition next week uh we start demo next week on the old offices that were in there assuming there's no asbestos which we don't we don't think there was I haven't gotten the report back yet but as soon as that comes back we start demo um and we're looking at 10 weeks from from from that that's the I four day weekend wants to do their first show next weekend so um there we're under some we're under a timeline.
00:47:41.440 --> 00:48:13.920
Hopefully this summer maybe after 4th of July um in the event space though we'll we'll be doing um uh open house we're calling it April 25th sneak peek yeah we're we're gonna we're gonna open it up we get asked that question uh we get asked that question a lot and uh we're gonna do an open house on the 25th and we're gonna just we're gonna pull up a couple of food trucks we're gonna set up tables we're gonna have uh have some music and we'll have cocktails and beer and we'll give tours on the hour every hour and everybody can come through and see what we're doing.
00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:23.840
And we'll have uh we'll we've our four spirits we have packaged so we'll that'll be the first opportunity to to buy bottles as well.
00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:31.840
I'll have some can I'll finish it out.
00:48:32.159 --> 00:50:07.360
Um I'm gonna show one from uh the Murphys what is your most memorable beer experience and why Nate Swan I want to hear this my most memorable memorable beer experience yeah so so this is the it's the amalgamation of like what's your favorite all-time beer what's your desert island beer but he he's axed those and turned it into you know it doesn't matter what the beer is a great but what's your favorite all-time beer experience hmm this is this is gonna be so uh boring and unassuming but no it's not like I literally remember my first Sierra Nevada pale ale and I was in my parents' backyard I went out and there was a little deck out back by the shed and you know you gotta you gotta try that beer I was starting my beer journey this is like before I even worked in a brewery I was homebrewing and uh you drink that beer now right it's it's it's a standard baseline pale ale it's it's it's not an eccentric beer by any means but I remember I remember being blown away by the hop character and I remember like like you know and I'm not well versed in wine but you know when it dances on the palate and it and the and the sip continues and it just like the way it the way it uh the malt and the hops kind of duke it out on your palate and you just want another sip.
00:50:07.440 --> 00:51:29.360
But I remember thinking oh my god what is happening here this is the h like I I'd never experienced that uh that level of hoppiness on the palate and this is just a Sierra Nevada pale again like uh you know yeah but your first is still an all-time grape I mean I think I literally have some in my fridge and that's 20 years ago or more so I I can remember that day so I are you saying you have 20 year old Sierra Nevada in your fridge oh wouldn't that be something favorite beer of all time I have more than once answered uh Sierra Nevada celebration ale I now you can get it in cans so oh sorry well that that's mine that's what comes to mind like that's yeah it's one of my fondest spear memories you you got uh you got a lot on your plate but if you guys ever do a wet hop ale down there you just let me know okay I'll mash in with you it'd be great you guys are wonderful we got another one let's go keep it going guys how did your perspective change or what did you learn as a result of your journey to Scotland?
00:51:29.440 --> 00:52:53.519
I know you went up there and and toured a lot of distilleries that's a great question um I think it reinforced our our desire to be traditional in what we're doing um and and you know you you look at it from uh 10,000 foot and it all looks like they're doing the same thing and then you start talking to them and you bring a person who can ask the right questions and you find out that it's you know it's in the devil's in the detail and that they all do you know that they all do something very specific multiple things very specific to their brand and to make their whiskey taste different and that's that's that was the perspective it gave me is that we need to pay attention down to you know to a couple of degrees you know if we're talking Scotland Celsius that uh that in everything that we do to make sure that that you know we can reach the level of quality that we want to and that we can maintain you know we we can do that on a on a day-to-day basis and that was you know watching those guys work who you know not only been doing it day to day but decade to decade and you know century to century so that was that was what we that's what I think that's what I took away from it.
00:52:53.599 --> 00:52:54.639
I don't know about you.
00:52:55.360 --> 00:53:18.800
Yeah and just you know appreciating that you know the the nuances of all the different distilleries and and everybody has kind of their their thing that they lean on so just wanting to take that traditional approach and again just br bring to life whatever single malt whiskey tastes like when it's made right here.
00:53:18.880 --> 00:53:23.440
Like that was you know we we want to stay out of the way of that and just like facilitate that.
00:53:23.599 --> 00:54:12.400
So um yeah I'll I'll I'll add to that the the regionality of Scotland you know when you you pick it up you put it you put Scotland inside of Texas and how distinct that they have made each region as a brand new category we're gonna start I I do think over time we're gonna start falling into our you know our our flavor profiles and and I think that the Texas whiskey is going to be different than California single malt whiskey than than Virginia single malt whiskey and I'm excited to see that you know you think about all of those different flavors that are coming from such a small space you know such a small geographic area and how that's gonna look over time as this category develops I'm excited about that.
00:54:12.480 --> 00:54:25.679
That was that was a big thing big takeaway from a for us as well all right guys very much go ahead no I was gonna say thank you thank you all for coming and and thanks for the great question.
00:54:25.920 --> 00:56:31.599
100% man for having us yeah well I I love you guys I'll you want to come back we can do it again next week are we tasting gin yeah we can we can we can do the spirits next time you know Nate and I are both uh rule followers by personality and we didn't even think about until we in until we got here that we probably should have brought a bottle of gin oh calm down well it gives us all an opportunity to meet up at your guys' house you know let's go to the vault everybody want to go to the vault let's go to the vault that's yeah I will I will add this i'll I'll I will say this this is last last thing no please we we we do occasionally if you're driving by the distillery and we have the blue flag hanging out on the on the garage door you'll see it it we pull the garage door halfway up we hang the flag we are open if that if you see that hanging feel free come inside have a drink with us and uh enjoy yourself so just keep an eye out for it heck yeah man well guys thank y'all so much for uh for hanging out with us on Thursday nights we love you deeply I know this was a special one uh considering what the guys do and and the nature of this uh I I I feel very confident in this uh local south side business we're all gonna be very happy to spend our money at so we love you guys deeply uh one more round of applause for Sean Jaime thank you so much for getting us through this thing God bless thank you so much for uh JOE and house who has lent his his stylings if you guys look at us up on Spotify Apple or wherever you get your podcast you will hear Joe's intro into every Southside seller uh supplier spotlight uh podcast and uh of course as we do every week the sexiest man in beer Mr.
00:56:31.679 --> 00:56:48.639
Matthew Gigliani serving up the goodies on my lung he loves that he is a beautiful man I'm just saying uh and of course last but not least thank you guys so much for spending your Thursday night with us Mr.
00:56:48.719 --> 00:56:49.920
Will Rucker Mr.
00:56:50.000 --> 00:58:20.320
Nate Swan legend in the local beer and industry and about to be legends in the local distilling industry we love you guys we look forward to blue flag so give it up guys love you baby all right let's put some music on let's party guys cheers don't trap and not go back to go five out of the back
