Nano Brewery Startup

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

While it sucks for you, I can understand a landlord not wanting the liability. While most people are responsible, all it takes is one irresponsible drunk to ruin it for everyone.

Yeah, I understood. Just business and I can deal with that. Back to it.

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

Ok, so just an update of where we are currently. The building locations are not working out the way we had anticipated unfortunately. Our plan moving forward in the near future is to create a Kickstarter project in order to secure some more funding for start up equipment and other items we do not currently have at this time. We're doing this to try and lower our out of pocket costs on the equipment to move that funding towards a better (location wise) building for the brewery once we are to that point.

Also, there is another funding type site called Go Fund Me we may look into as well.

I spoke with a gentleman on Sunday who expressed a lot of interest in perhaps become a backer for the brewery as well. He missed out (his words) on another brewery project in Alabama a few years back and has been itching to get involved with one every since. Since that conversation, we have been going back through the business plan portion going over estimates of cost/profit/loss/projections from a one year to three year aspect.

Nothing has come forward on how much or what that portion would entail the brewery offering him in return. Though it was very nice to have someone I did not know really express solid interest in helping us move forward with this project. Hey, I'd take $1.00 from 10,000 people right now if I could. Every little bit helps and goes right into the brewery.

Like I said, just an update on where we are standing right now. Hopefully brewing another 10 gallon batch of our AmeriWheat this Saturday and bottling up the Liberty APA in preparations for our big tasting we are having at the end of March 2014.

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

Quick Update ....

We officially launched our website today at www.funkyskunkbrewing.com

This is obviously a work in progress as the brewery moves forward into the future. A web presence in the beginning was key to us to document all updates, news and happenings as we move forward towards opening the brewery. We're also going to begin to shoot the video for our Kickstarter project this weekend to have that ready by mid-January to go love as well.

On the beer front ... We are bottling five gallons of our wheat beer (AmeriWheat) this weekend to get in conditioning up for the tasting in March and to head to various competitions in 2014. Our Devil's Tail Amber Ale and Liberty APA are heading off to competitions very shortly here:

Big Bend Brewoff - Tallahassee, Fla.
Best Florida Beer Championship - Tampa, Fla.
Brew Master Competition - Florence, Wi.
World Cup of Beer - Oakland, Ca.

[gwcr]

Site looks good! Full steam ahead!!

[Chuck N]

Looking good, my man.

If I may I'd like to propose a product slogan, "With a Name Like Funky Skunk It Has To Be Good." I know it sounds familiar but that's just because it has such a truthful ring to it.

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

Looking good, my man.

If I may I'd like to propose a product slogan, "With a Name Like Funky Skunk It Has To Be Good." I know it sounds familiar but that's just because it has such a truthful ring to it.

Hey, I like that one actually. We're going with 'Making Every Ounce Count' right now, but I'm sure we could work that one in someplace ... I really like that play on it actually. Thanks, Chuck. Don't be surprised if you see that used here in the near future

[John Sand]

Glad you're moving forward. I understand your hesitation to accept a backer, you can lose control of your own project. When you start your kickstarter, let us know.

[jimmypirate]

I'll donate to the kickstarter project for a t-shirt and a free draft if I ever get down there.

Seriously though I really liked the way you broke down the whole process on the website.

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

I'll donate to the kickstarter project for a t-shirt and a free draft if I ever get down there.

Seriously though I really liked the way you broke down the whole process on the website.

No problem there, Jimmy.

Thank you very much as well. Going to get a sign made that is similar to the image we used on the site to also put up in the tap room as well. Not only do I want people to drink the beers, I also want to inspire people to get into brewing their selves and teach guests a little about the brewing process while they are at our brewery.

Hoping guests will find the process interesting and give them a little better understanding on what and how the process of brewing actually works and in what order.

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

Our new work shirts came in yesterday and turned out great. If the weather here in Pensacola corporates this weekend, we will get our Kickstarter video & stills done so we can kick that off (pun intended) first of the week. Hoping also our grains get delivered so we can brew up a Hazelnut Brown Ale on Saturday. Weather in the Northeast has interrupted deliver on them so fingers crossed there.

The Kickstarter will run for 30 days (most likely) and I will of course be posting the link here as well as on our social media outlets and website.

[philm00x]

That is a sweet shirt! A uniform I'd rather be wearing than the one I wear currently

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

Ok, so we uploaded our Kickstarter video last night and thought it was go for launch. Turns out, they along with Amazon Payments need pretty much everything about you except your blood type to launch a campaign through their site. So, while everything is good to go, uploaded and waiting .... We are waiting for Amazon Payments to verify our bank account to give us the green light for launch. I am hoping (fingers crossed) that it will be this week.

Amazing to me they want to verify a bank account before the campaign is able to launch, yet, if we do not reach our goal we get none of the pledges/donations from the campaign. So why all the need and time waiting to verify an account before hand if in the end we get nothing? Seems backwards to me but that's the hold up right now.

As soon as the campaign is launched on Kickstarter, I will of course be posting a link here on the Borg and on our website, facebook and twitter feeds as well.

[BradyFumbled]

Out here in California there was a start-up this past year that nearly got denied because while reviewing their social media accounts, the ABC discovered they had done "public tasting" events with their homebrew in order to drum up public interest and gauge the tastes of their target consumers. They were able to talk their way out of it with just a slap on the wrist, California is of course the king of red-tape BS, but it is eye opening.

I look forward to following your progress. One of my "hobbies" is trolling kickstarter and throwing a few bucks at fun brewery projects, so I look forward to seeing yours go live.

[BeerRust]

Sounds great, can't wait to see it get started.

[Funky Skunk Brewing]

Out here in California there was a start-up this past year that nearly got denied because while reviewing their social media accounts, the ABC discovered they had done "public tasting" events with their homebrew in order to drum up public interest and gauge the tastes of their target consumers. They were able to talk their way out of it with just a slap on the wrist, California is of course the king of red-tape BS, but it is eye opening.

I look forward to following your progress. One of my "hobbies" is trolling kickstarter and throwing a few bucks at fun brewery projects, so I look forward to seeing yours go live.

Thank you for that head's up actually. I believe I will contact our local TTB agency to see if we would be in any violations if we had a "pubic" tasting event that could prohibit us from gaining licensing in the future. I wonder also if a "private" event would constitute such a claim from Uncle Sam? Again, another call to the TTB in our future I see.

The power of social media shinning through, in a nearly bad way for them. Glad to hear it worked out for them in the end.