Beerfest Wrap-Up

Hopefully everyone who wanted to go to the Cincy Beerfest got the chance to attend.  It was a crazy scene but one that made me feel good.  Good to see so many people interested in trying new beers.  I believe the final count will be well above 10,000 people for the two day event.  That's pretty good for a cold and slightly snowy weekend in this town.  Sure there were some people there just to "get loaded" but from where I was located this seemed to be a manageably small percentage. 

I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by to say hi and try the Octobersbest Brett Stout.  I was pretty busy pouring beer most of the time so I didn't get as much time to talk to everyone as I would have liked and for that I apologize.  I think the beer came out OK given the fact that it wasn't able to age on the Brett as long as the original homebrew version.  A little bit has been kept back for the Great American Beer Festival  Pro-Am in September which should give the beer plenty of time to let the Brett character develop further. This beer will definitely make a re-appearance as a Blank Slate beer in the future (probably even barrel aged).  Big thanks go to the Cincinnati Malt Infusers and Rivertown Brewing Company for making that beer happen.

But now the fun is over.  As good of a "distraction" from work as this weekend was, the truth is I have a LOT of things left to do.  The walk-in has been put together but still needs some sealing and sorting out of the refrigeration.  A couple things still need welded.  The kettle venting needs to be finished.  The state inspection is happening soon (yes the legal hurdles are not yet complete).  There's still a lot of odds and ends to get settled.  I'm probably going to have to go into "hiding" for the next month or so to get this thing done.  So for as fun as Craft Beer Week and Beerfest were, it might be a little bit before I see anybody out and about again...

Unless something really good comes up!

Past the point of no return...

Ok.  The point of no return was actually quite a while ago.  Somewhere between signing the lease and signing for a loan you realize there's no going back.  But I guess you could say I passed the emotional point of no return the other day.  Last Thursday was my last official day at my "real job".  Sure I'd only been working part time for the last 5 months, but there's something about having a steady paycheck that makes you feel like no matter what happens with the brewery everything will still be alright.  I guess you'd call it the safety net effect.

I worked there for nine years and made a lot of good friends so it was a bit of an emotional day.  After finally closing that chapter of my life I had a bit of a cathartic moment.  No more dealing with empty-suit venture capitalist #*%hole owners.  No more daily exposure to toxic chemicals.  No more working for a company that puts a truck full of plastic in a landfill everyday.  Of course this also means I'm technically unemployed.  An even trade?  No.  I'm way ahead.  Even though my security blanket is gone and there's a decent chance this whole endeavor could fall flat on its face, I wouldn't go back even if I could.

And that's what it's all about.  Whether its making beer or selling lamps, it's about following a dream (and telling "the man" where he can stick it)...

P.S.  Sorry for the sappy post.