we've got big ideas but only so much space. definitely one of the hardest things we have to deal with in designing the floor space for the new space (besides health codes, of course) is just how we can fit all of the beers and wines and cheeses and other stuff into the room that we have.
we are planning on buying a cold box to store the majority of the beer. the reason for this isn't so that our customers can come in and buy a beer to drink immediately, but it is because it will keep the beers fresher for longer. A big mistake that a lot of people make with their beers is keeping them at room temperature and often times in direct sunlight from windows. Sunlight is a pretty awful thing for beer and is the primary cause for what is known as "skunky" beer. Just imagine how that last bottle of mexican lager tastes after it has been sitting on a picnic table all day. Not too fresh and probably in need of more than one wedge of lime.
The other issue, as mentioned is simply the temperature. For the same reason that you wouldn't buy a head of lettuce and keep it on the kitchen counter for two weeks, you don't want to buy a delicious, freshly brewed west coast IPA and leave it out on an exposed shelf until the last bottle is sold. That piney, citrusy flavor that has become synonymous with some of the great California pale ales will dissipate fairly quickly if not stored at a proper temperature, and being lovers of that flavor, we want to keep our beers as fresh as possible.
So, today we were at the shop measuring out where we think a cold box would fit best and how big of a cold box we could fit, but still keep a nice flow to the store. We were originally deciding between an 18 foot fridge or a 20 foot fridge, but after measuring out some tape on the floor, it looks like 18 will have to do, unless we expect to squeeze kegs and cases through some tricky spaces.
Fun to be moving along...more updates to come as we build.
Excited for this!
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