Over the past few weeks we have been filling out the lengthy and burdensome TTB Brewers Notice Paper work. This qualifies us as a federally recognized brewery and in effect an official alcohol tax contributor. The Brewer’s notice also ensures that are in accordance with the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, that our funding comes from legitimate sources, and we will be taking proper measures to secure our assets. However, the real bottom line is to understand how much beer we will be making and how much we will potentially pay in taxes.

A lot of friends and colleagues talk about how tough the application is and they are absolutely right- the application calls for everything short of a vial of blood and makes my mortgage seem like a short questionnaire.  The bright side of the paperwork is if you can actually answer all the questions and submit all of the supplemental items it demonstrates that your dream has become an organized reality. Our plan is being executed and that huge checklist has some checks next to it which brings hope to our aspiring business.

Speaking of Checklists- the TTB is just that. By the time you apply, you need to have a brewing location, a floor plan of the operations; equipment identified and ordered a brewers bond, a business entity, and a source of funding. Each and every one of those tasks is a victory in itself and the collective victory comes together at events such as such as filling out TTB paperwork. So although doing all of this paperwork sucks I’m celebrating it as I go with a beer in hand. I will ave this celebration again with the State paperwork and then again with the City paperwork. Cheers!

Our building located adjacent to the Mayfair Metra Station

Now we are beginning to settle in to our brewing facility, we can reflect a bit on the 6-month odyssey to find the right location. How we got here was a methodical series questions and answers to arrive at a logical conclusion – 4727 W Montrose. So for any prospective brewery thinking about a location or just anyone interested in our story here are the steps we followed

It’s important to state right off the bat- before beginning to look at prospective buildings it’s critical to understand where your activities are allowed by law. A discussion on building specific issues such as flooring, ventilation and utilities will come later after we have reflected enough on that topic.

1. What activities are you planning on your site? In our case, we planned to brew, store, package, and distribute beer, sell beer to go and beer to be consumed on our premises. This meant that we needed a place large enough and with the proper infrastructure to conduct these activities within our budget. We also desired a degree of street presence to enhance our visibility.
2. What zones allow these activities? Many cities see brewing as a light industrial activity. In the City of Chicago this activity is allowed – by right- in Commercial and Manufacturing Zones which are typically located (with some exceptions) in areas that are not pedestrian friendly. Unfortunately many of the great high pedestrian traffic streets such as Clark Street, Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee Ave and others are in zones that do not allow the activity by right and a rezoning is necessary.
3. Are you willing to get a rezoning? Rezoning is a change to the land use code and requires an application, a fairly large fee, community support in a public process, legal counsel, a great deal of time and a potentially uncertain outcome. That said if you find the perfect place that meets your needs then go for it. Many breweries have gone this route and were successful. In our case, we didn’t want to touch a rezoning unless it was a last resort. We therefore aimed to find a site zoned Manufacturing or Commercial.
4. What liquor permits do you need to do what you want? Are you allowed to sell liquor at your location? We want to sell beer to go and beer to be consumed on our premises. Thus we have to apply for two separate liquor licenses (package and tavern) to fully realize our business model. It is important to realize that each Ward has package and tavern moratoria zones which act as an overlay to zoning. We were very surprised to learn that almost every property we were interested in fell within these zones which put a bit of a damper on our already lengthy search. Another potential locational issue is the sites proximity to schools, churches, hospitals, and other taverns and package stores. We finally settled on our location on Montrose because it met all of these conditions and had great visibility being located adjacent to a Metra station and close to a CTA blue line stop.
5. Do you know where city hall is? If you don’t, you are going to find yourself in a world of pain. Get to know the people down there and know what critical questions you need answered before you sign a lease. Get to know the zoning department and get to know the city liquor commission. We spent several hours in city hall asking every question imaginable and finally decided that the location in question was right for what we wanted to do.
6. Do you know your Alderman? The Alderman exerts a great deal of influence in his or her ward. Getting their support is crucial to the success of your operation. They have major influence on property and business decisions such as rezoning, liquor licenses, the availability of grants and city incentives, and general publicity. In our case, our Alderman has been very supportive and is excited to see us contribute to the neighborhood.