I am happy to announce that we have been able to finally submit our final construction documents to the glorious City Of Austin’s Watershed Protection Development and Review Department! Our proposed plans are subject to building code, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and energy code reviews–so cross your fingers, knock on wood, wear your lucky socks, shake your lucky bingo-troll dolls in hopes all the reviewers accept the plans with relatively small hiccups. This is the first major step in really seeing this dream become a brewpubby-reality!

Back in August, we assembled a team of design/architectural professionals to help mold the “big ball of clay” that is to be our brewpub. The team assembled prior to officially selecting an architect, but Matt Nesbitt was right there from the very beginning- and we had a good idea that he was interested in taking on the project. After reviewing a few other architects, we knew Matt was the best fit and could really approach the space with the best interest of the membership.

The space is roughly 4,000 sq. feet, with a little over half of the space dedicated to the operations of the pub (brewery, kitchen, offices, etc.). By now, everyone has more or less a rough idea of the layout of the space (and if not, please take a look at the Brewpub Development page), but there are a few unique features worth mentioning in more detail. In the main dining area, there will be an area that can serve as a meeting space for events, meetings, tastings, or the latest televised shuttle launches- that last one’s for Steven.

Another exciting element are the large windows that will allow you to witness the “inner-workings” of the brewery. You may just find Jeff ( our brewer), amidst making a new tasty batch of High Esteem or practicing his moonwalking skills. From those windows, you will be able to peer in to the left and see the mezzanine which will be built over the brewery’s cold room. This area will house our grains and a workstation for Jeff… and possibly some Oompa Loopas.

Lastly, well, I can actually go on for days about all the exciting design details, but the last one to mention here is our “bar-ninsula”. Yes, it is quite possibly the nerdiest name we could have ever come up with, but it has stuck like a bad nickname you can’t shake off from high school. Basically, the end of the bar will extend out, allowing for seating on both sides (kind of like a peninsula). This is our homage to the German Stammtisch. Granted, there are various definitions of how such a table is defined, but for us it will be a place for our regulars to sit, make some new friends or bring some old ones.

The space was largely designed with our overall needs in mind, but we definitely had to respect to a few constraints of the given space. One of the biggest design issues we faced was having to design around an internal stairwell (which will not be accessible) that juts out in the middle of the space. The second design issue was a large beam, placed somewhat in the middle of the floor area. The third is the location of the chase. We wanted to design our kitchen and brewery to be able to exhaust as easily as possible, minimizing twists and turns, to ensure it truly works as a one-way valve for our systems.

Our architect, Matthew, has been tirelessly at work in preparation of the construction documents and specifications for the space. He has truly done justice in interpreting the desires of the membership (with the added guidance of Workers’ Assembly, Volunteer Design team, and Board of Directors). I am proud to say that Matt has really outdone himself and has really earned the respect of his fellow professional peers on this project.

Today, the construction documents take a trip to the Building Reviewer…To Be Continued!!!