Apologies to anyone who reads this blog...I've been neglecting it.
Things are going very well at CCB.
The landscaping & patios turned out great. It's such a pleasant space to enjoy a few pints. Up until this last week, when the rain started, the patios were well populated.
Just an aside to that, even though it looks busy from the outside, there is tons of room inside. Tap room customers have a tendency to arrive in separate cars. One table of folks might have 6 cars outside. After all, it's all about meeting up with friends, isn't it? Don't let the parking lot deceive you. There is parking in the back, and in the Western Tool lot next door as well. Also, the lot next door has been purchased, and is now graded & graveled.
We get compliments every day about how beautiful our interior space is. I am working on putting up more artsy stuff inside, just don't want to overwhelm the walls with too much.
The beers are finally getting names. Ron had to name them, because he entered some of his beers in the North American Brewers Association competition. You can't enter beers without names. So, we have so far...
Cold Creek Scottish Ale
Beerhenge Hefe (We named the patio Beerhenge)
C4 IPA
O.N.S. Blonde
The Pale With No Name Pale Ale
We are very proud to say that The O.N.S. Blonde won a Silver medal at the North American Brewers Association Competition. We beat out a Pabst blonde ale named Ballantine's. Didn't know it existed until then. We won the Bronze medal for People's Choice Awards at the Brews'n'Chews downtown.
We have been regularly attending brew fests throughout Montana, and even if we can't be at all of them, our beer frequently is. Our tap room manager Janie sometimes attends & serves when we can't make it, and she hosted our booth in Joliet MT for their fest. We were at The Montana Brewer's Association brew fests here in Billings, and at their 150th Anniversary of Helena MT fest. We were also at The Brews'n'Chews at the depot downtown. We will be serving our beer at the Ales For Trails fest in September & at Zootoberfest at ZooMontana in October. If you are heading to Sheridan on September 6th, we'll be at their brew fest hosted by Blacktooth Brewing as well.
The Magic City Blues Festival in Billings at South Park hosted the first ever South Park Tap Room, with Canyon Creek, Uberbrew, Angry Hank's and Montana Brewing Company in attendance. We look forward to doing it again next year.
We are starting to have food trucks rotate in now. Cajun Phatty's is there 2-4 days a week & has her schedule posted on her Facebook page. She has also started serving lunch from the CCB lot from 11-2 pm, weekdays. We've also had Longhorn BBQ, Two Sassy Meatballs, & Jimmy's Greece Pit. The Shack will be here August 30th.
Well, that's the latest. Get down here & enjoy our beer!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Wow...I completely forgot I even started this blog.
It's been a crazy whirlwind since the last post. We finished construction, finished the brewery, and we are OPEN!!! We sailed through the licensing, building & health inspections with minor issues.
We did a soft opening on December 20th, 2013.
The building turned out beautiful. Our contractors, Staudel Construction & the subs did a bang up job on our place. Our partners did the interior design & everyone loves the decor & atmosphere. The tap room is amazing, with cool views, stainless steel counter tops, and copper tap assemblies. The tables made by our friend Blake Fransen are gorgeous. We are starting to put up some art work. Our patios are going to be the focal point this summer. I can hardly wait.
Ron has brewed the following ales: Blonde, Cream, Scottish, Stout, IPA, Hefeweizen, and Amber. The blond & the Scottish are the best sellers. All the beers are getting wonderful reviews.
The response from the west end has been more than we ever hoped for. There are new faces coming in every day. The friends we have made over the years of hanging out at the other tap rooms have showed as well.
We are open 7 days a week, from 2-8pm. Happy Hour is 3-5pm, with $3 pints. Come on out & have a pint with us!
It's been a crazy whirlwind since the last post. We finished construction, finished the brewery, and we are OPEN!!! We sailed through the licensing, building & health inspections with minor issues.
We did a soft opening on December 20th, 2013.
The building turned out beautiful. Our contractors, Staudel Construction & the subs did a bang up job on our place. Our partners did the interior design & everyone loves the decor & atmosphere. The tap room is amazing, with cool views, stainless steel counter tops, and copper tap assemblies. The tables made by our friend Blake Fransen are gorgeous. We are starting to put up some art work. Our patios are going to be the focal point this summer. I can hardly wait.
Ron has brewed the following ales: Blonde, Cream, Scottish, Stout, IPA, Hefeweizen, and Amber. The blond & the Scottish are the best sellers. All the beers are getting wonderful reviews.
The response from the west end has been more than we ever hoped for. There are new faces coming in every day. The friends we have made over the years of hanging out at the other tap rooms have showed as well.
We are open 7 days a week, from 2-8pm. Happy Hour is 3-5pm, with $3 pints. Come on out & have a pint with us!
Friday, October 4, 2013
Sorry I have not been posting lately. It's been a busy couple of months. We have not been fixtures at the local tap rooms as much, and I miss that. We did manage to attend a couple of beer festivals here in Billings, & one in Missoula, followed by the the Montana Brewer's Association conference, which was very informative, and also fun. It's great getting together with the other brewers from the state & talking about what everyone is doing.
There are a lot of things done, and a lot of things not done.
Ron got the brew house put together, meaning the hot liquor tank, mash tun & boil kettle, along with the control panel. The fermentation vessels are in, but not exactly in their places yet. Ron is deciding which ones he wants in what spot. That has to be decided, because then you know where the glycol chiller plumbing goes. He is also waiting for the water electricity to get hooked up to the brew house. The grain mill, auger & motor are set up. Can't turn them on yet-no power. The beer cooler has lights. Can't test the cooling yet-no power.
We have lights in the parking lot, & most of the other exterior & interior lighting is completed.
The landscaping is progressing. The Beerhenge area has the concrete path poured & sealed. Good Earth Works has planted 3 honey locust trees.The small patio fence is in & the large patio fence just needs a gate. (This might be done, but I have been at home sick for 2 days, and have not been to the brewery.)
The bars are being constructed. They are going to be different than anyone in town & I can't wait to see them finished.
The bathrooms have water, and the sinks & counter tops are in, but not quite plumbed all the way.
All the floor treatments are done, except for one more layer in the beer cooler. All the painting is completed, except for a little bit of touching up & the painting on the wall in the tap room.
I am adding pics to the Facebook site. We now have a website: www.canyoncreekbrewing.com, which is a work in progress.
That about covers it for now.
There are a lot of things done, and a lot of things not done.
Ron got the brew house put together, meaning the hot liquor tank, mash tun & boil kettle, along with the control panel. The fermentation vessels are in, but not exactly in their places yet. Ron is deciding which ones he wants in what spot. That has to be decided, because then you know where the glycol chiller plumbing goes. He is also waiting for the water electricity to get hooked up to the brew house. The grain mill, auger & motor are set up. Can't turn them on yet-no power. The beer cooler has lights. Can't test the cooling yet-no power.
We have lights in the parking lot, & most of the other exterior & interior lighting is completed.
The landscaping is progressing. The Beerhenge area has the concrete path poured & sealed. Good Earth Works has planted 3 honey locust trees.The small patio fence is in & the large patio fence just needs a gate. (This might be done, but I have been at home sick for 2 days, and have not been to the brewery.)
The bars are being constructed. They are going to be different than anyone in town & I can't wait to see them finished.
The bathrooms have water, and the sinks & counter tops are in, but not quite plumbed all the way.
All the floor treatments are done, except for one more layer in the beer cooler. All the painting is completed, except for a little bit of touching up & the painting on the wall in the tap room.
I am adding pics to the Facebook site. We now have a website: www.canyoncreekbrewing.com, which is a work in progress.
That about covers it for now.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
It's The Little Things...updated
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT placing blame on anyone here, just stating what's happening. I do get that stuff happens when you are building a 6,300 sf brewery from the ground up.
Sometimes the little things matter. There are a bunch of things, that are waiting for other things. There are other things, that are not quite right yet.
The missing siding clips finally arrived, so the siding can be mostly finished. I say "mostly" because the front siding can't go up until the rock face is done, & we have not seen that material yet.
There is a wall inside the building that can't be built because the cooler is not here yet. Imagine putting the wall up, and then the cooler gets put together, and the wall is off by even an inch. Not good. So we wait.
The sprinkler system (fire suppression) seems to be waiting for something. There are questions on how it's configured in the grain room. (update: can't be changed.)
The electric panel boxes are going up in the brew house, but the wood behind them is not painted or covered.
There is exposed wood around the garage door openings. I hope there is a solution for that. (update: will be addressed) One of the rubber side seals on the rear garage door got damaged & will have to be replaced.
One door needs to be adjusted. It's scraping on the sill plate.
Ron's side project is getting there, but it's tough going in this heat. Imagine welding in a pole barn when it's nearly 100 degrees out.
As many of you know, this is not your typical commercial building. It's a brewery, and there are things that have to be done differently. It's a full time job for Ron to keep up with, and address site issues. At the very least, questions have to be asked about how this or that is being done.
I realize all these issues are going to be addressed. It's just frustrating, because Ron is frustrated.
On the up side...the bathrooms are going to look great. The curbing in the parking lot is going to happen soon. The landscaper has been doing some preliminary work. The colors & materials inside the building are going to look awesome.
When it's completed, it will be a great place to stop & have a couple pints, & visit with friends & co-workers.
Until then...we wait.
Sometimes the little things matter. There are a bunch of things, that are waiting for other things. There are other things, that are not quite right yet.
The missing siding clips finally arrived, so the siding can be mostly finished. I say "mostly" because the front siding can't go up until the rock face is done, & we have not seen that material yet.
There is a wall inside the building that can't be built because the cooler is not here yet. Imagine putting the wall up, and then the cooler gets put together, and the wall is off by even an inch. Not good. So we wait.
The sprinkler system (fire suppression) seems to be waiting for something. There are questions on how it's configured in the grain room. (update: can't be changed.)
The electric panel boxes are going up in the brew house, but the wood behind them is not painted or covered.
There is exposed wood around the garage door openings. I hope there is a solution for that. (update: will be addressed) One of the rubber side seals on the rear garage door got damaged & will have to be replaced.
One door needs to be adjusted. It's scraping on the sill plate.
Ron's side project is getting there, but it's tough going in this heat. Imagine welding in a pole barn when it's nearly 100 degrees out.
As many of you know, this is not your typical commercial building. It's a brewery, and there are things that have to be done differently. It's a full time job for Ron to keep up with, and address site issues. At the very least, questions have to be asked about how this or that is being done.
I realize all these issues are going to be addressed. It's just frustrating, because Ron is frustrated.
On the up side...the bathrooms are going to look great. The curbing in the parking lot is going to happen soon. The landscaper has been doing some preliminary work. The colors & materials inside the building are going to look awesome.
When it's completed, it will be a great place to stop & have a couple pints, & visit with friends & co-workers.
Until then...we wait.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
CONSTRUCTION FEELS LIKE SLOW MO...
Things are moving along, but it just seems excruciatingly slow. I've been out this week due to illness, so sorry I have not been posting.
The roofing material is on and nearly completed.
The parking lot is being formed & the curbs and gutters are marked out. It's a lot easier to imagine where the patios will be now.
The Tyvek© covering is going up, and so is the siding all around. The door and window frames are in, waiting for glass. I think the garage doors will be installed soon.
Fire suppression is being installed in both the tap room & brew house.Once that is in, then they can begin putting up ceiling material in the brew house. The tap room will have an open ceiling.
Ron has been working on a project inside the brewery, one of the things the city requires. I'm not going to say what it is, but it's been no fun for him.
We are still waiting for the cooler to arrive. The wall between the tap room & the brewery can't be built until the cooler is sitting on the floor.
That's about it for what is happening now.
Ron is not cluing anyone in on what he is going to brew first. You can ask, but you'll likely get a smart ass reply.
The roofing material is on and nearly completed.
The parking lot is being formed & the curbs and gutters are marked out. It's a lot easier to imagine where the patios will be now.
The Tyvek© covering is going up, and so is the siding all around. The door and window frames are in, waiting for glass. I think the garage doors will be installed soon.
Fire suppression is being installed in both the tap room & brew house.Once that is in, then they can begin putting up ceiling material in the brew house. The tap room will have an open ceiling.
Ron has been working on a project inside the brewery, one of the things the city requires. I'm not going to say what it is, but it's been no fun for him.
We are still waiting for the cooler to arrive. The wall between the tap room & the brewery can't be built until the cooler is sitting on the floor.
That's about it for what is happening now.
Ron is not cluing anyone in on what he is going to brew first. You can ask, but you'll likely get a smart ass reply.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
CANYON CREEK CONTINUES...
There have been a few glitches along the way...our contractor had a small tripping accident (he's ok.), and the floor drain locations had to be corrected. The cooler floor needed some jack hammering & re-pouring so liquids would go to the drains. The mop closet had to be moved. Nothing earth shattering, but it proves you need someone there to make sure things are done correctly. It is so easy to misinterpret designs & floor plans.
The tap room is going to be bigger than anyone tap room here in Billings, and has beautiful views.
We are picking out materials & colors for the interior & exterior surfaces. The tables & chairs are being made. This place will look like no other in Billings.
When I am out at the site, I realize what a great location we have. We are between The Windmill & Jake's. We will not be serving food, so folks can have a beer or two in our tap room & then go enjoy dinner close by.
There is a lot of industry there, and more arriving & building every month. Hopefully, the workers will stop by after work & do a few 16 ounce curls.
There is a large day care facility nearby, so parents can just come in & fill a growler & enjoy the beer in the comfort & safety of their own homes.
I will be creating our Facebook presence soon & also a website, to which I will link this blog. I will probably make another blog for the poetry, and move it there.
More to come...
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Canyon Creek Brewing Has A Beginning...
It is located on the west end of Billings, Montana at 3060 Gabel Road. Our architect is Atwood Architecture of Billings MT. Our general contractor is Stadel Construction located in Columbus MT.
So far, the foundation is in, and the basics of the plumbing being done by Christofferson Plumbing & Heating from Billings, is started. We are waiting for the lot to dry out more after all the recent rains, so the floor can be poured. Keith Epley from Billings, is the concrete contractor.
The preliminary electrical work is started, courtesy of a local Billings company, Taylor Electric, and Northwest Energy installed the transformer. At least one of the three underground "ponds" is in. They will be under the parking lot. The city now requires drainage ponds so that less water goes into the Yellowstone River.
The building is over 6,000 square feet. We will have a tap room, which will serve 3 pints per person, per day, and serve until 8:00pm, which is the law in our state. We plan to have 8 or so beers on tap at any given time. The brew house is a 10 barrel system, built by Specific Mechanical in Canada.
We will have 2 patios, beautifully landscaped by Good Earth Works Landscapers. We have included ample motorcycle parking, and will have racks for bicycles. There is an area that can be reserved for parties. There are 2 bar stations for less waiting in line.
We have not determined our hours yet. We will likely open earlier than 4:00pm on weekdays, though. Weekend hours are yet to be determined, but we will probably be open on Sundays.
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