Here’s some great info from the Longtab Brewing Company that came via email. We’re going to post it straight as it came to us via our subscription to their page:

Welcome to the first ever Longtab Brewing Company SITREP!  We wanted to create a method of keeping our fans informed of our progress. Over the last several months there has been an incredible amount of work going on behind the scenes, by a lot of people, to make this a reality!

For those that just want the perts, we are still 6 months or so from opening. For those that want to know more detail on what’s been happening, and wants to know “when can I get a Longtab beer”, then keep reading!

In this SITREP we will cover our new space, the beer, fundraising efforts, and current state of swag.

WE HAVE A LOCATION!

Perhaps the biggest news to share is that we have a location and have entered into a lease!  The space is in a new building, partially solar powered, and in an area of San Antonio currently devoid of any other brewpubs.  This is great for us!

We still have a few challenges to get the space ready to be able to make and serve beer. If you aren’t interested in the minutiae of zoning, power struggles, etc…skip down to the beer section!

If you know anything about zoning, you can appreciate the difficult task of finding a space that is properly zoned to allow both the industrial aspects of brewing beer with retail sales of alcohol and on-premise consumption.  It is not a business model that neatly falls within a wide range of zoning options.  For Longtrab’s location, our space is zoned I-2, or Light Industrial.  This means we can manufacture beer, but could not sell or consume that beer on site without a special permit from the city.  The permit requires the appearance in front of a zoning board, and the city council.   So, with the help of Longtab’s incredible lawyer, we presented our case to the zoning board for a “Supplemental Use Permit”.  The permit application consisted of traffic analysis surveys, site plans, and a bunch of other various notarized documents.  The first hurdle was getting past the zoning commission, which we did unanimously, even in the face of protests!  The second hurdle was getting final permit approval from the local City Council.  The local zoning commission did a great job of arguing on our behalf, but the protestors were there nonetheless.  In the end we were able to convince the council to approve our request.  I can’t emphasize how big of a hurdle this is when you compare this to the challenges other breweries have had with zoning issues.  Having this approval means we can execute our Brewpub vision as planned.   Winning!

The next challenge is power.  The space we have is in one of the most energy efficient buildings in San Antonio.  Indeed, half the roof is covered in solar panels which provides a significant amount of free power.  Unfortunately though it is not enough to run all our equipment, so we need to do some upgrades and add more available amps.  Between lengthy discussions with our local power company and our electrician, we have a way ahead!  Our goal is to get enough power to run the largest system we can afford.

Finally, there’s the legal matters of operating and selling beer.  The major items needed are Federal TTB approval (Brewers Notice) which takes bout 2-3 months to receive, or longer if there are application issue.  Next is the TABC permits (for Texas), then of course local permits.  TABC takes a few weeks if everything looks ok.  You need all three to legally make and sell beer.  To date we have submitted for our Brewer’s Permit and as of 10 NOV the TTB site shows Longtab’s application as “accepted”.  We expect final approval in a month or so.

THE BEER: When can I get some?

We get a lot (ok, a TON) of requests like “can you ship to __?”, “can I order your beer?”.  The answer to both questions is no, for now!  Currently in the state of Texas you cannot order beer online, or ship beer to an individual out of state.  It must go through a distributor which requires all the permits I mentioned above.  We will be working hard to change this, but as of now its not possible.

We also get a lot of questions like “can I get Longtag beer in my state”.  The short answer is not yet.  We have to first get legal, then get the beer into a packaged form like kegs and cans.  Each of these packaged forms requires federal approval for both the recipes AND labels before it can be packaged and sold.  Once you get a packaged product, then its a question of establishing alliances with a multitude of distributors to legally export beer from Texas to another state.  Those states receiving beer will require your federal license as well.

So, to get Longtab in your state and into your favorite bar or beer store we need a distributor, which requires a packaged product, which requires approved recipes and labels, which requires local, state, and Federal licenses, which requires a place to brew, which requires construction, which requires equipment, etc, etc, etc.

To shortcut some of this, we have been in discussions with some local distributors, and we have been working very closely with a mobile canning company to provide canning services as soon as feasible.  We are confident we can get to a packaged product soon after opening.

Rest assured, however, out of state distribution is a high priority for us.  We know there are a lot of fans that want out beer all over the US and beyond.

The good news is that all of this is possible, it will just take time.

FUNDRAISING to OPENING

We are super excited to announce that next month Longtab will launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.  These funds will help us hire employees, and purchase the materials and equipment needed to get the company going.  It will have several investment levels to accommodate just about everyone.

There are also other investment options you can learn about, just reply to this email for more information.

Look for the Indiegogo launch around mid December!

Once we are fully funded, we will begin construction and order equipment.  Most brewhouse manufacturers have a 4-5 month lead time, and it will take several months to go from construction permits to receiving Certificate of Occupancy.  Due to this we are looking at a Summer to Fall 2018 opening.

THE SWAG

We have swag!  In our shop we have hats, t shirts, and stickers.  These are super cool, high quality, official Longtab items.  We will have other items in the future, and will have some unique items available only during the INDIEGOGO campaign.

Every single dollar made from the sale of swag goes back into the brewery, or to periodic donations to the Green Beret Foundation.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for taking the time to catch up with us!  If you know of anyone else that would like to be added to our distro, please forward this to them, or send us their name and email through the email link

Thanks, and DOL!

David Holland
Founder
Longtab Brewing Company

We hope you will follow Longtab and check their progress along with us.