The Opposite of Icarus (our wings are made of beer)

The last couple weeks have been pretty exciting because of the number of things going on:  Mike Bentz (Myco Excavation) has been working on the additions to our septic system, rough-in plumbing and electrical have been completed by Ken Stilwell and Mark Porteous, respectively.  Kelly Vineyard and his crew installed cement board and gypsum in the brewery, Staci and I visited Domain Drouhin and Aaron Bell to get more barrels and then stopped by to see Gayle Goschie and pick up some hops.  Most recently, I met with Doug LaPlaca at VisitBend to get input concerning tourists, our beer, and the ale trail, and of course stopping by Deschutes Brewery to have a pint and catch up with all my friends over there.  Jeff Frink and Junior are fabricating up my bottling/storage tanks and I’ve got to get a bunch of ordering done so I have what I need in about 3 weeks when we will hopefully start brewing!  Lots needs to line up to make that happen…inspections from the TTB, ODA along with Deschutes County, mainly.  Since we’ve broken ground, it has felt as if we’ve stepped off of the giant precipice we’d been gazing into.  Perhaps we were pushed??!  Either way, until we start actually selling our beer, we are in a somewhat controlled free fall…wings spread, plummeting as the money that’s taken years to accumulate vanishes by the month.  Invigorating and nauseating all at the same time!  Somewhere around the first of the year we’ll begin pulling up and out of this tailspin, celebrating by popping the corks on a bunch of Sahalie bottles (you’re all invited, by the way).  Until then, we’re wearing our white knuckles as sort of a badge I suppose.  Stay in touch!