Avery

We need to thank some of our strongest supporters, Avery Brewing Company. When we first arrived in Boulder, we had been awake for roughly thirty-two hours. It is one of the pleasures of working two full time jobs. Between awkward moments of waking up on the shoulder(s) of unsuspecting strangers and a complete bleary disconnect of my eyes, the kind where one twitches uncontrollably and the other chooses to forgo functioning without notifying you, we arrived at Avery Brewing Company and stood in a suspended transcendence while gazing at a system so much bigger than the one we are used to.

It was what we like to call our Tim Taylor moment (grunt, grunt, grunt, grab tool belt, fire up a power tool raised above your head, etc.) Needless to further articulate, it was amazing! Then, we met some of the most talented and truly kind people. Avery opened their doors and kettle to some amateurs with a pipe dream, perhaps in part because they have been like us at some point. When I imagine the craft beer industry in all it's utopian glory, I reference the interaction which led us to this point. Two girls, slightly lit up after an Avery tasting with Adam, contemplating when, if ever, we should ask for some advice. The fifteen or so pours of the Dictator and Demon series erased the two-hour prior inhibitions we had harbored. Screw it, what's the worst that can happen? Adam tells us we're crazy (which we already are fully aware of) and we gracefully thank him for the tasting and stumble home. But no, Adam was really excited; it was mind-blowing. Now, when someone approaches us with any idea or suggestion I value it. I think Adam and his team adhere to this rule and is largely why they are progressive and successful.

Hey Peter...what's happening...

We hit some minor bumps with our dsl installation (what? they don't have the FIVE phone jacks we need in the old Nut and Bolt building...really!?!-no way), which has made blog updates a little late. Let's see:

1. Dead Canary Upstairs Taproom- finished with the exception of the hardwood floors and stage!! That's right we have walls, fire suppression, and heat!! (we make it a practice to celebrate even the smallest victories). Also, we would like to thank a certain local artist for the gigantic logo painting.

2. Brewery- Working on the drainage system plans. Still waiting on several quotes for systems. Beers should be ready in a couple of weeks for the first round of taste-testing. What's that? You sure are invited.

3. Logo- finished! we will post it on our next blog. Thanks to Adam for his adobe wizardry.

4. Canary Dodgeball/ Beer Pong Leagues- In an effort to encourage extreme indoor winter sports, we are happy to say that the first of soon-to-be-weekly tournaments were ricidulous! (we have introduced waivers subsequently).

5. Website- gettin' there.

That's it folks!

How did we start, you ask?

It was a hot summer day. Really, really HOT. The kind of hot where everything sticks to everything and the thought crosses your mind to just lay in the middle of the sidewalk and aim a sprinkler directly at yourself. But, we chose to cope with the oppressive heat by making beer- in fact, a stout. Sure, the idea didn't seem as refreshing as it should, but it was between brewing beer and succumbing to Ra and offering our bodies as sacrifices. So, being wannabe purists we decided to distill and filter our own water. In a tiny-ass kitchen in a midtown apartment with an antiquated cooling system, naked stout was born. We stood over boiling water and watched the thermometer rise and rise, at which point we noticed the ambient temperature in the room was 102. It is at moments like this one, when subconsciously or not, you do what you have to do. And we did. We only suggest this particular home brewing method when among close friends or as a vendetta to a nosy neighbor, as the combination of boiling water and bared skin is dangerous. Sarah, a bit flustered and annoyed at our choice in water, yelled, "This is the batch that would've killed the canary!" A moment's silence elapsed as I thought, "she's right," and promptly replied, "Well, run, boys, run!" Thus, dead canary...

update everybody!

Sorry for the delayed blogs, we have been very busy getting everything ready for our test batches and dealing with construction delays. Awesome!

Many things to update on:

Test Batches: On their way...good solid, recipes that will knock you on yo' ass.

Space: Who knew we would need a steal I-Beam Frame? Damn 1892! Seriously, we love the fact that we are in the epicenter of the gritty, honest history of Kansas City... tenements, warehouses and railroad tracks...it's home.

Potential Brewers: Still looking for two more brewers to work under Sarah...but, we found our chemist!

Initiatives: Priced out the greenhouse and solar panels...both are plausible and energy efficient.

Woo Hoo!!: courting major distributor in Missouri... or the other way...but, the company seems to understand our vision and hopeful contribution to craft brewing.

Brews in the belly: Cat House Stout- Dry hopped mint chocolate imperial stout, Local No. 12-lemongrass maple strong ale, Speakeasy IPA- honeysuckle grapefruit IPA, Bathtub Barleywine: copiously hopped barleywine, and chickory rhubarb imperial porter.

Thanks to everyone for being so patient and supportive! Special thanks to our construction guys....Tony, you are amazing! To the few, but mighty Kansas City beer lovers, we only hope our ales are as resilient, strong, and loud as you are! Thanks!

Ms. Canary

A Home for Beer

Well, for those of you following the birth of our tiny brewery, I would like to inform you that our new location can be found in the sunny, industrial corner of the West Bottoms. Located right off the 12th St. bridge, we have excellent views of circus trains, haunted houses, and a boxing club. If strong beer doesn't pair well with these diverse neighbors, I don't know what would! But we are just plum-smack happy to finally have enough space to stretch out and get to work. We will let you know what's next for the dead canary.

Dead Canary..The Beginning

This is the blog home of Dead Canary Brewing Co. Feel free to visit often, frequently and more than once as we will be posting events, taste beering and the struggle of opening a woman owned microbrewery in Kansas City.

Slap your existing megabrewery in the nutsack and try a Dead Canary already!!

Sincerely,

Ms. Canary