Every good beer store offers free tastings every so often, but not every beer store has a knitting and crafts club or women-only beer education and social events. It is things like this that make The Glass Jug different. We're really proud of our fun and unique events, and we hope to continue expanding our selection of events throughout the year. Below is a listing of our events that happen on a recurring basis every month. We hope you'll join us for one (or more) of them, next time you are able.
Timelapse: Building The Glass Jug
During the construction process, we mounted a small timelapse camera on the front wall of what would become our new store. The goal was to capture all of the work that goes into getting a space, that was formerly a diner, split in half and ready to open up as a craft beer store. We also let the camera keep rolling through the grand opening. So if you were here for opening day, you might just catch a glimpse of yourself, but don't blink, it goes by fast.
Festivus Celebration and Toys for Tots
Our brewery of the month for December is going to be the new kids on the block, Haw River Farmhouse Ales. They just opened up in Saxapahaw (between Chapel Hill and Greensboro), and are already cranking out some delicious brews. To ring in the holiday month, we decided that we needed to really do something special, so what better way than to revive the Festivus celebration!?!
Final Construction Update
Over the past few weeks, we've had all sorts of crews working in the space. We installed a walk-in cooler...then took it out and installed a bigger one (that's a story for another day). The bar has been built. Signs are up on the front of the building and inside. The lights are hung. The bathrooms are functional. The walls have been painted. The floors have been repaired and cleaned. The draft system is in place. Over the course of the long weekend, we've been putting some finishing touches on a few things and getting the store in ship shape for the grand opening. Then, once we pass all of our inspections early next week, we'll move in the bar stools, tables, chairs, and shelves, and start ordering some beer!
A Very Ginger Brew Day
Over the past few weeks, we've teased about the awesome beer line-up we're going to have for our opening week, but we haven't really told you much about it. So, let's pull back the curtain a bit and let you know what we've been up to. One of the things that is really important to us is supporting and promoting the fantastic beer that is being brewed right here in North Carolina. We have several events in the works that will help us do this over time. But we really wanted to do something special for the grand opening.
Construction Update
The big question that everyone has been asking us over the last few months has been "so, when is The Glass Jug going to open up?" That's a fair question, and I wish I could answer it better. The good news is that we are getting to a point where we'll be able to answer it soon with much more confidence (but not today, so don't get too excited)!
The big hurdle to the "when are you opening" question has been construction. Our little store is not a big construction project, and for each individual contractor, it's just a small portion of their schedule. Because of that, our project has been subject to shifts in schedule. Additionally, there are always some unforeseen setbacks, like accidentally cutting a water main that wasn't buried at the correct depth in the concrete slab floor. But that's a story for another day.
The good news is that we have turned a corner, and the rest of the process should go much faster from here on out. A lot of the work that has been done to this point has been the stuff you don't see or notice, things like electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. But our contractors began building the new wall today, and we'll be installing the bar, sinks, dishwasher, and the draft beer system in the coming weeks.
Above is a short photo gallery that shows you what's happened thus far (You can click on the images to see larger versions).
We're hoping to post another update in a few short weeks with the back wall finished, and the bar and equipment in place. And, since you read all the way to the end, I'll let you in on a little secret...we're currently aiming for a grand opening by mid-September. ;)
No Skunky Beer Here!
One of the biggest challenges facing any retail store where beer sits on the shelves is avoiding beer becoming light-struck, or "skunked." [symple_heading style="" title="What is skunky beer?" type="h3" font_size="" text_align="left" margin_top="30" margin_bottom="30" color="undefined" icon_left="" icon_right=""]
Beer that has been skunked is simply a beer that has come in contact with UV rays, which causes alpha acids (the chemical compound in hops that adds bitterness to your beer) to break down and create a sulfur-based chemical (3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol). That produces a mercaptan smell that can be off-putting. It smells (and even tastes, to a smaller extent) like skunk.
In fact, the chemical created in this process is almost identical to what you find in skunk spray.
Note that light is the only thing that can skunk a beer. Storing beer at room temperature or changing the temperature of a beer from warm to cold will not skunk a beer, though these are common misconceptions (and still probably not ideal for your beer).
Beer that is in clear bottles has no UV protection, and green bottles only block about 20% of the UV rays, which means that these beers, if left under sunlight or fluorescent light, will start to become skunked within a day. Brown bottles, however, protect against about 98% of UV rays, and canned or kegged beers block out 100% of UV rays.
Thus, the issue that bottle shops face. They need beer to be out on the shelves, and they need light for people to see. At The Glass Jug, we're taking a few measures to help prolong the shelf-life of our bottled beer inventory and help you, our customers, be more confident in the quality of the product you are purchasin, and avoid opening up a beer that smells like a skunk.
[symple_heading style="" title="What are we doing?" type="h3" font_size="" text_align="left" margin_top="30" margin_bottom="30" color="undefined" icon_left="" icon_right=""]
For starters, our space has a great wall of windows in the front of the store. We like this, as it makes the store feel warm and inviting. So to keep this atmosphere without putting any beer in danger, you'll notice that we never store any beer in the very front of the shop. That area will be reserved for seating and enjoying beer. Also, due to the orientation of our space, we will never see direct sunlight come in through these front windows. We are also going through lengths in laying out the store to make sure that the beer closest to the windows are in cans, or at the very least, brown bottles.
So, while we can't (and wouldn't want to) turn off the sun, we can fix the larger issue that most retail stores face - fluorescent light. Our space, as it sits now, has lots of fluorescent light fixtures, so we're going to rip them all out. Let's be real - fluorescent light kinda sucks anyway, even if it didn't skunk your beer.
We will be replacing all of the fluorescent light fixtures with brand new LED fixtures. This is better for the environment, more energy efficient, longer lasting, and produces very little UV rays, of which only a very tiny percentage are emitted.
The goal is to light our space in a way that is still warm and inviting, without worry of compromising the quality of any of the beer you come to buy. And, obviously, we think it's pretty cool that it's more energy efficient and good for the environment.
