Introduction
Like every good story, there has to be a beginning. And as in all cases, there is one here. However, if you’re reading this, you’ve joined us in the later chapters of it. Somewhere in chapter five actually. There’s a lot to fill in, but we’re going to condense it to a single though per chapter (plus an introduction).
Intro: Picked up my dad’s old store-bought extract homebrew kit after four years in the Marine Corps and hated the result, causing me to decide to learn the real way to brew beer
Chapter 1: Began homebrewing in Reno, Nevada and found a real passion for it until I moved to Texas and downgraded from a house to an apartment, ceasing my brewing operations for the time being
Chapter 2: Met an amazing woman who listened to my crazy ideas of one day owning a brewery and she purchased me a new brewing kit for our first Christmas together which re-ignited the fire I felt for the craft
Chapter 3: Took that kit and built upon it, making my house fill up with bottles and brews and turned bottling into a full-on family affair that everyone partook in
Chapter 4: Introduced Todd, my partner, to the process of brewing and we hatched the actual plan to build a brewery including the purchase of 8 barrels of fermentation space, a single barrel brewing system, and a plethora of other equipment as we move towards opening
Chapter 5: In progress…
Who We Are
C.J. Gent – A Marine Corps veteran who served from 2005-2009. Born and raised in Nevada, I moved to Texas after my military time to pursue career opportunities. Hired on with Carrollton Police in 2014, it was there I met Todd and shortly after Todd’s retirement, I was promoted to Sergeant and oversee a patrol shift and the bike team.
Todd Burnside – A veteran of the U.S. Army also worked for Carrollton Police for over 20 years. Todd recently retired from the department as a Sergeant and has begun working in the security field since.
What We Are
Four Walls Brewing Company is built upon a concept that resonates with most people – that there is comfort in wherever you call home. When we end a shift, when we get back from a business trip, when a service member returns home from a deployment or the completion of a contract, there is comfort there. And within the Four Walls of home, you find peace.
Our beers are designed for the newcomer to the world of craft beers and the experienced craft beer drinker alike. Many of our beers have mild flavors, designed not to overpower the palate but to entice it into more complex flavors. Additionally, many of our beers have deep, complex, rich profiles that experienced drinkers enjoy and actively seek out to experience.
We are actively trying to move in to a property in Celina, TX, and we want to bring people together. Our plan is to be a small brewpub in Celina that will initially be open Friday-Sunday, with plans to expand our hours in the coming years. One of our main goals is to not only be part of a community, but to truly integrate into the community. When you come to Four Walls, we want the whole family to come. Bring the kiddos, bring the pup. We don’t want you to take time away from your family to visit us. Find comfort here in a good glass of beer while being surrounded by those you love.
Part of our goal, our campaign, our mission, is to be integral into our community. We will, without question, give back to our community and to organizations that provide services to individuals in need. As a 100% veteran owned company, our military members fall near and dear to our hearts. We feel strongly that there is a great demand placed on the young men and women of our great nation who sign up to serve, and it is our calling to be here for them when they get back. Equally, as two law enforcement officers, our brothers and sisters in blue (and yes, even red), mean a great deal to us as well. We have selected organizations that help veterans and first responders that will receive donations from us. It won’t stop there. There are a number of other organizations that greatly impact our lives daily that we will support.
Support
Since early 2018, we've been communicating with the Economic Development group in Celina, Texas regarding opening our brewpub up in their city. From the beginning, the excitement and support was unrivaled. We have been constantly communicating with the EDC regarding our progress, and they have been helpful every step of the way as we try to bring our beers to their city. From our first meeting with the employees of the city, Celina has felt like the perfect place for our brewery to call home.
At a local event in June of 2018, we were able to have the citizens sample our beers and provide real time feedback. The response was wonderful and the conversations we had with the people were great. We even ended up snagging a great graphic designer who has proved to be irreplaceable (thanks, Ryan!) With our desire to be in Celina, and the overwhelmingly positive response to the beers everyone sampled, we had to find a place to set up.
Location
So we began our search right then and there. Immediately, we found a little gas station a couple hundred feet from Celina Town Square that seemed to be perfect. Built in the 1930's, it has the history of the town, an extremely unique feel, the space and setup we need.
What We Have/Need
Here’s where we stand today. We have chairs ready to go for the serving room, and we’re actively working on obtaining patio furniture for outside. With our single barrel system and eight barrels of fermentation space, that will provide us the opportunity to grow organically with the community and at a manageable pace. We have a glycol chiller that can handle half of our vessels as it stands. We recently ordered, and received, our initial glassware order of 16oz glasses, 5oz sample glasses, and 100 growlers for beer to go.
We are going to need another glycol chiller that can handle the full load of our fermenters, with the ability to add on additional fermenters. This cost is approximately $5,000. We will be building a walk-in cooler utilizing a CoolBot system, allowing us to customize the space from the beginning. Estimated costs for this are roughly $1,500 - $2,000 for an 8’ x 8’x 12’ cooler. These hard goods are required for us to get open and operational.
Additionally, we will have our TABC and TTB licensing to take care of. Without the appropriate paperwork completed, we can’t bring our beers to you. The process to begin obtaining our licenses can only begin once we establish a location and begin finishing out the interior.
We will always strive to provide you the best beer possible, made with the finest ingredients and the most efficient practices. We won’t cut corners because it’s something we simply don’t do. We will become part of a community, bringing people together and spreading the love and comfort that we craft. And when you come in, if the mood strikes you, we will have journals behind the bar yearning for your short stories to be penned. Because at the end of the day, there’s a story in here somewhere.