CRAFTconditioned

A couple of months ago, J and I decided to turn our life on its head, pack up everything, and head west to Colorado. We were in search of a better quality of life, greater job satisfaction, and an affordable housing market. Neither of us ever moved cross country. It’s been a real learning experience.

Brewing system set up in the garage

After nearly a month of living out of suitcases, our belongings finally arrived. We took one night this week to unpack and set up the brewery. Everything appears to have arrived safely, but we’ll conduct a hot water test in the coming days to be sure.

Here are some of our lessons learned in case they help you in your next move: 

Reduce – The movers charge by weight, so this was a good excuse to cull through our brewing supplies to get rid of old ingredients or equipment we’d outgrown. Fortunately, we had not yet ramped up our brewing schedule for the summer, so we didn’t have a inventory of ingredients to pack. We did have basic supplies, cleaning agents, and gases to address, though. We could pack most of it, but the explosive or liquid materials were prohibited. We gave our propane tanks and Star San to a fellow brewer. The kegs, CO2 and O2 tanks we simply emptied. The movers had no concerns about empty tanks.

Preparing for a cross-country move

Consolidate – We had a short turn-around for the move, so we hired packers to help us. They simply collect and box everything from a room then move on to the next. But our tiny bungalow required some creative storage solutions. By taking the time to consolidate our brewing gear in one place to be packed together, we simplified unpacking and set up on the other end. Even if you’re packing your own boxes, consider what decisions now will make unpacking easier later.

Disassemble – Just before the Colorado move came on our radar, J and I upgraded my brewing system to better meet our brewing goals. We barely had the opportunity to break in the new system before we packed it up again! We were especially concerned about everything making it safely to the new home. If you hire packers, I recommend choosing the items to dismantle and/or pack yourself. Although our packers were responsible (few items broke in transit), I was startled by some of the seemingly inadequate packing decisions they made with a few valuables. We were particularly happy we took the time to pack items the movers either weren’t familiar with or accustomed to disassembling (e.g., regulators, temperature controllers, yeast lab equipment).

Clean – We thought we cleaned all of our equipment and fittings thoroughly after our test batch, but sealing gear in a bin in a hot storage unit for a few weeks will bring any hidden organic material to life. Post move, we took time to dismantle, boil, scrub, re-passivate, and generally prep all our equipment and fittings for our first batch in our new home. We also reassessed our clean-up process to better address the trouble spots.

All in all, we consider the move a success. If you have additional tips, or if you have questions as you’re preparing for your own move, leave a comment.