Beer is a popular beverage among many people, and it has great potential to become a business. Nowadays, starting your own brewery has become more accessible. If you have the ambition to build your own brand and brew your own beer, here are a few tips on how you can start your brewery properly.
Know the Brewing Process
It can be a surprise, but there are actually very few people who are actually familiar with how to exactly brew beer. If you want to start a brewery, then you are going to have to know about it. You shouldn’t be a beginner either. You need to have been brewing for several years now. If you are not at that level of skill, you need to have someone on your team that can consider themselves a master brewer.
Study the Market
Even if you are brewing only for local consumption, you still need to be familiar with the tastes of your market and whether you have a market for it. Depending on the size of your brewery, you might be aiming for a regional or market. There are different tastes about beer and what you might think is a tasty brew is not thought of well in another place. Do surveys and determine what sort of beer you can make.
Develop the Brew
Before you start brewing on a large scale, you will need to come up with the particular recipe for your brew. It might surprise you, but developing a beer can take a long time. Mixing up the brew and how to ferment it properly can mean months of work. You will also need a second opinion of whether the brew is actually tasty.
Get the Investment
If you have a product ready, then you will need to get money for setting up the brewery. It is surprising how expensive a brewery can be. This is mostly because of the expensive brewing equipment. A good 31-gallon barrel can actually cost you around $100,000. This is why most breweries start off small then slowly expand as the profit comes in.
Get Permits and Licenses
Brewing beer is not something that anyone can do. There is a whole bunch of paperwork that needs to be done before setting things up. Most governments require that you have licenses and permits to start brewing. Most of these permits require you to pass a test and be able to show off your equipment. You might also need some insurance to cover your business so that you can protect yourself from accidents.
Have the Hardware
With the license ready, it is time to build up your brewery. If you plan to start brewing on a consistent basis, there are various pieces of equipment that your brewery needs. For example, water treatment systems for the water for the beer, bottling equipment for the final bottling, and more. Most of the time, you will want to get brand-new equipment, but used equipment can be as useful.
Making beer can either be a small business or a big one. It all depends on how you set up your brewery. The tips above should point you in the right direction. With a bit of effort, you will be sure to have a bottle of your finest ready in no time.
