As the craft beer movement continues to grow, more and more people are considering starting a brewery and dealing with the logistical challenges involved. It’s an exciting time to be in the beer-making business! We are thrilled to witness the increasing enthusiasm in this industry. Innovation is thriving, with new ideas and concepts emerging constantly.
We receive various types of individuals seeking our assistance in designing, constructing, and sometimes even installing their breweries. Some of our clients are beer brewing experts who have been experimenting for years and have already developed their recipes. They simply need help sourcing the highest quality brewing equipment and peripheral components.
Others require a more consultative approach, seeking assistance from the beginning stages, including determining the size, layout, and design of their breweries, all the way through to installation. Whatever your needs may be, we can provide services to meet them. Here’s an overview of what we offer in our step-by-step process for starting a brewery. We are proud to be a part of your journey!
Brewery Size
Let’s start from scratch…
The first step in building a brewery is making decisions about its size.
We will ask you three questions:
- What is the size of your location?
- What are your monthly and annual production goals?
- What is your budget?
The answers to these questions will help us determine which brewing system is right for your needs. We take several factors into account that will affect the size of your beer brewing equipment:
- Volume per batch
- Equipment cost
- Human resources
- Construction area
- Expandability
Once we have covered the basics, we will provide you with recommended settings to help you achieve your goals with the available resources.
Brewery Layout
This is the stage where we get a rough idea of how your equipment and facilities will be arranged in the space. The right layout can have a significant impact on efficiency, beer quality, and the overall ambiance of the venue. When designing a brewery layout, we consider many factors. Our priorities include:
Cost Reduction
There are numerous ways we can reduce costs in your mash room design. This is the main advantage of a well-planned brewery design and process management. We can implement small measures along the way that accumulate over time and result in cost reduction.
Here are some of our methods:
- Designing a layout that flows with the brewing process to increase efficiency and avoid redundant tasks and actions
- Utilizing vertical space with telescoping containers to maximize the brewery floor for better flow or easier expansion
- Planning ahead for extra space to avoid the upfront cost of redesigning the equipment layout later on
- Reducing beer line cooling and insulation costs by placing conditioning tanks as close to the bar area as possible
Maintaining Quality through Cleaning
If you take steps to ensure your facility remains clean and your brewery equipment is designed for easy and efficient cleaning, you can prevent contamination, ultimately saving time and money. It will also ensure product quality.
During the planning stages of your brewery design layout, we will incorporate aspects that are easy to clean. We will also consider the most efficient placement of equipment in each room and the best way to clean the inside of pipes and tanks.
Energy Efficiency
Your brewery layout can play a key role in reducing energy costs. For example:
- Shortening the distance between steps reduces the amount of pumping required, resulting in lower energy consumption
- Build a heat recovery system to reuse heat within your floor plan
- Place utilities near the containers to minimize plumbing runs and potential energy loss
These are just a few of the energy-saving measures we can implement. We take into account your specific circumstances and energy goals when consulting with you.
Aesthetics
Over time, the tourism aspect of a brewery has become increasingly important. Believe it or not, sometimes it can be as important as the beer quality itself! This has led to aesthetics playing a significant role, as production facilities often double as tourist attractions.
During this process, we take brand image into consideration. Craft brewers especially value their brand identity being reflected in the physical building. Therefore, we strive to balance aesthetic design while meeting the requirements of daily operations.
Elements such as flooring materials can make a difference. We aim to select materials that support the challenges of beer production while maintaining an appealing appearance that aligns with your brand.
