Complete Guide Building Your Home Brewery Pdf Files
In 2018, there were more than 7,450 breweries in the U.S.—well over than the historic high of 4,131 breweries in 1873, according to the. The ColdFire Brewing teamWhile Dan heads up operations, his brother Stephen is head brewer, and their team also includes directors of finance and brand, respectively. Watch your financesHaving a key financial person in place has helped them get better at monitoring cash flow and their overall financial status and needs, says Dan. Most small businesses and startups that are looking to grow—, or buy a new piece of equipment, or open a —need to think hard about cash flow, or making sure they have enough money in the bank to meet payroll and other financial obligations. Review your business plan regularlyCommitting to and financials is a good step toward making more informed, smarter spending decisions, that can have a big impact on a new business’s long term viability.
Against your projections on a regular basis, will help you spot any issues before it’s too late to do something. If you don’t have a business plan yet, don’t skip itIf you don’t have a business plan for your brewery just yet, don’t skip it. Planning is proven to. Plus, if you’re going to seek a loan or investment, your funders will expect you to have one. If you’re not sure what you should include in your plan, check out on Bplans.
You can download them for free to help you get started. Here are two of our most popular example plans:About the plan: Sedibeng Breweries is a medium-scale brewery located in the growing industrial center of Selebi Phikwe, Botswana. Initial plans are to produce three main lines of beer.
These products will be distributed to remote yet extremely viable areas, where the market is appreciative of readily-available, good-quality brew.About the plan: Located in Medford, Oregon, Martin Cove Brewing Company has been a successful microbrewery for the past three years. This year, Martin Cove Brewing Company will gross $520,000 in sales. With this money, they plan to expand its distribution to selected metro areas within the state of Oregon.
In addition, they will introduce a new product, a traditional German Marzen-style lager.Dan Hughes’ advice on starting a brewery 1. The most important detail is defining a clear vision“We know what kind of brewery we want to create and we have tried to let all of our decisions.” 2. There has to be a commitment to the craft“We find this opportunity to open a brewery a privilege, and we certainly aren’t doing this for the money. In fact, we’re taking a significant pay cut to have the privilege to open a brewery. We do so with a vision toward creating a quality brewery that honors the traditions of those that have gone before us.” 3.
Every relationship is important“When you build a few good relationships, suddenly they open the door for more relationships, and that pattern has only continued to hold true.“Our bank had heard of us before we ever met them, and our landlord had been approached by other breweries in the past. Fortunately, we have always found it important to treat people well and listen to good people who have good advice. That has ended up serving us well.” 4. Prepare for license and regulation challenges“They take time—so much time—to file, follow through, and gain approval. Having been planning this for so long, we kind of knew what we were getting into and have thus far been able to get through most of these challenges to-date. But they all take so much time.“With that said, the federal license, or permit, was the longest and most arduous.
The more complex the, the more information and time required.”Step 2: Finding a brewery locationFrom land use to public taste, a brewery is a crucial decision. Generally, brewers want to set up shop in their own backyard. Here are some questions to consider:. What are the relevant local and state laws affecting breweries? Tending the Hard Knocks Bar.Step 3: Choosing brewery equipmentYour initial system will likely be seven to 15 barrels, but run your own numbers. Figure out how much you’ll need to have in production at a time to be profitable.
What you need to know about buying newA new system might be subject to delays, especially if demand from other breweries is high, but you’ll be able to design to your needs and specifications, and you’ll have support when issues arise (and they will).“You’ll probably start with a seven-barrel system, spend anywhere between $130,000-$175,000 new,” says Patrick McCarthy, who works in the financial sector and aids breweries with capital and business planning. Is it a good idea to buy used brewing equipment?A used system might be through the door quicker and might save you money up front, but make sure you’ve thoroughly reviewed the system and seller—and remember that when you have problems, you’ll likely be on your own to fix them.“Used systems are almost as expensive, so you’re really not saving anything, but you might get it sooner than ordering new. Some folks cut corners by ordering equipment made offshore. Many brewers avoid that due to perceived qualitative differences,” says Patrick. How Ninkasi Brewing grew their brewing capacitybegan in 2006 on a 15-barrel system and produced 1,650 barrels.
In 2018, Ninkasi sold 90,000 barrels and was the thirty-fifth largest brewery in the U.S., and the fourth largest in its home state of Oregon, after powerhouse brands such as Deschutes, Rogue, and Full Sail. To a larger organization.Co-founders Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge leased their startup system from a family running a German restaurant out of a former brewpub. While brewing and self-distributing their beer, Floyd and Ridge purchased property where they could relocate and expand operations.
They moved into their current location with a 20-bbl brew system, three 60-bbl fermenters, and one 20-bbl fermenter. A year later, they replaced the 20-bbl brew system with a 30-bbl system, followed by another expansion a year and a half later to 50 barrels. Today they use an 80-100-bbl brew system, but the 50-bbl is still online for special brewing projects and research-and-development beers.“We continually planned for growth and capacity, catching up the entire first seven years of being open,” says Jamie. “In a way, it’s easy to build out in this way, as you always need something, so it becomes more about the funding and the logistics.“We continually made beer while switching out new systems and adding capacity and infrastructure. One of our greatest strengths was our ability to work around the construction we were doing.”. Today, has some serious brewing facilities.Step 4: Building relationships with vendors and the local communityStarting a microbrewery and brewing great beer is not a solo endeavor.
It is a constantly coordinated, ongoing set of relationships with customers, government officials, craftspeople, and your internal people. Find trusted advisors“The number one piece of advice I give new brewery clients that are in startup stages is to engage your main business vendors early on in the process and find the right people to serve your needs,” says Jason Jordan.“You need that are proven in the beverage industry and have a decent portfolio of brewery clients. This would be the architect, business lawyer, intellectual property attorney, banker, insurance broker, real estate agent, label maker, hop grower, malt supplier, tank fabricator, and accountant.” Hire the right teamRelationships and keeping an ear to the ground are key not only to establishing your brewery, but in how and when you grow.
Jason Carriere, the owner of Falling Sky Fermentation Supply Shop and co-founder of, has gone through many twists and turns since Falling Sky opened its first Eugene, Oregon brewpub location in 2012. Since then they’ve opened a second location, a pourhouse that focuses on food production, and a third location, a pub and pizzeria on the University of Oregon campus.“I’d been running the homebrew shop for a while,” says Jason. “I’d already seen several of my best employees move on to become brewers around town, so I thought I’d look seriously at making that expansion ourselves, keep the team together, make it so homebrewers who worked at the shop could have a way internally to go pro.”.
The new even opens up onto a garden.In their first year of production, Falling Sky produced 800 barrels, and they produced 1,300 in 2015—and that’s while getting underway on construction for their third location, moving the homebrew shop, and expanding their current brewhouse. Know your customers and your financialsJason believes strongly in “knowing and what they want,” balanced with skill and consistent craftsmanship instead of novelty. “I’m not a big believer in recipes, or special combinations of hops no one has thought of,” he explains. “Breweries don’t really win customers with one beer, but they can lose customers with one beer.”When it comes to growth, Jason advises a thorough understanding of the brewery’s production numbers and, balanced with an on-the-ground understanding of daily operations.That then informs your instincts and intuition. And all this must be tied together with ongoing communications with staff, business partners, vendors, and other key people affecting your business.“You wouldn’t want to expand if your brewery is at 60 percent capacity and you have empty tanks sitting around,” Jason says.
“You also have to have your pulse in the community and the industry to know whether or not you’re saturating certain things, or if you hear about people wanting your beer but not getting it. But it’s all about how we’re going to expand. Just because someone in a market wants your beer, doesn’t mean it’s part of your strategy.” Be open to opportunitiesYou also have to be aware of opportunities that arise, though, even if it’s unexpected—and that brings intuition, opportunity, and relationships back in play.“We had no five-year plan to open a third restaurant, but when we got approached by the University of Oregon, we listened,” says Jason. “It was one of those things where we didn’t really want to expand, but it was far enough in the future that we could plan it through without a rush. Our second location was more rushed.We were busting at the seams at the brewpub, especially with the kitchen, so the deli expansion was more to let the pub do more of what it needed to do again.
The second location had a bigger kitchen, cold storage, etc., to handle making fries and ketchup. It was a combination of good opportunity and vision.”But that doesn’t mean it was easy. “It was scary, I’m not gonna lie,” says Jason.
“When we first did the deli, it looked like a very bad idea for a few months. But it turned around.” Don’t second guess—trust your teamJason and his team are not prone to regrets or second-guessing. Not that everything has always been easy or rosy, but he credits solid planning and teamwork with being able to make key moves without looking back and wondering.For Falling Sky, that includes a strategic decision to focus on location sales instead of wider distribution.
“I’m not a big second-guesser. When I make a decision, it’s because I feel confident about that decision, and I’ve thought through the consequences and I’ve come to terms with the consequences of choosing one option over another,” says Jason. “I’m confident in our decision to focus on selling beer over our bar versus the shelf wars and SKU wars.”Step 5: Funding a brewerySure, at its heart beer is made from water, malt, yeast, and hops—but there’s an invisible yet crucial fifth ingredient: money. Form a relationship with the right bankcan be a difficult process, and breweries are no exception. In his various roles in the financial industry, Patrick McCarthy has most recently worked as Vice President Commercial Relationship Manager with, which has 35 companies from the craft beverage industry as customers.Over the years, institutions he’s worked with have directly banked six breweries, a cidery, and a kombucha producer, and Patrick has also advised dozens of startup breweries, from reviewing business plans to helping prospective brewers network with key people.Patrick sees his role not just as analyzing a business plan or crunching numbers. “You want to be helpful and move the whole business along,” he says.
“If a business comes into the bank that’s wonderful, but at the least you’ve made some friends.”Here is Patrick’s overall advice for startups to make sure they’re not only brewing quality beer, but keeping solid books: 1. Banks are not consistent sources of startup capitalA new brewery is probably not going to a bank for a startup loan (banks usually come into play for capital to fund growth once a brewery is more established). Friends and family are the most common backers, and many.
Some cities, such as Portland, Oregon also have what Patrick calls “beer angels”—private who understand the beer business and invest in select breweries and cideries.can also be a good avenue, but from “bank to bank the SBA program is used differently,” says Patrick. “Some bankers have a great deal of interest, knowledge, and depth, and can be a champion for a startup brewery. But a lot of banks look at breweries as restaurants and avoid them, or want to see them in business three to four years before they invest.” 2. Be realistic about your business potentialWhen Patrick looks at a new business, here are some of the things he looks for to inform his sense of the brewery’s chance of success:. Do they know how to make good beer?
Have they made good beer elsewhere? Won awards?. What is their brewing experience? If someone’s been a garage brewer for five years, that’s different from someone who’s been brewing at an established brewery for the past 15 years. Do they have good credit? If not, why not?.
How much skin do they have in the game financially? Will they be able to handle delays? Do they have access to contingency capital?3.
There’s no one model—or one business plan—for breweriesEach brewery will have its own unique. Before opening a brewery, prospective brewers have to figure out the right business model for their plans, location, interests, startup resources, and long-term vision.Typical models include taphouses, production breweries, and full brewpubs. There’s also a new phenomenon called an “alternating proprietorship,” says Patrick, where brewers brew part-time on someone else’s system.Within any model, there are things breweries can focus on to stand out and increase revenue. “Some brewers emphasize food in part because the food dollar can translate into more dollars profit for beer,” says Patrick.
“Managing your own distribution is ideal. There are overhead tradeoffs, but I’m seeing it more and more.” Exports are becoming another component, he observes, with international markets such as Japan becoming thirstier and thirstier for American craft beer.“Everyone’s trying to find what they can afford, what works,” he explains. “Merely making good beer isn’t enough anymore. There’s way too much good beer out there to stand out immediately.”Even if you’re not seeking funding, it’s still a really good idea to create a that you can use to help navigate your business as challenges and opportunities arise. The benefit of a Lean Plan is that it’s meant to be reviewed and changed regularly, so you’re not just taking a snapshot of your business and goals once, and then shelving it for five years. Cash must be available to cover costs and offset delaysOn an industry-wide basis, for small to medium-sized breweries, the ratio between sales and fixed assets is typically for every $6 of sales, a brewery has $1 of fixed assets.Estimate brewery startup costs.
A new and growing brewery’s biggest costs tend to be the brewing system (e.g., $130,000–$175,000 for a new seven-barrel system) and tenant improvements to the property (which in Patrick’s experience in Oregon, including Portland markets, has typically ranged $200,000–$350,000).“It’s expensive to alter a commercial space that doesn’t have drains, certain water lines, the required electrical, ventilation, etc.,” he explains. “Many also put in a back bar, seating, etc.” Costs vary by scope, location, and market.Anticipate delays and setbacks“Problems with with the city that cause delay of opening can be extremely expensive,” says Patrick. “Every day they can’t pour their own beer is catastrophic financially. That’s the biggest risk I’ve seen in startup stages: timing.”Delays are a reality in startup breweries. Brew system fabrication and delivery can take longer than the agreed timetable. Regulatory or permit approvals can drag on for months. Construction can hit unexpected snags.
Make sure your financial reserves can handle delays and extra costs.“Seasonality matters too,” explains Patrick. “You want to have the doors open when the beer-drinking season gets started. Winter months are usually the slowest for a brewery. You want to be open by April or May.
Ideally, that’s not always in your control due to startup delays, but starting with April to May you want to operate during those busier months.” 5. Treat your accounting with as much respect as your brewing“I’ve passed on a brewer that didn’t, ” says Patrick. “The brewers are focused on their first love, which is making delicious beer. Accounting isn’t necessarily the top and foremost in everyone’s mind, but in this situation, it was irresponsibly ignored. You can’t let the accounting take a distant back seat.”Just as quality control is essential for good beer, you have to make sure the books are balanced and the financials are being tracked well.
“Accounting keeps you out of trouble,” says Patrick. “It helps you plan, helps you get a return, and ultimately helps you generate revenue.” Metrics: Know your numbersOkay, so is important, but what do you need to track in order to understand the financial health of your brewery?
Complete Guide Building Your Home Brewery Pdf Files List
Here are the numbers, metrics, and other indicators Patrick says brewers should monitor:. Breweries should typically or generate a small profit by the first six to 12 months of operation. “They’re at least breaking even, but they’re not paying themselves much yet.”. Between 12 to 18 months, there should be a 10 to 15 percent bottom-line.
“If I’m used to seeing all models being profitable two years out by at least 10 to 15 percent,” says Patrick, “then if you’re not, I need to understand why or how you’re going to get there.”. Beyond that, examine year-round profitability on a quarterly basis, with a focus on being profitable annually, and at least breaking even quarterly.
If food is part of the business, are food costs (food-cost-percent and food labor) being contained at 20 to 25 percent of food revenues?. Are you at capacity or will you be at capacity soon? What do you need for equipment for the next six months to keep up with demand?.
What is your financial liquidity, especially at the end of each quarter and at the beginning of the fourth quarter, given that winter is often a slower season?. What is your leverage, the ratio between total liabilities and net worth? “There’s no magic number,” says Patrick, “but the greater the leverage the greater the risk in the business model. If someone is exceeding three-to-one, two-to-one, I have to take a harder look at it. Sometimes that can be a fleeting ratio and adjusts. If the leverage is pushed out, I need to understand why.
Is it losses? Is it mismanagement?”.
Is it time to scale? If the balance sheet is showing that you have $7 to 8 sales for every $1 assets (and $6 sales for every $1 assets is typical), Patrick says it’s time to examine scaling.As you find your stride in a, you’ll also examine increasing efficiency. For example, as production volume increases, breweries typically purchase a grain silo. “They can buy in bulk, easily cut grain expense by two-thirds,” says Patrick. “Grain silos tend to pencil out quickly. It’s an exciting step up.”The same thinking applies across the brewery. “At some point when you get larger, you’ve got more money to squeeze that remaining five percent profit out of your beer.”Putting together a and a that you can be really helpful.
Running a business or Lean Plan review meeting that also covers your financials is a great way to hold yourself accountable.Step 6: Obtaining insurance before opening a breweryBreweries need various insurance, just like any other business. A brewery with a large employee roster and a fleet of self-distribution vehicles will have different needs from a three-person production-only startup.
“No matter how much you think you know you will have more to learn,” says Jamie Floyd, co-founder of Ninkasi Brewing. “It changes and evolves and you have to know the people who are making the changes and you have to be ready to change as a company. If the FDA decides we need to put nutritional info on our bottles you have to do it. It’s the law. You will have to figure it out and pay for it.” Get to know your legislatorsJamie also recommends getting to know your legislators at all levels of government and working with trade groups that try to update and influence state and federal policies related to the regulation and taxation of beer.The growth of the industry is also leading to regulations being modified state to state, says Patrick, “if not to encourage craft beverages then to make it a more viable business model.” Be ready for compliance and paperwork-based delaysIn the meantime, compliance is not necessarily easy or fast. “Some of it is more the tediousness of the paperwork.
Make one small change, file everything over again,” says Jason Carriere, co-founder of Falling Sky Brewing.“TTB is known for a lack of timely responses. We submitted our application for the third expansion nearly two months ago, and we’re not even supposed to call and check the status for ninety days. Then when you do call, you sit on hold for two hours to find out where your application is in someone’s stack.” Don’t forget federal obligationsBreweries also need the Brewer’s Notice. “That’s a brewery’s permission from the federal government to brew commercially,” says Jason. “It involves taxes, a bond you have to pay that serves as insurance for paying beer taxes. You complete an environmental impact statement for water and environment.
It’s permission to make an alcoholic beverage and pay the taxes on it in the U.S.”While starting a brewery requires lots of dedication, capital, vision, and red-tape navigation, it is also a booming industry and brewers who have a solid plan and stay their course have a solid chance of success. “The numbers are proving themselves: Craft beverages are here to say,” says Patrick. “There’s bound to be a slowdown eventually, but there’s one to two breweries a day opening across the country. People want it, and if people want it, people will supply it.”And that someone could be you.Editor’s note: This article originally published in 2016. It was updated in 2019.
Deciding to self build provides the opportunity to create an individual home tailored around your lifestyle. Serial self builder David Snell has just completed his on a budget of £130,000 Is Self Build an Option for First-time Buyers?While more traditional self build routes require time and financial input that is unfeasible for first-time buyers, the idea of may suit. Darren and Lucy Henderson saw the potential in a small brownfield site in Bournemouth that housed four derelict garages. It is now the location of theirSpecialist plotfinding services (like ) are incredibly useful when it comes to finding land, but they shouldn’t stop you from being proactive. Study the local area. Drive around or use Google Maps to look for homes on large plots that have either a large side garden, or infill land.
Contact experts. Some package companies, such as Potton or Border Oak, hold lists of available plots online. Visit local auctions. Many opportunities are sold buy auction so it’s worth finding out who the key agents are in your area.
Check the local authority’s website for recent planning applications. In most cases, details of the owner or agent are included and there is nothing to stop you contacting them directly.Plots will rarely fall into your lap, so you’ll often need to be savvy to secure one.( MORE: )When assessing your plot, look out for:.
planning permission that has expired, or is about to expire. any access issues. any covenants. services — are they already in place?.
title deeds — make sure these deeds are ‘absolute’ rather than ‘possessory’ or negotiate on the plot price accordingly. Faced with an awkward plot and a tight budget, Tom Allen and Natalie Scroggie have self built a for £170,000The self build process is flexible enough that a self builder can decide just how involved they want to be in the project. Make this decision early as it will have major cost implications.The majority of projects are handled by a main contractor/builder or subcontractors project managed by the homeowners, but you can choose different routes for different stages of the project, depending on your skills or available budget.Choose a Self Build Construction System. Most self-builders will employ the services of a professional when it comes to the design of their house — whether that’s an, an architectural designer or an in-house designer at a package company. Do I Need Planning Permission to Self Build?When you self build, you’ll have to apply to your local authority for planning permission.All planning permission is granted with. Failure to address the conditions will invalidate your consent, making any work done illegal.Additionally, all new homes need to adhere to the Building Regulations, and as such, a building control inspector will visit at key stages of the build to inspect the work and ensure it complies.
Insuring Your Self Build ProjectAs soon as contracts are exchanged on your plot, you will need to have insurance — usually a specialist policy for self-builders. A comprehensive self build policy is advised and will cover any public liability, building works, employers’ liability and personal accident.Bring Services to SiteGetting services to your site (if necessary) can cost between £500 and £10,000+, depending on your situation and whether the connection needs to be made across private land (where you’ll need to secure a to grant access to dig) or public highways (which may involve road digs).Though and gas are not essentials during the build, a water supply is needed early on.