I want a Nano brewery set up in a local pub.

Hi there,
I have a question for all of you experts. I have this idea/dream if you will, of setting up my one barrel brewing system in a local pub. I have been a local musician in this town for 20 years and know just about every pub bar owner in the area ...has anybody done this? Can someone talk me out of this and tell me it's not a good idea? what's the best way to pitch this idea? Am I crazy?

It takes two separated licenses, and in some states you cannot have them in the same facility....... such as here in Montana. We had a measure recently to change that, but I don't know if it passed. The cost of licenses, etc might make it impractical. I'd love to see the day that every local saloon had a house brew or several. The big boys, and in particular the distributors don't like this sort of thing..... Imagine having a hundred small brewers/bar owners in a town trading product through a cooperative trading program, perhaps even brewing each other's recipes under license when the demand exceeded supply....... even brewing BMC clones, and improving on them.

I can see a potential for a large cooperative microbrewery with picobrew type prototyping systems up to 15 barrel systems. The bar owner has an interest in the brewery and can simply use his account to order up anything from a 2.5 gallon prototype to a 15 barrel batch, specifying the ingredients and process. The computer system at the bar would allow the owner or owner and customers to craft a brew..... or even the home brewer customer to craft a 2.5 gallon PicoBrew batch, paying by credit card....... to ferment at home or have it completed at the brewery and pay the tax and all for a finished product. It would be a home brew supply also. Imagine the SanFrancisco or Twin Cities, or Atlanta, or Denver cooperative brewing center.......... "crowd funded" by bar owners and home brewers. Imagine sitting around the fireplace with friends sipping a public domain brew, and deciding what would make it the "perfect beer".... A bit less crystal 60, and some Challenger instead of Willamette...... a different mash a little hotter, use a different yeast........... Push "send", and go down the next day after work to pick up your wort.

Imagine having a beer tasting every week at the local club house and voting on which variant to go with......... A monthly membership fee pays for the club house and the beer.


H.W.

Dfinnegan said:

Hi there,
I have a question for all of you experts I have this idea dream if you will of setting up my one barrel brewing system in a local pub. I have been a local musician in this town for 20 years and know just about every pub bar owner in the area ...has anybody done this? Can someone talk me out of this and tell me it's not a good idea? what's the best way to pitch this idea? Am I crazy?

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Well said owlly055!

Anyone have an idea what a liquor license cost is?

Dfinnegan said:

Anyone have an idea what a liquor license cost is?

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Around here they are worth a few hundred thousand dollars...... there are a limited supply, and you have to buy one from somebody else. Microbrewery brew pubs aren't subject to the same thing, but they can only stay open until 8:00 PM, and they can't serve any alcoholic beverage they don't produce in house...... and gambling is not allowed. The tavern association recently tried to push through legislation that would not have allowed them to sell more than 10% of their beer over the counter, and would have created much higher license fees, and various other crippling measures.


H.W.

Dfinnegan said:

Anyone have an idea what a liquor license cost is?

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That depends on your state and if the city/county requires one. Your city/county will most likely want a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) that varies widely. I've seen CUP run from $1500 to $8000. All totalled, a TTB license, State Liquor License and CUP could run you anywhere from $2500 to $10,000. The TTB license doesn't cost anything, but there are filing fees, a bond for the taxes, business license and background check. You, also, will have to have city/county inspections before you can apply for the licenses. You cannot get you liquor license or resale license until you have your brewer's license from the TTB. You cannot get your TTB license until your brewery is inspected and signed off on, which requires all of the equipment to be purchased and in place. To get to that point, you have to have an architect plan out all of the brewing area and that has to be signed off on by the city.

I'm not saying that it can't be done or that you shouldn't do it. I'm just saying that it takes a lot of planning and money to start it up. Also, don't plan on it actually making enough to play you a living wage for at least 3 years.