New Here

[jumpincactusjacks]

Hey all!

My name is Ron Beerer and I’m new here. My college major was enology, but I prefer brewing and drinking beers. I plan to open a very small nano brewery in the rural rust belt USA soon, as I transition to retire from working for the man. My goal is to sell on site by the pint, served by my wife, with some delicious food cooked by my daughters. Everyone is onboard with me. I’m here for fun and advise. I think outside of the box.

Cheers

 

[lumpher]

Welcome, Ron. I wish you the best in your future plans, but just make sure when you start the planning, you include "little" things like plumbing, building specs, cleanliness requirements, ventilation, permits for food and alcohol licenses, etc. I have a friend who made a similar move, and he started with an existing building. 2 years and over $100k later, he finally opened. It's a big move, but my best wishes go with your plan. I'd love to do the same thing in a few years when I retire, too. I've already almost completed the roofed shell of the building...

 

[jumpincactusjacks]

I hear ya! It all adds up. Im a carpenter and electrician and do everything else unfortunately lol So I wont be paying out for labor. The building is a 100 year old brick warehouse owned outright in a mixed industrial/residential area. Ive always had a thing for crumbling brick dive bars.

 

[Brewin’&Qin’]

Hey Ron welcome and congrats. What you are describing sounds like a great place with a cool atmosphere to hang out and enjoy good beer and food. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Davidsons]

Ron, that sounds pretty cool. Just be careful with older buildings. I've seen a lot of startups run through all their cash trying to appease the historical district and the city.

I'm actually working on a brewery myself. We're starting with a 2.5bbl system that we purchased from a brewery that was expanding. We're not doing food from the beginning to save on start up costs, but our total budget is still almost $100k.

Big expenses to consider that often get over looked are keg contracts, dishwashers, finding a big enough walk in cooler used that won't brake the budget, and the cost of building out the bar with built in sinks. Aside from all that our main expense still comes down to Fermenters.

It's also good to ask your local breweries how many Barrels they sell per week. Several breweries have started out in our area with 3bbl systems and run out of beer their opening week. Our plan is to make up the difference with a large variety since our capacity is so small.

I hope your project does well. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up. The brewery is called Artful Brewing Company. Do you have a name planned yet?

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome and good luck.