Brewing for a software company - need help!

Equipment list is set up. thanks guys.

 

Why not stick to extract for the first couple kegs and practise all-grain on your own until you have it nailed down. With all grain you have all sorts of new problems that can arise and 30 gallon batches are a little large to be playing around with.

I'll let someone else chime in on the equipment you'll need...its pretty much a personal preference kind of decision but I would start reading some microbrew build threads and see what they put together. If the company you're working for is willing to shell out some money for this venture then maybe contact a local brew pub in your area and see if you can contract someone to actually build a microbrew system for you.

Pretty cool gig man...I wish I had luck like that.

 

Guess I should have clarified. I'll be doing 15 gallon batches (enough to fit in 15.5 kegs) but I'll probably be doing multiple batches per week.

 

For pots/kettles/mashtuns - Blichman or Stout tanks and kettles would me my choice if money weren't' a consideration. Don't sell yourself short on just sticking with extract. Extract can make great beer. I would also get:

Grain mill
Stir plate
A few 5L flasks
Brew sculpture with two pumps
Lots of silicone hose with stainless quick disconnects
Big plate chiller
20 lb CO2 tank with regulator
Stainless conical fermenter (stout tanks is tough to beat)
Fermentation chamber - probably a biggish (10 cu. ft. or so) chest freezer or front door freezer (this will work with the conical) with a ranco controller - just make sure

For serving - it really depends on what they have for serving - do you need a kegerator?? etc. You certainly want to have a few extra kegs so you can have something carbing up while you have 2 kegs ready to serve. I would say that if you are supposed to have two kegs pouring you should have at least 4 kegs. How many pours are you doing during this happy hour? A good way to guess is to take the people attending and multiply by 2.5 - it is at least a start. If you run out you know you need more etc..

Depending on the local brew club - some of the members can help you out. We have a guy in ours that builds out microbreweries.

 

Doing extract for a while might actually be the way to go. Is there a major difference in batch price between all-grain and extract?

 

i hate to be "that guy", but if you are receiving money for homebrew, that is illegal.

you'll have to become a licensed brewery.

 

Sweet! Are they getting a brewing license? Or are you doing this in your garage?

 

So how hard was it to get all the permits and licenses from the TTB? Did the software company front you the huge about of money that is required to do it LEGALLY?

Because man, if I were doing it under the table I sure as hell wouldn't be bragging about it on the largest HOBBY BREWING site on the planet, one that, since alcohol is being discussed and produced UNDER VERY STRINGENT LEGAL PARAMENTERS based on a major law change in 1978, it's really bound to be monitored by a few keyword bots, looking for exactly this very thing, if not a few law enforcement officers looking for exactly this kinda bragging. And where we have AT LEAST one active member who is very open about his status as an officer of the law, who is quite stringent on his believes in the laws governing our HOBBY.

If I didn't have licenses, I would consider deleting this thread right away.

 

maybe ease up a bit, he might not be aware of the laws.

or he might have a license?

 

It's not an issue. So don't worry about it.

 

I'm not getting paid to do this. I already work for the company. I'm just putting my homebrew on tap and they're buying me equipment.

 

So, I guess, technically I am getting paid in equipment. Sort of.

 

There were a few ways to interpret your post...and since you said the head culinary guy "offered you the job" that probably keyed a few people into the idea that you were being paid. I thought perhaps the same.

Either way, the list provided earlier seems satisfactory.

 

Awesome list. Should be a very good starting point.

 

Just get 10 people to "help" you. They can each make 100 gallons.

Legal.

 

you're shelling out 30 gallons worth of ingredients a week for the betterment of your employees?

you're a nicer guy than me

also, 30*52 = 1560 gallons a year, which is about 1300 gallons over your legally allowed limit.

i'm really not trying to be a dick, but at this scale you might draw some unwanted attention to yourself. or you might not. i don't care at all, just thought you should know.

 

I wonder if your company's legal team is aware of this.

Also where should I send my resume?

 

Oh, wow. That was meant to be 2 kegs a month. I don't plan on doing 30 gallons per week. The chances of us going through 15 gallons in two weeks is unlikely as it is.

 

They are a big company. They have a legal department. Get with them and let them determine the legality.

I don't think this is an issue that a legal dept with a fat wallet can't solve.

 

Honestly, I went about this wrong (probably due to my own excitement) so I'll edit my OP to reflect what I really want to gain from this thread.

 

lol, that's understandable.

but i would seriously take onetrueruss's advice and consult legal, and HR.

 

The guy who is setting this up has already gone through the legal department and they've established what we can and can't do. So like I said before, it's not an issue.

 

Yeah, this does tread a very fine line into what constitutes "personal use." And there's all sorts of other liabilities that could be involved, health department codes, things like that. It might suck, and we might not agree with it, BUT that's the nature of alcohol laws, prohibition and the tenuous legality of our hobby. I mean just look at all the threads this week discussing the battle to make homebrewing legal in Alabama.

I know you didn't intend for this turn of events, BUT that's how it is.

 

I didn't realize we were on 4chan.

 

Dude, read your whole thread. Seriously?

Your story has change 6 times.

 

sounds great then. this forum is pretty good at squashing talk of illegal activities.

i know this would definitely be illegal in wisconsin, especially in our current homebrew climate.

 

Thanks for the help those of you who offered it.

 

You may not think we're trying to help. But we'd hate to see your a$$ in a serious, i.e. Federal, sling. Although it's rarely pursued, there is always the risk...look at the alabama homebrewer who was arrested, or the college beer fest that was shut down, or last week the homebrew contest that was supposed to be for charity, and was held in a bar- that got shut down.

We're legally allowed to make 100-200 gallons of beer for personal consumption. There are very few if any loopholes to this.

Don't get all pissy with us for trying to help.....though not it the way you want.

 

You're right. I didn't realize there were so many minute legalities involving homebrewing. Thanks.

 

Here is my help/word of advice. Pass on this idea, even if everyone at the company is saying "It's OK"....

Did "the guy whose idea this was" adequately explain the situation to Legal? Who knows....

Does Legal know enough about Alcohol laws to make an informed decision on this? Who knows...

Are all interested parties aware of the situation (the CEO, managers, etc.) and approve of Legal's decision? Who knows....


The fact of the matter is if this thing goes sour, you'll be the one who is out of a job and facing prosecution. Don't expect the company and/or legal department to come to your aid if this happens.

 

Plus 1 bazillion! You hit all the nails on their collective heads.

 

My concern would be this: What if you make this beer for your company and someone gets into an accident on the way home. Who are the injured parties coming after?

 

That wouldn't be MY concern. When was the last time Budweiser got sued for someone Drunk Driving. Even bars getting sued is very rare. They have to practice negligence.

My concern is the very real reality that there is little hope of doing this legally. How often are people prosecuted for homebrewing things? Not often, i assume. But do you really want to make the headlines with a boatload of federal offenses and felonies?

I'd hate to be the guy in prison for making beer.

 

HOMEbrewing is the word for a reason. Think about it. Read the law that permits home brewing of beer and then honestly ask yourself if this is legal.

Besides, as great as this sounds now, you're not going to want to do this for free for long. Lofty intentions and flighty ideals are awesome, until real life and the labor involved becomes reality. No brewers work for free.

 

yeah i agree with this. i brew twice (5g) a month all grain on average, and that's enough for me, work-wise, not beer-wise its alotta work. especially when 90% of it isn't going to your stomach.

i know this thread is probably just a giant thunderstorm on your naked parade.

if you went thru legal and they did their due diligence, i probably wouldn't be concerned about the legal side. however, under my understanding of the law (which isn't worth much), i don't see how this could possibly be 100% legal. but, whateva

 

I can't see how this would pass as "Homebrewing". And I'd like to point out, that as much as we are trying to prevent you from any problems that might arise, breaking the laws surrounding homebrewing is also bad for everyone else homebrews.

You could potentially be causing harm to other homebrewers by flagrantly breaking homebrew laws. That is why we don't discuss distilling, pot growing, or encourage selling homebrew in any fashion. It's against the law and we'd all like to legally continue to enjoy our hobby.

Perhaps one day we can pass a law that makes it legal to sell a certain quantity of homebrew. I'd prefer that to getting shut down due to a bunch of people thumbing their nose that the system (not saying you are, but that may be what the feds see if you brew for your coworkers, not for personal consumption.)

 

again I agree, and if you think we're all being a bit maniacal, look up what happened in Oregon this past year, or what's currently happening in Wisconsin.

 

He edited his first post, again. He's got what he wanted and is probably long gone from us party poopers. Or as moto said, naked parade ruiners.

 

Anyone want to lay odds on how soon we'll hear about a "meth lab/whisky/distillation/OMGthinkofhtechildren" bust at a software company in Chico, Cali?