Living the Dream - your own Brewery

[GilaMinumBeer]

True, but you get to reap the full benefits of your hard work instead of making X amount of money for someone else and getting a measly Y paycheck.

Yes and no. Because now you get to pony up for workers comp, employers half of benifits, license fees, advertising, etc...

It adds up. Hell, having a friggin listing in the phone book isn't all that cheap.

I get compensated with exactly what I agreed to when I accepted this job. what more can you expect?

 

[ChadChaney]

Start looking at the cost of conicals, rigs, glycol systems, kegs, bottles, labels, packaging, staff, etc. and suddenly 90k is not a crazy number.

 

[BradleyBrew]

I've got a buddy who has an MBA and his bachelor's in hospitality.

We've talked about going in together. I figure with enough hard work, he could secure the funding and administrative overhead, and I (along with the necessary brewing staff) could do the brewing.

Yeah I have a MBA and I don't have the funds to start a brewery!

 

[tom_gamer]

Yeah I have a MBA and I don't have the funds to start a brewery!

I want it!

 

[bernerbrau]

Yeah I have a MBA and I don't have the funds to start a brewery!

True, but with the right connections, good business/marketing sense and a knowledge of the industry, it might be possible to secure the necessary capital. Of course going that route, we become beholden to our shareholders...

 

[Grinder12000]

Bear minimum is 90k. I know because I'm involved with a 1 barrel brewpub and that is what it took.

Plus 90% of the pub was built by the owners own two hands from the bat the tables. The ventilation alone cost 17,000

And BTW. No banks want to hand out money to a brewpub. They treat it like a restaurant.

Liqueur license was 10K

We go through about 5 barrels a week, place seats 49, any more then 49 would cost at least 15K more.

 

[Jayhem]

The tax you have to pay to the state for each gallon of beer sold kinda takes the profit out of it...this is why good microbrews are costing $10 or more for a 6 pack! This is one of the reasons I decided to start brewing...I like beer with real taste but at the prices of good micros...I have to resort to drinking swill!

 

[bernerbrau]

I'm involved with a 1 barrel brewpub

We go through about 5 barrels a week

Eh? How do you keep up with demand?

 

[TheBreweryUnderground]

Fed excise tax is .23 and state ranges from .06 to 1.08 or somewhere around there. Ohio has a brewery license that allows self distribution/retail for $3906 plus a per gallon tax of .18. That's $6 a barrel plus ~$7 for the Feds and two kegs sold at $4 pints =~$1000 the taxes aren't that much, it's more about the ingredients. Make sure your place has a forklift or loading bay for bulk shipments, or look to store grains off site (not sure if that's allowed). The yearly fee sucks, that's like 4 batches down the drain, but a brewpub/tasting room in the right location and that doesn't make it impossible.

 

[tom_gamer]

Eh? How do you keep up with demand?

I think what he is saying he can make one barrel at a time...so he just has to brew 5 times a week. Doesn't seem that hard.

 

[bernerbrau]

I think what he is saying he can make one barrel at a time...so he just has to brew 5 times a week. Doesn't seem that hard.

Yeah, that makes sense. I just had in my mind a vision of a single mlt, kettle, conical, and keg, all 1 bbl in size.

 

[Phunhog]

I think it really depends on what you want from it. I have had plans to open a nano for a few years now but I am starting to re-think it. If you are going to open a brewery to make money...much better and easier ways to do that! Obviously we all love to make beer. I think the deal killer, or at least a big disadvantage, is all the BS that goes along with a brewery. Licensing, permits, taxes, payroll, etc..pretty much takes a lot of the "fun" out of it for me. I really just enjoy seeing people enjoy my beer. So I brew a lot of beer and give it away at tastings, beer festivals, etc. The cool part is that I sell shirts which covers the cost of the beer and I actually make a little bit of money. If you are still set on the nanobrewery idea you might want to read this...http://www.probrewer.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24441

 

[BradleyBrew]

True, but with the right connections, good business/marketing sense and a knowledge of the industry, it might be possible to secure the necessary capital. Of course going that route, we become beholden to our shareholders...

Very true!

 

[BradleyBrew]

Couldn't you just buy like 500 ale pails?

 

[tom_gamer]

I think it really depends on what you want from it. I have had plans to open a nano for a few years now but I am starting to re-think it. If you are going to open a brewery to make money...much better and easier ways to do that! Obviously we all love to make beer. I think the deal killer, or at least a big disadvantage, is all the BS that goes along with a brewery. Licensing, permits, taxes, payroll, etc..pretty much takes a lot of the "fun" out of it for me. I really just enjoy seeing people enjoy my beer. So I brew a lot of beer and give it away at tastings, beer festivals, etc. The cool part is that I sell shirts which covers the cost of the beer and I actually make a little bit of money. If you are still set on the nanobrewery idea you might want to read this...http://www.probrewer.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24441

Just read that post, its pretty awesome.

 

[landshark]

Who has 900K lieing around?

This is what Banks are for.... Better have a good business plan.

Couldn't you just buy like 500 ale pails?

I'm thinking the Plastic Conicals in 60-75 gallon sizes

500 ale pales at $16-$23 a pop is $8k alone, and storing 500 pales would be a nightmare, let alone cleaning them.... Conical is way to go.

 

[Grinder12000]

The system is exactly like what we to,at home. Nothing fancy. Huge brew kettle, 50 gallon plastic barrels in the basement. Hurricane burners. It's a home brew system on steroids.

 

[Zamial]

this will help you, just replace "Band" with "My brewery"... and for what it is worth listen to Captain Ed...

 

[LakesideBrewing]

This has been eye opening! Thanks!

I own a heating and air condition business and often want to sell it and open a nano brewery. Thinking I would be done with inspectors, regulations, taxes, and the such. I'm not sure why I though running a brewery would be so much different. I guess a business is a business.

Cheers!
-Mike