Craft Beer Home Brewing Equipment – What You Need to Know

Follow your passion, what Craft Beer Home Brewing Equipment do you need to join the burgeoning independent brewery community. Brewing craft beer may not be an exact science precision remains a key factor. Mistakes will surface along the way but smaller volumes correlate to smaller losses. A microbrewery is a springboard for a rewarding business venture and being able to enjoy the fruits of your labours. The positive aspect of home brewing is that any mistakes you make need not be terminal. Moreover once your process is error free your home brewing capacity can easily be scaled. The microbrewery enthusiasts attention to detail ensures strong focus on quality, technique and flavour. Nonetheless many craft brewers may well admit that their passion sometimes clouds economic sense. In what is now a massively oversubscribed market are your aims profit or fulfilment? A liberal amount of business acumen should complement passion.

Many brewers will admit that after a few years in they are still only drawing around minimum wage. If the sole aim is to make big money then you may well be in for a long wait. How much you can brew and the physical capacity will make decisions for you. How will you move your product, what routes in to the consumer are available. Moreover profit margins will always feel the squeeze of beer duty but it’s not all doom and gloom. You will be buying in to a lifestyle, a way of life and looking towards building a brand. Many brewers admit trying to replicate an IPA yet set yours apart is time consuming and a labour of love. The amount of brews may well take between 10 and 15 batches. We love drinking beer but, by default, it does not make us the number one home brewer.

The options are to either learn by your mistakes (costly or otherwise) or learn the process with experts. There are a number of self help options, courses and even a brewing degree we have detailed herewith. What capital outlay will you need for your Craft Beer Home Brewing Equipment. Big isn’t always beautiful and starting small allows you to build a reputation before any substantial investment. Typically a brew house looking at 400 litres of beer per brew may cost around £10k. In comparison say a 4 barrel kit with each brew of 600 litres around £15k. However if you want to start brewing with minimal risk. A Nanobrewery operation is likely to set you back upwards to £5k. However bear in mind that we’re all savvy shoppers and costs may vary considerably with a mix of secondhand equipment. Consider good used mash tuns, fermentation tanks, HLT’s and kettles.

Where will your craft beer home brewing equipment be sited once you’ve outgrown your kitchen. A Nanobrewery is seen as typically a three barrel facility which 250-300 square feet can accommodate. Importantly note extra additional storage for kegs, empty bottles and wiggle room for any immediate expansion. How much space will you require for the conditioning of bottled beers and kegs. In order to carbonate naturally keg conditioned and bottled beer, requires storage for around 3 weeks. Furthermore you may well need to store several batches.