How to choose brewery equipment for Nano, Micro, Commercial beer brewing?
/Update July 18, 2022 / By YoLong Brewtech
ARE YOU HAVE BREWING QUESTIONS?
Beer is a drink that has been around for a very long time.
One of the many challenges that exist, with regard to the preparation of beer, is that of the equipment. How to choose brewery equipment for Nano, Micro, Commercial beer brewing?
With plenty of variations and unique requirements to be addressed in every given case, it can get confusing when it comes to selecting the appropriate beer-making equipment.
Given in the list below are the three major kinds of beer making equipment, and the strategies that can be employed when selecting the ideal equipment.
Nano Beer Equipment
The term nano beer is actually related to the craft beers, in the sense that both are produced in small batches. At the same time however, nano beers are produced in quantities that can be considered as extremely limited, in comparison to craft beers, with most batches of nano beers limited to about three barrels at most. The process of selecting the ideal nano beer brewing equipment is given below:
Nano Brewing Batch Size –
The amount of beer produced by nano beer equipment should be just enough for the required batches of about beer barrels. Anything more and it will lead to wastage of input.
Maintenance –
The amount of maintenance required for nano beer equipment should be very limited, given that the workforce is limited as well. This is particularly important for nano brewers, considering that many of them tend to be used for personal purposes or small businesses, which cannot afford additional maintenance charges.
Nano Brewery Equipment Cost –
If you’re confident you’re ready to move into premises you need to find an adequate space and install a brewery. Below is a breakdown of some start-up costs – in addition to separately covered brewing equipment – along with installation, space and other production costs (eg, malt, water, electricity, hops, yeast and labor costs) The good news is that Nano brewery is a business and you can cover all the production costs by selling most of the beer. So, what are the major start-up costs for a brewery before you get cash flow from sales?
Take 3BBL Nano brewery for example; $40,000-50,000. Including; malt mill, 2vessel brewhouse, HLT, 4-6 fermenters, refrigeration system and control system, other auxiliary equipment. Click here for contact to get detailed free quotation information!
Installation; $10,000-$20,000 or provided by equipment manufacturer.
The installation of the brewery is the most important thing when the equipment arrives on site, because as the owner of the Nano brewery, they may have just switched from home brewing to a business. So the design and easy installation of the Nano Brewey is very important. Choosing more than 3 brewing equipment manufacturers to compare will give you a better choice.
Of course, if you have the funds, there are a number of companies in your location that will install an entire brewery for you for anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on your size requirements.
The modular design of YoLong’s brewing equipment perfectly solves many problems such as limited space and installation.
And YoLong’s technical team provides complete 2D, 3D site/pipe layouts, water and electricity instruction drawings, and free remote installation guidance services for all our Nano brewery projects.
You can contact YoLong’s technical team to provide you with detailed equipment design service! Click Here！
Space/On-Site: According to local conditions
If you are confident that you are ready to move into the house, you need to find enough space and install the brewery.
According to the Brewers Association, hundreds of breweries close their doors every year. The breweries are closing in part because of increased competition, rent and landlord issues.
So having your own place will protect you from investment risks. Even if we lease premises, rental pressures need to be avoided until we actually get cash flow income from sales.
Start Today
Micro Brewery Equipment
Micro beer is a reference to beer prepared by small breweries, also called craft breweries. In fact, beers they produce are also known as craft beers.
The process of selecting the ideal micro beer brewing equipment is given below:
Brewery Batch Size –
The batches prepared should be sufficient for craft breweries. The exact quantities produced, should be sufficient for small scale businesses to maintain beer supplies. This is usually a lot less than the quantities used in large scale beer production.
Maintenance –
It should be easy to maintain in general, but it is especially important in the case of micro breweries, given that maintenance is an expense unto itself.
Personnel Requirements –
The number of personnel required for running the machinery should be limited, as labor charges are often expensive for small brewers.
Micro Brewery Equipment Cost –
Compared to Nano Brewery, Micro Brewery is generally between 5BBL-15BBL, which means that you have started to gradually enter small commercial beer production/selling.
With the proliferation of craft breweries, it sounds like the market is saturated, but not according to brewing associations around the world. “There’s still time to get involved,” and the craft beer market is still growing at an annual rate of 5.5%. What matters is how we as brewers avoid being part of the shutdown.
So, How do I start a micro brewery?
Microbrewery start up checklist
1: Have enough funding for your microbrewery.
2: Ensure you have sufficient expansion space.
3: Include time for ‘slippage’
4: Carry out a proper market analysis.
5: Have a long-term plan for your microbrewery.
6: Packaging formats & route to market.
7: Do you have all the skills?
How much does it cost to start a microbrewery?
Being a small microbrewery, except that we can make huge profits every year, which means we need more investment than Nano Brewery, mainly divided into;
1: Working capital for the initial three months
2: The cost of brewing equipment
3: Installation cost
4: Venue rent
5: The cost of decoration
6: The cost of bar set up
7: License application fee
So, as a brewer we need $50,000 working capital for the first three months, $50,000 for fit-up, $15,000 for bar set up, and $50,000 for 12 months of rent. (Of course, buying a place will save you a lot of money in the long time running.)
The cost of brewing equipment
The cost of our brewery equipment, depending on configuration and degree of automation, is approximately:
5BBL Brewing Equipment: $50,000-$80,000.
10BBL Brewing Equipment: $80,000-$120,000.
15BBL Brewing Equipment: $100,000-$200,000.
Brewery Installation : $20,000-$50,000
Compared with Nano brewery, small commercial Micro brewery is more comprehensive and complex in brewery layout, equipment, piping, design and Taproom. So it is crucial to choose a reliable brewing equipment manufacturer, not price as the first factor. The YoLong team has extensive equipment installation experience and can provide comprehensive remote guided installations. All our brewing equipment provides customized module designs according to the site.
Of course, if you have the funds, there are a number of companies in your location that will install an entire brewery for you for anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 depending on your size requirements.
To sum it up, the initial capital of $200,000-$500,000 is the start-up cost of setting up a Micro brewery. However, From 5BBL to 15BBL Brewery, the cost of starting a brewery may depend on the size, production level and location of your planned brewery.
Click More Brewery Project here！
Add-Ons –
Brewing equipment is an important part of a brewery. Different equipment manufacturers have obvious differences in quality, design, service, and after-sales installation. Our Suggestion: Select at least 3 brewing equipment manufacturers in different regions for comparison. As the leading brewing equipment manufacturer in Ningbo, YoLong Brewtech has extensive experience in brewery layout, brewery design, brewery consulting and brewing equipment manufacturing since 2004. Contact the YoLong team for support.
Start Today
Commercial Beer Equipment
The term commercial beer is a reference to the beer that is produced on a commercial basis, in large quantities. This happens to be the predominant form of beer produced today, and is a massive industry involving huge companies.
The process of selecting the ideal commercial beer brewing equipment is given below:
Commercial Brewery Batch Size –
The equipment should be in a position to produce vast quantities of beer for every single batch. It is a necessity, given that these businesses are operating on a large scale, and require huge amounts of beer to be produced on an everyday basis.
Maintenance –
The maintenance factor should be almost minimal, and possible to do by those operating the equipment. Nano breweries, just like micro breweries, have a limited amount of cash to spend, making it very necessary that maintenance costs be kept to a minimum.
Personnel Requirements –
The number of personnel required for running the operation should be limited. This is however, not as big a concern, as it would be in the case of small and micro brewers.
About the Commercial Brewery Manufacturer –
It doesn’t matter if the equipment is manufactured at home or abroad, as long as it gets the job done. What matters for large scale manufacturing is productivity more than anything else.
Commercial Brewery Equipment Setup Cost –
In general, most commercial breweries have a start-up cost of between $500,000 and $5 million, and even some of the more well-known breweries (Brewdog, Brewery X, etc…)will require $10 million to $20 million as they continue to expand their brands. But it will also drive a lot of beer sales and profit growth.
The range of equipment sizes for commercial craft breweries: 20HL-50HL. If you would like to know more about equipment and start-up information for a commercial winery, you can contact the YoLong team to support you. Click Here!
ESTIMATING THE COST OF BREWERY EQUIPMENT
There are so many variables to consider when open a brewery. You need to be methodical in your planning. So after I’ve asked my initial starting a brewery questions, covering the above issues in follow-up discussions allows us to begin putting an equipment list together.
Every project has a budget, so, when opening a brewery,Understanding the fund budget is an important prerequisite for successfully opening a brewery. In this way, we can choose the right brewing target and equipment according to the situation at the beginning.
YoLong Brewtech has been engaged in consulting, design and manufacture of professional beer brewing equipment since 2004. And are actively sharing our expertise on more brewing and equipment. If you have any questions or requirements about brewing equipment, you can contact our professional technical engineers to find the answer.
Add-Ons –
The equipment that is sold tends to be all encompassing, and is often far more complex than any ordinary home-brewing kit. The concern therefore, that it may not have the required additional brewing supplies is rather unfounded. At the same time however, it is necessary to check the details of the additional hardware that is supplied with the main equipment, just to make sure that it suits the company’s needs.
Despite the competitive market, there is also a strong sense of community among the brewers, who are willing to share and support each other and offer advice and guidance. Because every brewer has to be patient, passionate and persistent. Just like the YoLong team of engineers, we will treat each of our customers with enthusiasm and provide our technical support as much as possible.
Start Today
BREWERY BREWING CONSULTING
If you are not a professional brewer and are considering making the transition from home brewing to nano brewery, it is a good idea to find a professional brewery consultant to help you through the first 30-90 days.
The Brewery Consultant will:
- 1：Help expand your recipes.
2：Learn how the Nano brewing system works
3：Convince potential clients that you are on the right track.
4：Be your most reliable “brewery problem solver” partner
5：Make your commercial brewery a reality in the near future
if you want to start your own brewing business. My company YoLong has been working on microbrewery & beverage projects since 2004, we can give you any assistance from 0 to turnkey. Check out the professional brewing consulting services we offer. Click Here!
CONTACT US
