Start A Brewery?

[Mercs Own]

Interesting thread. I myself am currently going through the process of opening my own brewery. For the last 6 months ive been researching and writing my business plan and believe me it hasn't been easy. I'm currently in Canada and will be heading to the USA for more research. I've lined up visits with a number of breweries to get some ideas and find out what issues and problems they have or had while starting up. I'm also here to check out potential brewing equipment for the brewhouse both new and secondhand but everyone I have spoken to suggests to go new.
The best help I have received is from other breweries whom are more then willing to help as well as brewery consultants.
As soon as I return from the USA I'll be having my pre DA meeting with the council then soon after will be submitting my DA. Then the waiting begins as it'll be a number of months for the DA then at least 6 months for the manufacturing and commissioning for the brewhouse.
You can follow my progress on my blog or on facebook

http://www.sixstringbrewing.com.au
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Six-String-B...121901417842382

Where are you setting up? What style of place ie brew pub or just brewery? Ever go to the Dix in Vancouver? Good venue, good beer - it closed recently sadly but the brewery may still be up for sale. Maybe I should have looked at your links before I replied! Good luck with it all some how I am thinking it would be easier to do this in the USA or Canada as there are far more brew pubs in operation over there and most of them are in main streets!

edit: now I have read your blog I see that you are doing it in OZ the way your post read you were doing it in Canada or the way I read your post :huh:

 

[Screwtop]

marketing is a 24/7 job!!!!!

build it and they will come.

Unfortunately they won't without matketing. It's hard to sell a secret :icon_cheers:

Screwy

 

[[email protected]]

Where are you setting up? What style of place ie brew pub or just brewery? Ever go to the Dix in Vancouver? Good venue, good beer - it closed recently sadly but the brewery may still be up for sale. Maybe I should have looked at your links before I replied! Good luck with it all some how I am thinking it would be easier to do this in the USA or Canada as there are far more brew pubs in operation over there and most of them are in main streets!

edit: now I have read your blog I see that you are doing it in OZ the way your post read you were doing it in Canada or the way I read your post :huh:

If all goes to plan the venue will be on the central coast of NSW near Gosford. For the chosen premises it's going to be more of a small production brewery set on the grounds of a tourist destination and will just have a tap room but if I can also get a hold of the cafe that is on the same site I'll serve basic food for breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.
Sorry I reread my post and can see your confusion, I'm over in the USA to look at brewery equipment to bring back to Australia. I haven't come across many micro's on the east coast of Canada as yet but have a few lined up in Montreal and Quebec.

 

[Pat Casey]

I was thinking of adding a "How to start a brewery" page to my blog later on, closer to start up. It would be more credible. However, given this thread and traffic to the blog as a result I have started the page already. It's a work in progress but I hope to cover a topic every couple of days. Two topics have been completed.

Thank you also to a couple of people for some generous comments at the start of this thread.

Pat

Casey's Beer How to start a brewery
Absolute Homebrew

 

[Siborg]

I was thinking of adding a "How to start a brewery" page to my blog later on, closer to start up. It would be more credible. However, given this thread and traffic to the blog as a result I have started the page already. It's a work in progress but I hope to cover a topic every couple of days. Two topics have been completed.

Thank you also to a couple of people for some generous comments at the start of this thread.

Pat

Casey's Beer How to start a brewery
Absolute Homebrew

Just had a read through. Very interesting. Look forward to reading some more.

 

[WSC]

Based on rough costings I have done you would want to get this sorted before you look at becoming a millionaire beer baron.

http://fairgocraftbeer.com.au/

Without this it is a very hard slog.

Couple excise issue's with distribution challenges and I reckon the lowest risk business model is a brewpub (can brew on premise or off)...but then you need a kitchen and experince in running a food business. Then you control as much as possible.

 

[HoppingMad]

Based on rough costings I have done you would want to get this sorted before you look at becoming a millionaire beer baron.

http://fairgocraftbeer.com.au/

Without this it is a very hard slog.

Couple excise issue's with distribution challenges and I reckon the lowest risk business model is a brewpub (can brew on premise or off)...but then you need a kitchen and experince in running a food business. Then you control as much as possible.

Maybe we need to become Pirate Brewers and make excise walk the plank. Brew on barges in international waters harr harr me mateys! :lol:

The only bummer is that all our customers are landlubbers. D'oh!

Hopper.

 

[WSC]

Maybe we need to become Pirate Brewers and make excise walk the plank. Brew on barges in international waters harr harr me mateys! :lol:

The only bummer is that all our customers are landlubbers. D'oh!

Hopper.

As home brewers we are pirate brewers!!!!!

Forget going pro and just supply your mates with beers, share the love, work boring day jobs that allow you to sit on AHB and formulate beers!!!!

 

[Siborg]

work boring day jobs that allow you to sit on AHB and formulate beers!!!!

And dream of an interesting job at a brewery... or, better yet, your own!

 

[bum]

And dream of an interesting job at a brewery... or, better yet, your own!

Or building a boat/brewery.

 

[MarkBastard]

Where are you setting up? What style of place ie brew pub or just brewery? Ever go to the Dix in Vancouver? Good venue, good beer - it closed recently sadly but the brewery may still be up for sale. Maybe I should have looked at your links before I replied! Good luck with it all some how I am thinking it would be easier to do this in the USA or Canada as there are far more brew pubs in operation over there and most of them are in main streets!

edit: now I have read your blog I see that you are doing it in OZ the way your post read you were doing it in Canada or the way I read your post :huh:

I loved Dix!!! Best pub I've ever been to in the world.

It's a shame it shut down but it was part of a chain owned by the one guy and they have another one two blocks away. Hopefully the staff from Dix were retained because they were great guys.

 

[Siborg]

I loved Dix!!!

Sorry, but LOL :lol:

 

[Mercs Own]

I loved Dix!!! Best pub I've ever been to in the world.

It's a shame it shut down but it was part of a chain owned by the one guy and they have another one two blocks away. Hopefully the staff from Dix were retained because they were great guys.

Owned by the Mark James group - Yale Town was the one about ten minutes walk from the Dix. They still own 5 brew pubs - living the dream.

Sorry, but LOL :lol:

Walked into that one Mark - better you than me :icon_cheers:

A mate of mine who always wanted his own brewery now has one and often laments the amount of constant work he needs to put in - nothing too romantic about that! He is a one man band at the moment so that does make it hard. He is also selling everything he can make which is a pretty good place to be.

 

[felten]

Did you visit the restaurants as well?

I've never had dicks, but my yanks friends enjoy it.

 

[HoppingMad]

Looky here!

All right just found something that might be of interest to someone, and relevant to this thread methinks. Seems cheaper than the average.
And you'd be paying for it in Kiwi Pesos. All you'd need to do would be to pack it in some containers - but I guess if 2Brothers Brewery in Vic can get a
microbrewery across from Times Square New York, then this should be a pinch.

Kiwi Brewery 1200L Setup now selling

The catch - You'd want to check carefully that the gear has been unaffected by the recent earthquake - it's in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Hopper.