Equipment Needed to Start Your Own Brewing Company

You will encounter various challenges once you decide to start your own brewing company. Establishing a microbrewery in your locality requires some equipment. Most of these pieces of equipment come at a low-to-very-high cost. Due to the price of some of these pieces of equipment, you may need a strong financial base to set up your brewery.  Of course, if you are just engaging in simple home brewing, you may not need every bit and piece listed below. However, any commercial effort worth its recipe will require most, if not all, of the basics below.

To start with, make an effort to learn about the gear you need before you actually purchase it. This will help you in getting the right equipment for your brewing. Do some quick research on dealers that sell this equipment around your location or online. This way, you will get your equipment at the best price. After sealing a deal, look for a safe means of transportation to convey your purchased equipment back to your brewhouse, as some equipment may be fragile.

Basic Equipment to Start Your own Brewing Company 

The following equipment is necessary to start your own brewing company:

1. Filters: This set of equipment removes every form of sediment during beer production. The filter pump and diamite filter usually carry out the filtering operation. Your brewery company cannot run without this particular equipment. If your production process skips this stage, your final product will contain particles which will affect the quality of your beer. Every brewery must include this process in its production process to produce quality beer.
2. Cooling System: You will need coolants such as a refrigeration machine to hasten the cooling process after brewing the beer. This also preserves your brew by preventing the growth of bacteria in the produced beer. It will help to keep the beer fresh for a longer period. When your production rate is very high, your coolant will play a great role in the production process. It will enable your beer to maintain its rich taste and flavor for a longer period.
3. Control System: There is a need to set up a control system for electronic equipment such as refrigerators, filter pumps, etc. This control system will regulate the operation of all electronic equipment. When a proper control system is installed in your brewing company, you will experience a smoother brewing process. Both your workers and your equipment will enjoy a safer working environment with this in place. Also, certain risks like accidents and machine damage will drastically reduce. The control system required in every brewery includes: Programmable Logic Controls (PLC), master control for proper isolation during an accident, and control set up for the refrigerators 
4. Kegging tap/Bottling: After brewing your beer to your taste, you can bottle it and sell it to customers. You will need to purchase a bottling plant for the bottling process. If you’re planning to transfer the beer into a keg, you will need a transfer pump to carry out this operation.
5. Mash system: The mash system allows a brewery to produce beer in large quantities. With a functional mash system, your brewery can brew beer worth thousands of liters just in one production.
6. Fermentation tanks: The capacity of the fermentation tank should depend on your production scale. The fermentation tank is designed specifically to ferment the produced wort with yeast. This set of equipment has to be purchased in perfect condition before you start your own brewing company. Therefore, do find a good fermentation tank for your brew and be on the lookout for good dealers with discounted selling prices. Bear in mind that this tank is sealed to prevent the entry of air during the fermentation process. Hence, if you notice any leakages, look for other fermentation tanks.
7. Fermentation airlock: The fermentation airlock is brewery equipment that allows the carbon dioxide to escape from the fermentation tank. The carbon dioxide is usually released during the fermentation process. The airlock also prevents air from entering the fermentation tank during the fermentation process.
8. Malt milling machine: The malt milling machine is used to extract the useful malt particles from the malt grain. After squeezing out the useful malt from the malt grain, you will mix it with boiled water. Then the brewery process will continue.
9. A mash tun: This machine usually changes starches into sugar for the fermentation process. The tank is normally used during the mashing process.
10. Electric steam generators: To start a brewing company and make it work, you need a decent scale. To increase your production rate, you will need electric steam generators to ensure that the wort doesn’t run out of adequate heat.
11. Wort pump: After mixing the malt grain with hot water to produce wort, transfer the produced wort to the next production stage using a wort pump.
12. Yeast adder: This tool allows you to add the required amount of yeast into the wort that is in the fermentation tank. The yeast adder will help you to measure the quantity of yeast added per batch.
13. Sanitation system: Hygiene is sacrosanct for a brewery of any size. Develop the habit of cleaning your brewing facilities after the production process. Every brewery should be able to provide cleaning solutions and tools. Therefore, include a washing pump, sterilizing solutions, and other cleaning solutions in your operation.
14. Brew Site: Not exactly a piece of equipment, but before purchasing any brewing equipment, the smart thing to do is to have a place to keep them safe. Secure a site for your brewing. This site has to be at a good location, especially if it doubles as a brew house for direct sale to customers. The brew site should depend on the type of equipment you wish to start with. A brew house should be able to accommodate the brewery equipment with comfort. It should also have the potential for future expansion. Make a point to check the capacity of the building to ensure that it is suitable for industrial purposes. If you have enough money to erect your own building, then build with expert specifications for a brewery.

Mistakes to Avoid While Purchasing Your Brewing Equipment

Before you purchase any equipment, bear in mind that a single mistake can ruin your entire operation. While buying equipment to start your own brewery company, avoid the following mistakes:

1. Avoid damaged equipment: It happens that dealers on brewery equipment attempt to convince you to buy slightly damaged equipment at a lower price. Never purchase such equipment; instead, ante up on the money and buy solid equipment. That minor fault will grow into a major fault with time and use. When you find yourself in such a situation, bear in mind that you may be spending scarce funds on fixing the equipment.
2. Avoid brew sites in poor locations: The location of your brew matters a lot. While setting up a new brewery company, endeavor to bring your site close to your consumers. Sites in remote areas might be cheaper, but the cost could be that your product will not be known in the market. Keeping your site in a central location will enable your beer brand to reach out to more consumers and attract more buyers within a short time.
3. Buy from trusted dealers: Avoid the mistake of buying your brewery equipment from an unknown dealer. Purchasing your brewery tools from such firms or sellers can lead you into a scam or into buying the wrong equipment. Always verify that your dealer is legit before proceeding with your purchase.
4. Buy directly: Before sealing any deal on your purchase, visit the dealer’s shop yourself. This will enable you to verify the equipment before making your purchase. Brewery equipment should also be purchased by the individual wishing to start up a brewery company. Even if your friends have good knowledge of the equipment, do not send them on your behalf, especially if money is an issue. Since you cannot afford an expensive mistake, make the trip yourself. This also helps you to learn more about the prices and types of equipment.

Estimating Equipment to Start Your own Brewery Company

The estimation for your equipment should depend on your brewery size. Some brewery equipment is very expensive. Still, the prices of these facilities may depend on the dealer and the capacity of the equipment. You can learn about the costs of the brewery equipment through the following means:

1. Through other brewery companies: You can visit any brewery company around your environment to make inquiries about the price of their equipment. Some brewery companies may decline your request, but don’t sweat it. Just find a brewery company that will be willing to help you out. But if there is none, you can use other methods to gain more knowledge on how to start your own brewery company.
2. Through a platform online: You can visit an online platform that has detailed information about brewery facilities. This will give you a guideline on how much to budget for your brewery equipment.
3. Through visiting a dealer’s shop: You can just walk into a dealer’s shop to make inquiries. Most dealers will be glad to answer your questions and give you detailed information about the equipment.

Now that you have an idea of the basic equipment necessary to start your own brewery company, you can take a crack at indulging in a passion you have while making money also.