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Thinking of brewing your own beer and selling it? The good news is that brewing is relatively easy and so practically anyone can learn to do it well in a matter of weeks. The bad news is, the craft beer industry is saturated so breaking into the market and making a name for yourself can be very tricky.
But don’t worry – when there’s a will, there’s a way! If you love beer and you think you may love making and selling it, are hard-working, and sociable, you can turn your passion into a profitable business.
To help you get started, we give you inside information on how to brew beer at home, plus tips on how to take it to the next level by opening your own brewery.
The Ingredients and Equipment
Before you get carried away with your dreams of becoming the best homebrewer in town, let’s focus on the essential equipment you’ll need.
- Brewing Kit: You want to start with a simple, beginner-friendly brewing kit. This should include a fermenter, hydrometer, airlock and bung, brew pot or kettle, siphon, and bottles, at the very least.
- Quality Ingredients: To make great beer, you need great ingredients. It’s crucial to invest in high-quality malt extract, hops, yeast, and water. Yes, you also need fresh, quality water. When you tackle the basics, you can experiment with different combinations to discover your unique flavor.
- Cleaning and Sanitizing Tools: Finally, cleaning your brewing equipment regularly, before every use, is essential so invest in sanitizing tools and agents. You’ll need an oxygen-based detergent such as Powdered Brewery Wash or OxiClean. Sanitizing your equipment with chemical sanitizers or heat is also recommended after cleaning it.
The Brewing Process
Once you have all the gear and ingredients you need, it’s time to give brewing a try. Don’t be discouraged if your first brew is not the best – practice makes perfect! Truly, the more you brew, the better your beer will taste and look.
- Sanitize the Equipment: Before you start brewing, make sure you clean and then sanitize the equipment. This is the first step that you really, really don’t want to skip because contamination can ruin even the best batch of beer.
- Brewing the Wort: Finally, we’re at the stage where the real magic begins: heat water, add malt extract, and bring your potion to a boil. Once it’s boiling, toss in the hops for that flavor, aroma, and delicious bitterness.
- Let It Cool Down: After the boil, it’s time to cool down your wort. An ice bath or a wort chiller will do the trick. Rapid cooling is crucial to avoid off-flavors.
- Fermentation Begins: Next, transfer your cooled wort into the fermenter, add yeast, and seal it with an airlock. This is where the yeast works its magic, converting sugars into alcohol. Let it ferment according to your recipe – patience is key.
- Bottling and Carbonation: Once fermentation is complete, it’s bottling time. Add a bit of priming sugar to each bottle to help with carbonation. Seal the bottles and let them carbonate for a couple of weeks.
Take it Further by Opening Your Brewery
If you’ve perfected your brew and want to share it with the world, consider taking the leap into opening your own brewery. Here’s how you can do that.
- Create a Business Plan: Making beer may be art, but running a brewery is a business. So, develop a solid business plan that outlines your target market, competition, pricing strategy, and financial projections.
- Deal with Legalities: Next, obtain the necessary licenses and permits, adhere to regulations, and ensure your brewery operates within the legal framework.
- Marketing and Branding: To be successful in this competitive business, you need to invest in marketing and branding. Create a brand that reflects your brewing philosophy and use social media, events, and collaborations to generate buzz. Consider integrating brewery management software like Ollie into your operations to centralize all your sales communications, organize your customers, and even streamline your order prep.
- Quality Control: Finally, it’s important to keep providing your customers with the same high-quality beer that helped you become who you are now, which is hopefully the owner of a successful, fun brewery. Being consistent is key, and when people know they can always rely on your beer to hit the spot, they’ll keep coming back for more!
Remember to embrace the learning curve and celebrate the small and big successes along the way. Most importantly, keep in mind that every batch is a step closer to perfection. Cheers!