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Who's brewing on a well (no municipal water) ???

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  • Who's brewing on a well (no municipal water) ???

    I'm wondering if there are any microbreweries out there in the 3000-8000 barrel range annually that are brewing with well water. Obvious risk but making it work.

  • #2
    Were not open just yet but we will be using well water in a rural area to brew up to 4000 bbls +/- a year. To add to our situation we have to get it trucked in from a local farm that has a well at 75 gpm @ 400 ft deep. We couldn't use our own on site 300+ ft well because of the local zoning feared we would run other neighboring wells dry. (mind you a local produce canning factory used to operate next door). In any event our equipment will consist of a staging tank, a sediment pre-filter, a active charcoal filter, then through a commercial UV light/sterilizer. FWIW we have a restaurant that is located on the same property as the brewery and they use well water with the same water treatment with no issues. They have mandatory monthly water testing done by the Health Department and have always passed for years.

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    • #3
      Lots of breweries including mine use a well. What's your concern?

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Moonlight
        Lots of breweries including mine use a well. What's your concern?
        That the well runs dry. Our proposed location is on only an acre of land. The well can go deeper if need be. I'm having a well drilling operation test the well for flow, recovery, gpm, pump size, well depth etc. I'm just wondering if say 4000 bbls annually is a lot to ask of a well.

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        • #5
          Sorry if I went in the wrong tangent earlier, like moonlight I wasn't sure what info you needed. Your capacity I would think ultimately would come down to the wells gpm and recover rate. Pumping past the recovery rate and when a well goes dry are really two different things. In any event, for example, 6000 bbls/yr would take at the minimum 550,000 gallons annually, working backwards that's about 1500 gallons a day. Lets say you had a 10 gpm draw (on a 15 gpm well) you could run the pump for 2-1/2 hours a day and get your needed water. So providing the source is there and prudent planning, yeah its doable. There's also the option of multiple wells pulling from different depths and veins (as we have on site) to meet demand.

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          • #6
            Water usage per barrel of beer produced varies and can be intelligently improved.
            I did have the afterthought that if you are on a well, you may also be on a septic system. This would be another serious consideration that is no less important (and likely more expensive) than the well issue.

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            • #7
              thankfully there is the municipal sewer at this location.

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              • #8
                Might I add that we don't have municipal sewer and had to install holding tanks (large ones) and have to have the waste pumped and hauled. Not a deal breaker but unfortunately added cost.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by South County
                  Might I add that we don't have municipal sewer and had to install holding tanks (large ones) and have to have the waste pumped and hauled. Not a deal breaker but unfortunately added cost.
                  I admire your steely resolve to still take on the brewery regardless of sewer or water. Most would say you're crazy. Most said I was crazy when I pitched the idea of a single-barrel brewpub in a small town of bud drinkers. 700 barrels and 1.2 million in sales later in our second year and we're kickin' butt.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Brew Chef
                    I admire your steely resolve to still take on the brewery regardless of sewer or water. Most would say you're crazy. Most said I was crazy when I pitched the idea of a single-barrel brewpub in a small town of bud drinkers. 700 barrels and 1.2 million in sales later in our second year and we're kickin' butt.
                    Well it wasn't an overnight decision, but after careful planning, alot of DEP and local zoning work and upfront cost, the COGS numbers were so close to paying a typical municipal sewer bill it was a no brainer. In my case my family owns industrial/commercial property less that 1/8th mile from our homes in rural Southern PA. Why pay $3-7 sq/ft per year to lease a building 30 minutes aways when I could build it and own it and walk to work. Once again up front cost, but I feel it a stronger financial foundation for the long haul.

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