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Hello and thanks to all the members' invaluable contributions on this site. My partner and I are finishing our business plan, but are at a loss for which route to take in terms of our first brewhouse. We fully understand the impracticality of a small (3-5 bbl) brewery, but we have 9-5 jobs and are okay with operating at a loss for a few years to grow the brand. We want a skid-mounted system because we plan to operate from a small industrial park (direct keg sales only) for 1-2 years before moving 50 miles south and opening a pub with a financially viable 15+ bbl system. This system will be our future pilot system, so resale value isn't important. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I should mention that we have a (seasonally) available expert SS welder. He just needs us to be very specific in what we want because he doesn't know anything about brewing.
Option 1: Modify our existing system. I designed a 2 pump, direct-fired, single-tier 3 vessel system with converted keggles and silicone/camlock fittings. We could purchase conical fermenters and upsize our vessels (55 gal drums for a 2 bbl maybe?). This is the frankenbrew option and the cheapest way to get started. Cons include the obviously unfavorable labor to production ratio. We would have to work or tails off just to please the few customers we've cultivated.
Option 2: Purchase new or used skid-mounted system. Pros include several companies to choose from in the Portland area, and less speedbumps along the way. Unfortunately they are really expensive.
Option 3 (the reason for my post): Utilize our welder to build a brewery from scratch. He has experience making jacketed tanks and has done plenty of work in breweries (but again, he's a welder/fabricator that needs explicit direction as he's not a brewer). It would be much more fulfilling to design and build a brewery, but we aren't engineers. When I look at photos of this type of setup, the complexity is daunting. If I had a nice schematic of the plumbing/electrical needs, I'm sure we have the testicular fortitude to make it happen. I'm also sure this option would come with plenty of unforseen and perhaps expensive mistakes. We'd be using old dairy tanks or whatever else we can scrounge.
Sorry I haven't asked a direct question, but I'm sort of looking for someone to talk me off the ledge....or push me off it. Any thoughts/advice/warnings, or sample skid-mounted brewery plans would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Rudderless Brewing Co.
PDX, OR
I should mention that we have a (seasonally) available expert SS welder. He just needs us to be very specific in what we want because he doesn't know anything about brewing.
Option 1: Modify our existing system. I designed a 2 pump, direct-fired, single-tier 3 vessel system with converted keggles and silicone/camlock fittings. We could purchase conical fermenters and upsize our vessels (55 gal drums for a 2 bbl maybe?). This is the frankenbrew option and the cheapest way to get started. Cons include the obviously unfavorable labor to production ratio. We would have to work or tails off just to please the few customers we've cultivated.
Option 2: Purchase new or used skid-mounted system. Pros include several companies to choose from in the Portland area, and less speedbumps along the way. Unfortunately they are really expensive.
Option 3 (the reason for my post): Utilize our welder to build a brewery from scratch. He has experience making jacketed tanks and has done plenty of work in breweries (but again, he's a welder/fabricator that needs explicit direction as he's not a brewer). It would be much more fulfilling to design and build a brewery, but we aren't engineers. When I look at photos of this type of setup, the complexity is daunting. If I had a nice schematic of the plumbing/electrical needs, I'm sure we have the testicular fortitude to make it happen. I'm also sure this option would come with plenty of unforseen and perhaps expensive mistakes. We'd be using old dairy tanks or whatever else we can scrounge.
Sorry I haven't asked a direct question, but I'm sort of looking for someone to talk me off the ledge....or push me off it. Any thoughts/advice/warnings, or sample skid-mounted brewery plans would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Rudderless Brewing Co.
PDX, OR