Looking to start your own business? One of the hottest trends in the US right now is starting a microbrewery. Brewing small-batch, craft beer and selling wholesale, opening a brewhouse to the public, or both can be an excellent idea.
And the best part? Even though there might be tons of other breweries in your area, it’s one of those business models that isn’t threatened by too much competition. Lots of people love drinking beer, and every city needs as many good breweries as possible.
So when starting a brewery, there’s some foundational brewery machinery you will need to make it possible to start brewing alcohol in the first place.
If you are new to the brewing game, then keep reading to discover what brewery equipment you can’t do without when experimenting with your first few batches of beer.
Malt Mill
To start the brewing process, you’re going to need some malt. And since grain comes whole, you’ll need to mill it first. Thus, you need a malt mill.
The higher quality your malt mill, the finer you’ll be able to grind the grain. During the mashing process, more sugars will be extracted, resulting in a more effective brewing process.
Mashing Machine
Once your grain has been pulverized, you’ll be able to start the mashing process. You’ll use a mashing machine, otherwise known as a mash tun.
These are insulated devices that house both grain and water. The mixture is then heated, which turns the grains into sugars.
Filtration
After mashing, your beer is going to be filtered. This will remove the yeast and other debris to ensure your beer is stable and can last a long time in storage.
Removing the solids will also ensure that the beer is enjoyable to drink, as known one wants to pick yeast and grain out of their teeth while sipping a cold one.
Brewing Tanks
You’re going to need large tanks for a variety of purposes. From fermentation to storage, brewing tanks are essential to any brewing operation, whether it’s an experiment in your kitchen or you are doing it on a commercial level.
Fermentation tanks give you the ability to convert the sugars into alcohol while also creating the carbonation that everyone enjoys when popping a can of craft beer.
After fermentation, beer is store in brite tanks where it can mature in a temperature-controlled environment to produce more complex flavors. Additional carbonation is produced in these tanks.
Check out glaciertanks.com to see what type of tanks you can get for your operation.
Pumps
As your beer moves from one stage of the brewing process to the next, you’ll use pumps to transport the beer to the next container. This makes it easy and automatic to move your liquid down the production line, protecting your beer from spills or contamination.
Planning Out Your Brewery Machinery Purchase List
There’s a lot of other pieces of brewery machinery you might need, depending on the size of your operation and the types of beer you plan to brew. You’ll want to factor every item you plan to purchase into your business plan so you can determine an approximate cost ahead of time.
Microbrewery equipment isn’t cheap, but you can start with smaller pieces of gear and upgrade as your operation grows.
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