How Much Does Brewing Equipment for Commercial Beer Cost?
Brewing beer commercially requires significant investment in equipment that can handle the production scale. The equipment used in commercial breweries is specialized and designed to handle large volumes of beer. For aspiring brewers, the amount of equipment required to start brewing beer commercially can be overwhelming. Therefore, we have compiled a list of costs to help establish a general idea of how much it costs to start a commercial brewery.
1. Brewhouse Equipment.
A brewhouse consists of equipment needed for the primary process of brewing. Here are the top items you should consider purchasing to create a good brewhouse:
- Kettle, Mash Tun, and Lauter Tun: Expect to pay at least $100,000 for a 20 barrel brewhouse. The brewhouse is the most expensive component of a brewery.
- Fermenters: After brewing the beer, you need fermenters to hold them. Depending on the size of the brewery, consider investing $20,000 per fermenter. You should have at least four fermenters available.
- Cooling System: Cooling systems not only keep the fermentation process regulated but also allow for beer aging and cold storage. Expect to spend at least $20,000 on a glycol chiller system.
2. Distribution and Packaging Equipment.
Once you have brewed your beer, you will need to package and sell it. Packaging and distributing equipment costs are as follows:
- Bottling Line: A good bottling line can run around $60,000. Look for a machine that is easy to clean and uses gravity fillers. .
- Canning Line: The price can vary depending on your canning needs. A small canning line that can fill roughly 20 cans per minute will cost around $80,000, but larger canning lines are significantly more expensive.
- Kegs: If you plan on kegging your beer, the cost of stainless steel barrels is around $100 for a new one; used ones can cost less.
3. Additional Equipment.
There are additional equipment and accessory items that every commercial brewery should have. They should not be too costly, but it is good to keep them in mind. .
- Hoses and Pumps: These items are what transport the beer around the brewery and from tanks to kegs or to the packaging line. Expect to pay around $5,000 for hoses and pumps.
- Cleaning Equipment: You need your brewery to be clean and sterile. Hot Clean-In-Place (CIP) equipment can cost about $6,000 or more. .
- Grain Mill: You need to grind the grain, which is usually the first step of the brewing process. The cost of a grain mill is roughly $10,000 or more.
In summary, the cost of brewing equipment for a commercial brewery can range from $500,000 to $1,500,000, depending on the size of the brewery and equipment. Factors such as location, building costs, and labor costs add to the expenses. Remember, the above prices reflect only the cost of equipment. You should also factor in working capital requirements, legal costs, and the cost of marketing and advertising your business. We hope that these numbers will help guide your decision-making as you consider starting a commercial brewery.
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