Picking the Appropriate Small Brewing System
I spent some considerable time looking into affordable, new brewing systems (mash tun, lauter tun, and kettle). I really didn't want to mess around with old brewing systems that are usually very worn and prone to many more problems than new systems.
I found very nice brewing systems producing 4 to 7 barrels or 8 kegs to 16 kegs respectively at a time. These systems were horribly expensive usually in the range of $30,000 to $50,000. With insufficient funding, these were out of my range and my choices were very limited. I was suggested by other well respected brewers and home brew marts to check out Sabco Industries and Beer Beer and More Beer that provided brewing systems but on a much smaller scale for afordable prices.
The Brewing Magic systems from Sabco were nice and somewhat expensive, but could only produce about one keg each brew. I was looking to produce at least 3 kegs per brew in case my brewery does take off. This way I will be able to keep up with demand for a while, while I find a new system that is capable of fulfilling the bigger production demands. More Beer offered exactly what I was looking for.
While More Beer has many brewing systems, I picked the biggest one, the B3-4000, that is capable of brewing up to 3 kegs at a time. I have provided a picture above of this system. I did upgrade the brewing system with a lot of extra options. I got the stainless steel upgrade for the entire system to perserve the longevity of the brewing stand and connectivity parts. I also purchased the control panel with digital smart systems that maintain sparge and ramp ups in the mash tun. I will talk further about the upgrades, sparging, and ramp ups later.
The system is expected to be delivered sometime in the next week. I ordered the system in June, so it did take some time for More Beer to manufacture the system mainly due to welding delays and shipping delays of the kettle that is manufactured in Italy. The cost was $5,500 after all the extra options. If you are planning on getting a small brewing system like this one, count on it taking atleast 2 months before you receive it.
Some might question is this system too small production wise to start an actual brewery. Well, Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware, started a brewery with a system that produced one keg at a time at first. This success and very inspirational story is recorded in "Brewing Up A Business" by the founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, Sam Calagione. I strongly recommend reading this if you are a beer enthusiast, an entrepreneur, or if you enjoy inspirational stories. I also suggest signing up for their free newsletter on their website that comes out monthly because they are always doing interesting things with their beers.
Although the system was expensive for my budget and took up most of my available funds, I feel the brewing system is the most important part of starting my brewery. I have to produce consistent and professional beer on a small scale and this system will allow me to do that.
Cheers,
Brian
posted by HackBrewer at 10:02 PM
5 Comments:
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11:48 PM
I grew up going to Dogfish Head Brewery up in Rehobeth Beach DE. It's my big brothers favorite beer and he used to take me to get lunch and he'd have a few beers.
When I finally turned 21 he was more than excited to take me up there to have some drinks.
Since then I've frequented their Annapolis location and sampled their beer at events all over the country.
Dogfish Head is a great model for anyone to follow. Great bar, great people, and great beer.
Everyone should be following this Blog.
11:50 PM
I'd say go with what you got. There is/was a brewer in Kokomo Indiana that literally brewed using his home brew system ( 1 pin ( 10 gallon) batches). He rented out a closed coffee house, and set up his system in back. People liked his brews from the start, and he found himself brewing almost 5 times a week.
The Lemp family, which came from Germany to St Lous, began a tiny lager brewery in the back of thier general store. Customers came to the back door of his store with pails to get thier evening beer for supper. Lemp grew to be one of the premier brewing families in the US. He grew his business one kettle at a time.
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3:40 PM
This was a very cool post! I also want to start my own homebrewing system and from the looks of it, its a possibility. The only draw back is living in Oregon where there is plenty of good beers to drink!
What state are you setting up your system?
other than homebrewing, did you attend any courses or progams to learn more on the science of brewing?
Which book would you recommend to get started with?
(sorry for all the questions!)
1:47 PM
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