Microbrewing Equipment
Many people brew their own beer, it is a fun pastime that can be done with small batches and saves people a lot of money. The beer is often much more flavorful and often stronger as well, than beer bought in a store from a major brewery, but it often does not have the refined touch of a microbrewery. A microbrew is any beer variety that is brewed in small batch, typically less than 15,000 kegs which is still a major amount of beer. Many microbrews start out as nanobrews where as little as four kegs are produced at a time.
Starting a microbrewery is a dream to many, but without a unique brew, plenty of dedication and a lot of luck this dream is short lived. 90% of all microbreweries fail. Remember that more is needed than just the proper microbrewing equipment, electricity, gas, water, and facilities are necessary as well. Not to mention the ingredients, time and people needed to get the work done and the people who will buy the brew and enjoy it. Getting a successful brewing business going can easily cost over $500,000USD and may well exceed $1M before the first bottle has even been produced. This is not a safe bet, and it is usually motivated by the owner's love of quality beer. The more work they can do themselves, whether it is simple construction or actual brewing can save thousands of dollars and make the venture more likely to succeed, but most brewers throw in the towel when things go south.
Microbrewing equipment is much more complex than home brewing equipment and the price of mistakes is compounded by the size of the batch. Only an incredible recipe and an uncanny work ethic will succeed in the highly competitive world of beer, there are billion dollar companies vying for the same customers as every brewer. In the past drinkers were dedicated to a certain brew, but this was often because choices were limited. Today there are more choices of beer than you could shake a stick at making the customer's choice even more difficult. Giving them a reason to choose your beer is important for every breweries success and that choice does not come easy. Before purchasing microbrewing equipment hire an accountant to look over the numbers and give the brewer a projection of what they have to accomplish to break even. This simple step can make or break any brewery big or small.