RE: Tap room/brew pub small scale

[rlangley]

I am curious if anyone has/or has attempted a very small scale brewpub/tap room and how successful the business ran.

My thinking was a 3-7 bbl system in a small place maybe 2,000 square feet. A third of that dedicated to the Tap room with a few TV's. No beer and wine license or full liquor license just the brewer's license (I'm not certain if this is legal in all states but I know quite a few are allowed to do this). As for food -a small grill that serves very basic menu - burgers, chicken sand, hot dogs maybe a a few hot sands such as ham, or club served with potato chips. 1/3-1/2 of the beer sales in growlers and keg sales, small amount distributed to other bars/restaurants.

[Diamond Knot]

Heck.......you just described our first site. 7 Bbl system with 2,500 sq-ft. Pizza ovens, steaks, and seafood. A few TVs, a "Living Room", 2 bathrooms, and a lot of fun.

[beauxman]

It's totally possible, has been done and will be done again. I think that the "bootstrap" method is great if you have your ducks in a row and can make good beer and run a business. If I had the cash, thats what I would be doing! Just be aware that your prime costs are going to be very high, so your overhead and such needs to be barebones.

-Beaux

[rlangley]

Thanks guys appreciate the response.

If I ever get in the position and have the nads to pull it off, I think that is what I would like to start and then build from there. A brew pub in Albuquerque does more beer sales out of there tap room than the three restaurants they are affiliated with. But I think that is only because the owners really don't want to push the beer sales.

Cheers, Ray

[RaySherwood]

You definitely want to push the beer, because that is where the money is. You'll also want to do as much in house sales as possible, because outside sales has a greatly reduced margin (especially in bottles).

Your description fits Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall Michigan to a tee, so if you ever need inspiration check them out. I believe they still use a "Forman" grill for their sandwiches, simple & quick. Most importantly their beer is good enough to draw people in locally and attract beer travelers from far away.

Good Luck,
Ray

[msmartin]

Thanks!
This fits into what we are trying to do here in Yuba City. I am surrounded by four + quality eating establishments, but no place for lunch.

[hopuser]

Well we converted a pub to a brewpub with a 2 barrel system! We have four fermenters and well we cant keep up! The Pub has 14 taps and a total of 99 beers all types. The bottom line is we need a bigger brewery and the capital to grow.

Hopuser

[bndooley]

My brother and I are considering starting up a 2 barrel brewpub in our area. We've got a population of about 20,000, but a pretty good crowd of tourists in the summers.

If anyone can recommend any similar, small brewpubs, I would be very interested in talking with them.

Thanks in advance.

Ben

[tarmadilo]

Just remember that it takes almost exactly the same amount of effort to brew two barrels as it does to brew seven, and there are a lot of used seven-barrel systems out there at reasonable prices.

I've brewed beer on a too-small system, and it's no fun when you start running out of beer!!!

Cheers, Tim

[RaySherwood]

Tim's right. Don't undersize your brewery, buy the biggest system you can afford. There is a glut of 7bbl systems on the market and you can usually find a 3-3.5bbl system pretty easily, plus they are so common that the price will probably be cheaper than a 2bbl or some other odd size. If you stick with one of these common sizes you'll be able to add more equipment in the future without too much trouble (fermenters or serving tanks).

That's my 2 cents,
Ray

[bndooley]

Thanks for the tips. Any leads on equipment would be really appreciated.

Best,
Ben

[Lisa33]

You have a great idea going...I manage a Tasting Room and it is doing great. We have specials with beer cards, growler cards and pint specials. The tourists love it and so do our regulars. We also do great with merchandise sales, sweatshirts, T's and glassware. We do not serve food though. I am always trying new things out to bring something new to the Tasting Room and so far everything is working out great.....you will also want to make sure your bartender knows the beer and can explain it to your customers.

Lisa33