You are enjoying your favorite beer with friends when a new thought suddenly runs through the mind: “Why not transform the love for the favorite beer into a profession and run my own home brewery?” Whether you take it as a hobby or business, it will be a lot of fun producing the much-loved drink in your backyard.
Statistics show that craft beer is facing steady growth in the United States. From Maryland to Nevada, microbreweries are redefining the beer industry, and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years. So, if you are thinking of starting your home brewery, welcome to the growing community!
Before you can celebrate the idea, the first thing that will probably get into your mind is, “Where will your home brewery be set up?” Well, there is no need to sweat about it because we already have an awesome suggestion – the garage! The kitchen would also have been ok, but space might be limited to accommodate various brewery tools. So, the garage it is.
In this post, we take you through the process of transforming a garage into a home brewery. We will also tell you more about costs.
Can You start a Brewery in Your Garage?
Before you get started with your idea, it is important to establish whether it is legal. So, can you start a brewery in your garage legally? The answer is, “yes.” So, here is what you need to know about homebrewing:
Today, home brewing is allowed in all 50 states. According to the American Home Brewing Association (AHA), the latest to allow home brewing was Mississippi.
Homebrewing was legalized in 1978 following the lifting of the prohibition of 1919. However, the regulations are predominantly left to individual states. In 2013, Alabama and Mississippi, the last two states that had not legalized homebrewing, passed legislation allowing brewing at home.
Although home brewing in your garage is legal, most states still have additional restrictions, such as the amount you can brew and use. For example, most states only allow the brewing of 100 gallons of beer at home per adult over 21 years. However, this is capped to two adults, implying that the maximum that you can make is 200 gallons per year. If you want to make more than 200 gallons and sell the excess, you will need to get a permit for it.
Still, on the legality of setting up a home brewery, you have to appreciate that some states, such as Oklahoma, follow a different model. Unlike other states where homebrewing does not require a license, Oklahoma requires you to get a permit for brewing beer that exceeds alcohol by volume (ABV) of 3.2%.
A Note about Costs of Converting a Garage into a Brewery
Once you have made up your mind to convert your garage into a brewery, everything narrows down into costs. You might find some people recommending you to look at the cost factor at the end of the process, but we prefer slotting it this early because every activity, from the equipment to installation, has some cost implications. The most significant determinant of the brewery cost is the equipment that you will use.
Brewing with the smallest capacity equipment, say 1 barrel of 31 gallons, can go for $100,000 or less if you opt for the used ones. However, advanced and new-design equipment with higher capacities of up to 30 barrels can cost in excess of $1 million.
When thinking about the cost, it is true that used equipment, especially those with smaller capacity, comes at a lower cost. However, it would be best if you thought about the need for future expansion. Once you convert the garage into a brewery, what will happen if the venture becomes successful? Will the equipment allow you to increase production rapidly or turn into a bottleneck?
So far, the costs we have highlighted are mainly about the equipment, but they are not the only ones. You also need to factor in the following costs:
- The flooring costs.
- Costs for acquiring the legal permits from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).
- Local beer brewery license. Note that the local government will not approve your permit until all pieces of equipment have been installed and are operational.
- If you run a pub selling your beer, a retail license might also be required.
- If you want to run the brewery as a business, you will also need to factor costs of getting the legal form. The most recommended form is the limited liability company (LLC). It will also be a good idea to have an operating agreement embedded into the LLC.
- On top of all of these, you need to think about the regular costs of operations for tasks such as paying staff and buying raw materials.
How to Transform Your Garage into a Brewery
Now that you know a home brewery is legal, it is time to get down and start brewing. So, here is a look at how to convert the garage into that brewery of your dreams:
Six Things to Keep in Mind when Starting a Home Brewery
Although you have made up your mind to start a home brewery, it is crucial to have an overview of the entire brewing process, from converting the garage to brewing beer. So, here are the things to keep in mind:
- Cleanliness is very crucial in the craft beer industry. Contamination can impact the quality of beer, and you do not want anything to go bad.
- The space you need is another essential component, but this will depend on the equipment and size of the brewery. A small brewery might require just a compact corner of the room, but a lot more space will be needed to brew large quantities of beer for sale.
- The temperature of the room. Because beer production produces a lot of heat, it is paramount to ensure your garage has ample ventilation.
- Good plumbing. Well, beer-making requires a lot of water. For every gallon of beer that you make, approximately five gallons of water will be needed. This is why you need proper plumbing, especially for processes such as cleaning, handling, and soaking worts.
- The storage unit. For a brewery to operate effectively, you need to be well organized. Think of the different types of equipment that will be stored there. Good examples include bottles, bottle caps, weighing scales, and barley holding containers.
- If the water supply in your area is hard, it can greatly impact the quality of your beer. Therefore, you should consider working with bottled water or invest in a water filter.
Setting Up Your Garage to Run as a Brewery
As we mentioned earlier, you need to ensure that the brewery is as clean as possible. Therefore, you might want to clear the current items to get more space. Here are the main things that you need:
- Start by installing good flooring. When your home brewery finally starts running, one fact is that some beer will regularly get spilled into the floor. Therefore, you need to ensure the floor is made of material that will not get corroded by the acid easily. One of the best examples is the vinyl type, which is both resistant to corrosion and durable.
- Create a strong and sturdy table: This will come in handy as a working surface when handling your malt, other equipment, and cleaning. It will be a good idea to get a table that is also easy to clean.
- Install the sink and run the plumbing line. To operate a brewery, be it a commercial or a home one, you need to have a lot of water. Therefore, run a plumbing network for clean water supply and also install a sink.
- To keep your equipment organized, make sure also to install shelving. Try to make shelves of varying sizes to cater to all equipment and containers.
- Install the fridge for storing your fresh supplies, especially the fresh hops. If you order hops in large quantities or want to use the fridge to keep beer cold, consider going for a large-capacity freezer.
- After acquiring and installing a freezer, you will also need to have a stove. If you are making large quantities of beer in your brewery, a boiler will come in handy.
If you want your brewery to be more effective, especially when targeting commercial brewing, consider dividing it into different sections. Good examples would be designating separate parts, such as the cleaning area, storage section, and the main brewing part. Remember to leave ample working area for every section.
Other Equipment You Need to Convert a Garage into a Brewery
In addition to creating the right shelving and working table, you will need to install the right brewing equipment. The simpler way, which is recommended for people who are completely new to brewing, is using the starter kit. The kit comes with everything that you need to start brewing. Otherwise, you need to get and install the following equipment:
- Fermenting bin and lid.
- Syphon: This is a tube-like alcohol brewing device for transferring liquid.
- LCD thermometer.
- Wooden spoon: Go for the model that is designed with a long handle for stirring.
- Hydrometer: This is used for measuring alcohol content. This will be very helpful if your home brewery is located in states where beer brewing is licensed based on alcohol content.
- Sterilizer: This equipment will come in handy when cleaning the brewing equipment.
- Bottle tops, bottles, and a capper: These will be very useful if you need to package beer into bottles for sale.
- Other pieces of equipment that you will need include storage boxes, a measuring jug alarm clock, and a kettle.
Methods for Home Brewing
Once you have set up the brewery, it is time to check whether everything is running well and taste the first beer. So, there are a number of brewing methods that you can use, including the following:
- The Starter Kit Method
This starter kit comes ready with hop pellets, liquid malt extract, priming sugar, and brewer’s yeast. The good thing about it is that it also comes with an easy-to-follow recipe. As far as you follow the instructions on the kit, the results should be awesome. This method is preferred for people who want to make small amounts of beer for home consumption.
- Malt Extract Brewing
If you find the standard kits to be limiting, the better option is the malt extract. This method is also pretty simple. All that you need is sugar, water, yeast, and a bittering agent. Then, get a good recipe, and you are ready to go. The method also allows you to test with various hops and malts for different flavors.
- All-Grain Brewing
We prefer calling this the expert method because it is used by most breweries out there. However, the word expert should not scare you because it is pretty straightforward if you follow the right process. So, how does it happen?
The process commences with malted barley. You should first convert the starch to sugar by heating the barley to a specific temperature, a process referred to as mashing. This step replaces the use of malt extract when using the standard kits. The good thing with this method is that it provides you with full control over the quality and flavor of the final beer. Make sure to maintain good records of everything, from the quantity of barley to the time used for hopping, so that your “award-winning” flavor can be replicated.
Finally, your garage turned into a brewery is ready. Congratulations!
Conclusion
As we have demonstrated, the process of converting a garage into a home brewery can be lengthy. It can also be expensive because of the long list of equipment required to get the venture on its feet. However, it will finally give you a lot of satisfaction relaxing in the backyard with friends and joying a cold beer not just from any brand out there but your brewery. Your garage turned into a brewery might also be the starting of a big brewery to rival others operating in the country. If you are thinking of converting your garage into a home brewery, go for it!