The Cost of Brewing
It’s the elephant in the room, and the most asked question when we talk to our customers: How much is all of this going to cost me? Whether you’re heading into your second career, branching off from your brewing gig to open your own taproom, or upgrading from your starter system to your forever home, cost is usually the thing that weighs most heavily in your decision making process.
Before we jump in, every brewery setup depends on what we call the “Three B’s” – The Brewers, The Beer, and The Building. The right system for you is going to be driven by your brewing experience, what type of equipment you like and want, and how you approach the brew day.
3 BBL Brewery
A three barrel brewing system is a common size for a new brewery or taproom. For the brew house, we’ll start with a basic electric setup:
- 120 gallon HLT
- 120 gallon mash tun with sparge arm and domed false bottom
- 145 gallon brew kettle
- 1/2 HP water and wort pumps
- 24kW heating system
- Basic control panel
On the cold side:
- Single stage heat exchanger
- 3 x 3BBL jacketed fermenters
- 1 x 3BBL jacketed brite tank
- 3HP glycol chiller with temperature probes and solenoids
- Basic jacket control panel
Price Tag: $50,000 – $60,000
7 BBL Brewery
When we go from a 3BBL to a 7BBL system, there are a few more things to consider. In addition to the larger tanks, we’ll need to increase the size of the pumps and cellar chiller and add a platform:
- 290 gallon HLT
- 275 gallon mash tun with sparge arm and slotted false bottom
- 340 gallon brew kettle with condensate stack
- 3/4 HP water and wort pumps
- 60kW heating system
- Advanced touchscreen control panel
- Automated strike valve and flow meter
- Automated wort grant / hop back combination tank
- Stainless steel brew house platform
On the cold side:
- Dual stage heat exchanger
- 3 x 7BBL jacketed fermenters
- 1 x 7BBL jacketed brite tank
- 5HP glycol chiller
- Advanced jacket control module
Price Tag: $85,000 – $100,000
15 BBL Brewery
When looking at a fifteen barrel brewery, heating with steam becomes a stronger candidate. The pumps will get another bump in HP, the mash tun will be outfitted with a motorized rake and plow, and the addition of a cold liquor tank (CLT) will help with bringing your wort to pitching temps.
In the brewery:
- 800 gallon steam jacketed HLT
- 509 gallon jacketed mash tun with motorized rake and plow
- 725 gallon brew kettle with condensate stack
- 1HP water pump and 3/4HP wort pump
- 30HP low pressure steam boiler
- Advanced touchscreen control panel with integrated rake motor controls
- Automated wort grant
- Stainless steel platform
In the cellar:
- 20BBL cold liquor tank with control module & pump
- Single stage heat exchanger with CLT integration
- 5 x 15BBL jacketed fermenters
- 2 x 15BBL jacketed brite tanks
- 9HP glycol chiller
- Advanced jacket control module
Price Tag: $225,000 – $250,000
Summary
Whether you’re considering a modest 3BBL, a mighty 30 BBL, or anything in between, the cost is going to be a major factor in your purchase decision. With dozens of possible tank configurations within each size system, endless possibilities for cellar options, and a host of control packages, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Give Brewmation a call to help get the ball rolling, or check out our Brewery Builder to walk through the details and we’ll provide you with a budgetary quote.
