Going commercial

General Homebrew Discussion
1

I’m having a hell of a time trying to find information on going commercial (aside from the AHA recommended books).

Does anyone know where I can find a list of contract brewers?  I don’t have the funds to build a brewery from scratch, so I need to go this route for now.

Thanks in advance!

-MC

2

Go to Probrewer.com and look over all the past discussions.  I’ve been lurking there for years without signing on and have learned a lot about what it takes to go pro.  It is not a site that really welcomes homebrewers, but the information is invaluable.

3

Join the Brewers Association. It’s the pro side of the AHA.

4

I would start by contacting a local brewery and seeing if they contract brew (be sure the beer they brew is good first!). Then contact the TTB and see what kind of paperwork you need to file for a contract brew. www.ttb.gov.

5

Give us a shout!  The BA can help.

The BA professional division has nearly 300 breweries in planning (of all business models) that are members of the BA and receive personal assistance from our staff, lots of networking opportunities within the membership, and tons of resources to assist with the details involved with opening a brewery.  I can be reached at 888-822-6273 x 135 or erin@brewersassociation.org.

I look forward to it!

Cheers,
Erin Glass
BA Professional Division
Membership Coordinator & Brewery Detective
erin@brewersassociation.org

6

I agree with majorvices.

Another think to consider is that contract brewers have they batch sizes.
You might find a brewer that brew good beer but he will tell you.
Out fermenters are 40 BBL. This is our batch size.
Do you know how many six packs are in 40 BBL of beer?
They might also require money up front before they brew it.

By the way you should start writting your business plan.

7

Here is a sample Contract brewing pricing from Indian Wells Brewing Company out of CA.

http://www.mojavered.com/PrivateLabel.aspx
http://www.mojavered.com/Files/Private%20Label%20Contract.pdf

That should get you on the road what is price concerned.
In other parts of country price might be different.