Brewery Equipment Scheduling - Here's How Much Time You Really Need

Introduction

It's been a great year for your brewery, and even more fans of your craft beer came out to find you. That's great news!  

If you want another explosive year, you should start planning for that extra capacity now, so the equipment you need will be in place, on time, and ready to brew. Expanding a brewhouse or even building individual tanks requires a lot of upfront thinking, design work, and communication before welding equipment is ever fired up. Be wary of manufacturers that promise unrealistic lead times.

To carefully craft all the unique equipment pieces you need, it can take 4-8 months for a cellar expansion and 6-12 months for a brewhouse expansion, as it did for this custom 50 BBL Brewhouse we built. Watch it go up in about 1 minute on this timelapse:

So yes, really, it's not too early to start planning and working with your manufacturer to get the commercial beer brewing equipment you need in the queue. 

Stage 1: The Quoting Process

Your first steps are with your sales rep. They take your vision and work with designers to consider the aesthetics, functionality, ease of use, production goals, and quality you need. This budgetary quote work typically lasts 5-6 weeks.

Once a budgetary quote is defined, it is sent to you for review. Then, through a collaborative process with your equipment partner, you will likely work through changes and edits. Basic floor plans may be drawn up for an expanded-scope project. Also, you may want to refine the scope and dial in the work based on a price point you need to hit. Often a lot of questions arise during this period and you may choose some customization options on your equipment depending on the answers. This is your time to make sure the design and build of your equipment is exactly what you need. Depending on the complexity of your scope and the changes you request, allow anywhere from 2 weeks to 5 months to reach the final quote number.  

Stage 2: Design

Once you approve the quote and send in a purchase order, the designers will firm up the drawings based on your input and pass it to the brewery engineers. The engineers do their due diligence to ensure every connection, every heat transfer panel, and every valve is where they should be so they can integrate easily into your new facility or your current system. Engineering's primary job is to ensure the correctness and safety of your equipment is on the mark; you don't want to rush this process. Allow 5-10 weeks for engineering work.

Stage 3: Procurement

The next step is materials procurement. The length of this step depends on several design factors, such as the vessels’ pressure ratings and services, component selections and customizations made during scope development, and the supply chain vendors’ current capacities and lead times. Allow 5-8 weeks for procurement of most major materials. Some specialty items, like a precision-milled false bottom for a lauter tun, can take up to 18 weeks to build.   

Stage 4: Fabrication

After the materials arrive, your equipment goes into production. The build begins! Your equipment manufacturer considers secure welds, heat transfer placement, cleaning systems, and pressure testing, among other considerations. Depending on the size and specifications of your equipment, the build process can take 6-12 weeks.

Stage 5: Delivery and Installation

After ordering your equipment, delivery, installation, and startup follow. These steps involve safe offloading, piping, connections, and water and electric hookups and require significant attention. Consider having your equipment vendor handle these three services to save time and reduce risks. Whether you are purchasing a single tank or an entire brewery, you should allow for a timeframe of 2 to 12 weeks to complete this part of the process.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the production schedule of your chosen equipment manufacturer. If you believe in the quality of their equipment, chances are others do, too. The manufacturer cannot schedule your production until you commit to the project and send in the purchase order.

Looking at the timeline, a small cellar expansion can take anywhere from 16 to 32 weeks from order entry to shipping on the lower end, while a complete custom brewhouse can take 6 to 18 months from order entry to shipping on the higher end.

Don't leave money on the table because you can't keep up with the demand for your great brews. Start planning now for next year's capacity. Waiting could result in a time crunch, which can cost you money. Proper planning now helps you avoid that crunch and keeps you brewing beer on your timeline, so the revenues also continue to pour in.