Many people love to throw home beer tasting parties for their friends. They love to throw open the double French doors and enjoy sharing favorite craft beers with people in a comfortable environment. In this post, you’ll find information about how to plan a successful party, what to serve at it (both food and drinks), plus some tips on what types of games you can play with guests.

1) Always invite a variety of friends

If you’re going to spend your money on a new beer, then it might as well be tried by people that can give their honest opinion. The perfect mix is usually about 50% casual drinkers and 50% experienced craft beer fans. Inviting too many experts may result in them being dismissive of the beers you’re trying, while inviting too many casual drinkers may result in them being overwhelmed. Sticking with the middle ground will ensure that everyone has a good time and enjoys their beer selections.

Create an invite list. Make sure to include all of their names on your guest list so you know who is attending ahead of time.

2) Choose a variety of beers to serve

There are two main types of beer—lagers and ales. Lager is the most common type you’ll find in stores. They’re light-bodied with low alcohol content (usually less than four percent). Ales have more body, higher ABV’s (alcohol by volume), and have a more pungent, more distinct taste. In addition to the difference in their characteristics, you’ll need to consider how much experience your guests have with beers before deciding which type of beer tasting party you want to throw.

Ales: A wide variety of ales are available, and most people will be able to find something they enjoy. Experienced craft beer drinkers will enjoy trying new and exciting combinations, while casual drinkers may find a pint too strong.

Lagers: Lager’s are the most popular type of beer in America, so chances are your guests have tried them before. They’re straightforward to drink but often lack character or complexity. Casual drinkers are likely to enjoy them, while experts may find them boring.

3) Serve a variety of snacks

It’s tough to enjoy a beer on an empty stomach. You can’t go wrong with pairing your beers with chips and salsa, pretzels, or cheese. Experienced drinkers may handle more filling foods like wings or mini-pizzas, while casual drinkers will probably prefer lighter options. In addition to the type of food, you’ll want to consider how filling it is and whether or not your guests will be able to enjoy their beers while eating.

Snacks: Chips and salsa, pretzels, cheese mini-pizzas, wings, more filling foods (ex: chili), lighter snacks (ex: popcorn).

4) Put together a fun game or two

Whether you want to play trivia, cards, or beer pong, the most important thing is that your guests are engaged and have a good time. If they’re not competitive by nature, it’s best to avoid more traditional games like Monopoly. In addition to making sure they’re having fun, you’ll need to choose games that will let guests relax and enjoy their beers; otherwise, they may be too distracted to talk or make meaningful conversation.

Games: Trivia (ex: Cards Against Humanity), beer pong drinking games, more relaxed social games (ex: Scrabble), no traditional party games (ex: Monopoly).

5) Have enough glasses and bottles

It’s no fun to let a perfect beer go to waste because someone drank it from the wrong type of glass. You’ll need about one bottle or can per person (that adds up fast), plus an extra set for yourself. Most craft beers come in 22-ounce varieties, which you can either split between two glasses or serve as a single full-sized pour. If your guests prefer pints, then just make sure to have enough pint glasses for everyone.

Glasses: Pint glasses (ex: shaker), snifter glasses, tulip glasses, taster glasses, bottle/can amount, one bottle or can per person, one extra set.

6) Have a backup plan

The last thing you want is for people to get bored and leave. If it’s starting to look like there won’t be enough beer or snacks, make sure that everyone knows they can feel free to bring some of their own. In addition, consider planning a few more activities in case things get dull. If you want to avoid any potential problems, consider having a friend or family member over for moral support just in case.

Backup Plan: More snacks (ex: chips & candy), bring your beer friends or family for moral support.

7) Choose a location that’s fun for everyone

You may be thinking about throwing your beer tasting party in the comfort of your home, which is an option. If you’re looking to mix it up, though, consider hosting at one of these places instead:

Location:  Your home outdoor location (ex: backyard), bar, restaurant brewery, pub.

Depending on the type of beers you have, different snacks will pair better than others. It’s also essential to make sure everyone has a good time and can relax while trying new things. To do this, put together an engaging game or two that matches your guests’ interests. You’ll also need to take into consideration how many glasses and bottles you’ll need. Last but not least, make sure everyone knows they can bring some of their own if required.

From large multinational brewing companies to microbreweries, the process of brewing is diverse. This diversity also depends on the kind of beer you want to produce as well as the level of automation you desire. Large breweries typically have distinct sections that handle specific brewing phases. Microbreweries, on the other hand, perform their operations in one room.

Despite the disparity in size, the entire process remains the same as it involves a simple biochemical process. Microbreweries or craft breweries are independently owned and are smaller compared to corporate breweries. However, in recent times, this difference does not hold much meaning as some major brewers now have craft breweries but in a large form. You can visit this website to learn about craft brewing in different parts of the world.

So if you are a beer lover and have been thinking about starting a craft brewery, you should know that it requires time and patience. You also need to plan carefully before venturing into the business. We understand that starting any business is difficult and breweries are capital-intensive. Therefore, this guide will help you to get started.

How to Choose the Right Brewhouse Size

The first thing you want to do when starting out as a brewer is to secure a space for production. But do you know the size of brewhouse to use? Different levels of production, including the kind of beer you want to produce, calls for different sizes of tanks and brewing systems.

You need to consider this equation when choosing a brewhouse size:

(Annual production)/ (number of brews produced each week x number of weeks you brew in a year) = brewhouse size

Or:

(Size of the brewhouse) x (number of brews produced each week) x (number of weeks you brew in a year) = annual production

For instance, if you plan to brew 5200 bbl annually and five times each week all through the year, here’s what you will get when you use the equation:

Size of the brewhouse x 52 brewing weeks x 5 brews per week = 5200 bbl

5200 bbl/ (52 brewing weeks x 5 brews per week) = size of the brewhouse

5200 bbl/ 260 = 20 bbl

If you were wondering whether you can start a craft brewery with a 20-barrel brewhouse, this example is an ideal answer. However, you can be flexible with your batch size each week because it is possible that you may not have the manpower to match the machine’s capacity.

Note that the calculation above is a basic guideline. Many factors such as the types and styles of craft beer may alter the production timing or capacity. Therefore, measurements will not be the same for every brewer. You can visit https://www.thespruceeats.com/need-to-know-beer-styles-4051730 to discover different styles of craft beer.

Brewery Equipment

After deciding on the size of brewhouse, you need to get the necessary equipment for brewing. They include:

The Brewhouse

While a brewhouse refers to a place for brewing beer, it is also a collection of the components required for starting the brewing process. These components include:

1. Whirlpool
2. Boil kettle
3. A tank for hot liquor
4. Lauter tun
5. Mash mixer

Microbreweries usually use two-vessel brewhouses like the 20-barrel brewhouse. They combine the tank for hot liquor, mash mixer, and lauter tun in one vessel while the other vessel contains the whirlpool and boil kettle. The first vessel mashes the malt as well as any other grain you choose to use, then extracts the wort in liquid form.

The other vessel adds hops and all the ingredients for your beer into the wort, then boils the mixture. When the wort settles, the solid particles produced during the crushing process will be separated. Brewhouse capacity is usually in bbl (barrel), approximately thirty-one US gallons.

Tanks for Fermentation

After preparing the wort, the next stage is fermentation. You need to transfer the wort to your fermentation tanks to allow the yeast to convert the sugar inside the wort to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The tanks are shaped like cones at the bottom to allow you to recover and reuse the yeast.

Brite Tanks

These tanks are used for secondary fermentation. After the first fermentation, the beer filters and pumps into the brite tanks for further clarification and carbonation. Afterward, it is transferred into bottles, kegs, or cans for consumption. If you own a pub, you can serve the beer from the tanks. You can find a brewing system from ABS to match the level of production you want to achieve.

Kegs

Whether you want to serve customers from the brite tanks or you will package the beer in cans or bottles, you still need to store it in kegs. Brewpubs, restaurants, and bars can serve or sell beer in kegs. You also need to wash the kegs to prevent the beer from tasting bad or spoiling. Microbreweries can wash by hand since their level of production is sizeable. But larger breweries need to invest in a special washer for greater efficiency.

Factors That Affect the Costs of Brewery Equipment

We already hinted that setting up a brewery is capital-intensive. Hence, you need to have an estimate of the costs of equipment, which largely depends on your speculated volume of production. Apart from the size of your brewhouse, other factors to consider when estimating how much brewery equipment costs are:

The Material Used in Making the Equipment

The equipment for brewing is made from different materials, but the commonest materials are stainless steel and copper.

Stainless Steel

Most commercial breweries today use stainless steel kettles. These modern kettles are clad with copper to give them a traditional appearance. However, the cladding is cosmetic since it does not touch the wort directly.

Stainless steel kettles react with a few chemicals like chlorine. But the equipment will not affect the beer flavor if you avoid cleaning it with bleach. Stainless steel has more strength than copper. Therefore, you need to consider this when choosing equipment since the kettle is pressurized when it boils the wort.

Copper

Traditionally, brewing equipment, especially the kettle that boils the wort, is made from copper. Copper ores smelt easily into pure forms and are readily available. They are very good conductors of heat, which is a desirable quality for brewing.

The drawback of this material is that it can react with a lot of chemicals. This process can add metallic flavors to your beer. Also, many cleaning solutions can corrode the material.

Used or New Brewery Equipment

The costs of brewery equipment depend on whether you want to buy a used or new set. If you are starting a microbrewery with a limited budget, you may compromise with respect to your purchase decision. But it is not a bad idea to start with used equipment, provided it is functional and can produce results. As you progress, you can get newer equipment.

The major things you need to start your brewery are:

1. Kettles
2. Boilers
3. Fermentation tanks
4. Kegs
5. Storage tanks
6. Cooling equipment
7. Filters
8. Refrigerators
9. Bottlers
10. Cleaning tools

If you want to test the waters by starting with home brewing, you need to get equipment that is suitable for that purpose. You can read this article to know the essential equipment for home brewing.

Conclusion

Like any other business, starting a craft brewery requires careful planning. We discussed how to choose an appropriate brewhouse size after securing a place for your production. We also discussed the brewing process and the equipment you need for each phase. Finally, the materials used in producing the equipment and whether it is a used or new equipment will determine its cost.