6 Things to Ask Yourself Before Beginning Craft Beer Making

Unless you are Homer Simpson, making your own beer is an excellent hobby that can turn into a profitable business. However, while the process of craft beer making is relatively simple, there are many questions you need to ask yourself before you begin. These include the following. 

Am I Doing it for Love or Money?

When you do something in life, you either do it to make money to support yourself or you indulge a passion. Rarely do the two exist together unless you are a very fortunate person. However, the answer when it comes to making beer is simple. You do it for both. Beer and winemakers, such as the breweries in Kelowna, Canada, or the vineyards of Napa County, California, are incredibly passionate about what they do. The majority of the best drinks makers all over the world do what they do out of love for their craft. Money is a by-product of dedication.

Is My Craft Beer Making Eco-Friendly?

The brewing industry is rife with carbon emissions and greenhouse gas production from the single grain to the final product in your glass. In short, it is a very environmentally damaging industry. If you are to begin producing beer, you need to make it as eco-friendly as possible. You can help in various ways. For example, you can grow your own grain if you have a garden concerning grain alone. Additionally, you can reuse grain for making dog biscuits or animal feed. Finally, grain makes fantastic compost. And always use recyclable materials like glass bottles.

Do I Have the Time and Patience?

If you plan on putting the effort into making good quality craft beer at home, you need time and patience. With work-life and family commitments, it’s a good idea to ask yourself if you have the time to put in. A batch of good-quality beer will take up to four months to brew. And you will need to put in several hours of actual work to make the best product. It is common for people to neglect basic tasks when brewing or become tired of waiting and removing beer before it’s adequately brewed. If you want the best beer, you have to work for it and wait for the reward. 

BONUS: 5 of the Easiest Craft Beer Kits for Beginners

Before venturing into the world of craft beer making as a semi-professional or a licensed seller, you need to learn the basics. Fortunately, many readily available home brewing kits are perfect as an introduction to home brewing. Some of the best include:

• Mr. Beer Complete Starter Beer Making Kit
• BrewDemon Beer Kit
• HomeBrew Ohio Complete Beer Equipment Kit
• Northern Brewer Starter Set
• Young’s Brew Buddy Lager Home Brew Starter Kit

These kits are excellent for learning how to make beer at home. They offer many of the same skills on a much smaller scale than craft beer production. If you prefer to just drink your beer, you can buy home beer pumps with cold-press packets for beer with minimal effort.

Do I Have the Required Space?

In a perfect world, you could make your beer in the kitchen. Actually, it’s not impossible, but you will need the kitchen exclusively. You will get in the way and definitely make mistakes for lack of space. But how much space do you need for beer production? For a homebrew operation, you don’t need that much space. About the size of a spare bedroom will do. However, your area must be well maintained, easily manageable, and clear of obstacles that can cause accidents or get in the way of your operation. So most people do it in their garage.

What Facilities Do I Need for Craft Beer Making?

You can begin beer production with very little in the way of facilities. However, you will need easy access to a lot of water, ventilation and adequate shelving for your equipment. Additionally, you will require a large refrigerator for storing your brew when it is ready. It’s also necessary to have somewhere you can clean brewing equipment in hot water, and storage for used and recyclable packaging is also a good idea. Because of the work involved, such as water, heavy lifting, and appliances, it helps to set up your facility in an easily accessible place.

Can I Afford Financial Investment?

Producing beer for personal consumption won’t cost you a lot of money. But if you plan to scale your operation to serve a business, your costs will increase substantially. A homebrew facility might cost around $1,000 per year in the United States. A microbrewing facility will likely cost upwards of $10,000 to $80,000. And you probably won’t be able to do it alone either. Therefore, you might need to employ people to help with running a microbrewery. And remember, no matter how small or large, you need an alcohol license to sell your product.

Summary

Some people dream of making their own beer. While it’s easy in theory, it is challenging in practice. You need to dedicate yourself, your time, and some money to a beer project. And it helps if you are passionate. You will also need to consider available space and the environment.