The Equipped Brewer

Operations equipment Production

Case Packers: 5 Steps for Choosing the Right System for Your Brewery

This case packer loads a six-pack. Buying quality packaging machinery can be a daunting undertaking. Use these five essential steps to help ensure...

Sales Craft Beer distribution

Boost Your Craft Beverage Sales by Hiring a Wholesaler

Kegs destined for bars and restaurants are loaded for delivery. The three-tier American alcohol system is made up of brewers and importers,...

Operations Production Beer

Top 3 Quality Control Measures for Your Brewery

Tools of the craft beer trade: digital refractometer and density meter. Quality. That elusive term that those in the beer industry use to describe...

Craft Beer Legal brand

Brewery Legal Advice: Protect Your Brand With a Trademark

Brand Protection doesn't always mean Trademark Registration. In the craft beer world, one of the most important steps is to protect your name and...

Craft Brewery brand

How to Build Your Craft Brewery Brand

Logos can be used on any of your brewery's merchandise. In the world of craft beer brewing, developing your brewery’s brand identity is just as...

Supplies Craft Beer Bottling

Growler 101: Choosing the Right Craft Beer and Cider To-Go Container

Amber growlers offer protection against UV light that leads to skunky odor or taste. So you want to serve growlers at your brewery or craft beer bar....

Sales Craft Beer distribution

Top 5 Considerations When Selecting Craft Beer Promotional Products

With the number of breweries in the United States at an all time high (4,144 and growing steadily every day), every single one of them are looking...

Supplies Craft Beer Brewery equipment

Keg Management: Creating a Long Term Growth Strategy

Kegs are the lifeblood of any brewery’s growth strategy. They can also be the bane of everyone’s existence if they’re improperly managed. Acquiring...

Craft Brewery Brewery equipment Malt Handling Equipment

Purchasing Malt Handling Equipment for Your Brewery

Used or new, the equipment you choose should meet the needs of your brewery. Choosing malt handling equipment can be a lot like a married couple...

Beer Craft Beer

License Renewals: What Brewery Owners Need to Know

Navigating the license renewal process is necessary to keep your business moving forward. It takes a start-up craft brewery an average of 14 months...

Sales Beer Craft Beer

Could Boozy Root Beer Be Your New Craft Beer?

Boozy root beers provide a nostalgic taste with the kick of a beer. Alcoholic root beer has become one of this year's hottest craft beer trends - one...

equipment Production Beer

A Look at the Best Brewery Piping and Tubing Options

Many discussions of brewery equipment cover fermentation tanks, lauter tuns, and grain mills. A vital component of the brewhouse that is not often...

Craft Brewery

Building Your First Craft Brewery Quality Control Lab

Investment in your first laboratory requires a few key pieces of equipment. Your craft brewery is up and running, and demand is starting to grow. How...

Beer Craft Beer hops

Selecting the Right Hops and Hops Vendor

Don't be afraid to experiment to find the right hops for your craft beer. Hops are what seduce us into drinking beer. Inhaling a hoppy beverage baits...

Operations Production Craft Beer

Quality Management and Traceability in Brewing

All food producing companies must provide documentation of the production and supply chain. The ability for a product to be traced from raw materials...

marketing Craft Brewery Website Design

Site Mapping Your Way to a Successful Craft Brewery

So you’ve decided to design (or redesign) your craft brewery’s website. Great! Marketing your craft beverage through an online presence is important...

Cider Craft Brewery

Peer Q&A: Shacksbury Cider

Note to readers: This Q&A is part of a series of peer interviews from The Equipped Brewer. Installments will share the key experiences, lessons...

equipment Cider Craft Beer

What to Consider Before Diving into Bottling Craft Beer and Cider

The right bottling machine can have great impact on the quality of a brewery's beer. Purchasing bottling equipment is a big decision for any craft...

Beer Craft Beer Craft brewing

How to Protect Your Craft Beer Brand and Label

Trademarks and copyrights protect breweries from problems now and later. Before choosing a name for your brewery or for any beer you plan to...

Cider Production Legal

Industry Support Grows for Cider Act

Hard cider is a fermented beverage made from apples or pears. Among the legislation waiting for passage by Congress this year, the Cider Act would...

Beer Craft Beer Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden's Signature Brew a Real Trooper

Iron Maiden's personal plane, piloted by the singer Bruce Dickinson. Last month legendary British heavy metal band Iron Maiden released a massively...

equipment Beer Craft brewing

Equipping Your Brewhouse: 5 Considerations

The brewhouse is the heart of craft brewery operations. The brewhouse is the heart of craft brewery operations. When building and equipping a...

Sales Beer Craft Beer

Handling Your Beer: Designing a Custom Taphandle

A distinctive taphandle can help your beer stand out in a crowd. In craft brewing, a custom-designed taphandle, like the custom-designed,...

Operations Production Craft Beer

What You Need to Know: Wastewater Management for Craft Breweries

Wastewater treatment systems are complex and require that a balance be sustained in order to work properly. Something most craft brewers probably...

Beer Supplies Craft Beer

Sweet Success: Using Fruit in the Brewing Process

Adding fruit to beer has become a popular technique in craft brewing. Many craft brewers are now adding fruit to some of their beers to increase...

Operations Cider Production

Microbrewery Management: How to Increase Your Supply Chain

There are many details involved in increasing your supply chain. At first, the supply chain for your microbrewery was simple. You sold your craft...

Sales Beer Craft Beer

College Students Want More Beer (Classes)

Studying brewery science will enable students to work in a brewery. With the growth of the craft beer industry, more and more colleges and...

Operations Production Beer

Mad Hops? Should You Brew a High ABV Craft Beer?

High APV beers like IPAs are being brewed with increasing frequency by American craft brewers. With the surge in popularity of craft beers, the...

Operations equipment Production

How to Hone Your Honey Craft Beer Techniques

Honey as an addition to beer is growing in popularity. According to the National Honey Board, the use of honey in craft beers has increased...

Beer Craft Beer Legal

Is it Brewing or Craft Brewing? Ask Congress.

The U.S. Senate is considering a bill to give tax breaks to craft brewers. A bill recently introduced in Congress would shed light on exactly what...

Operations Production Craft Beer

Systems for Brewery Wastewater Management

Production marketing Sales

What America's Best Craft Breweries Have in Common

Craft Beer logos show an unusual level of design creativity and intricacy. Photo source: Flickr The Daily Meal recently released their list of the 50...

Operations equipment Production

5 Financial Factors to Consider Before Starting a Brewery

Planning for the financial side of starting a brewery is a wise course of action. Starting a brewery may seem fairly simple. Buy some brewing...

Cider Production Supplies

Styles to Consider When Going Into Cider Making

Apples are the foundation of apple cider making, with different flavors in each variety. If brewing beer is a science, then making cider is an art....

Cider Distilled Spirits Wine

Starting a Brewery: A Guide to Crowdfunding

marketing Sales Craft Beer

Craft Beer Marketing: How to Make the Most Out of Social Media

Cider Distilled Spirits Wine

Craft Beer Label Printing Tips for Beginners

One aspect of craft beer that people notice but don't think about is the labeling. Brewers, ignore this aspect of the presentation of your product at...

Beer Licensing TTB

Starting a Brewery: 4 Tips on How to Cut Through the Red Tape

Operations equipment Beer

5 Tips to Make Microbrewery Equipment Safer

Operations Cider Production

Women Reclaiming Roles in Craft Beer, Distilling and Winemaking

To say that women are making inroads into craft beer, brewing and distilling is misleading. Women are merely starting to reclaim their once-dominate...

Distilled Spirits Must Read Production: Getting Started

Licensing, Permits, and Opening a Craft Distillery

Government approval may be required to sell or give samples of your liquor from your distillery location. Photo source: Flickr

equipment Production Distilled Spirits

Modern Distilling: New Efforts to Speed up the Aging Process

Operations Production Beer

Can Your Craft Brewery Go Organic?

Organic has become a term that has added layers to the production processes in nearly every industry. When it comes to craft breweries, there are a...

Operations Beer Safety

The Time to Add a CIP System? Now.

It may not be the most exciting topic, but cleaning is as integral to making good beer as hops, water, or grain. Sanitation is a key element to any...

Cider Distilled Spirits Wine

7 Steps to Getting Bank Funding

It’s a terrific challenge to have: Your craft beverage sales are growing and you need to boost production, which means you need more equipment....

Operations marketing Beer

Mentor Q&A: Kevin Ely, Head Brewer, Uinta Brewing

Note to readers: Each of these monthly interviews will feature a craft beverage maker who has achieved success on a large scale and is willing to...

Operations Tasting Rooms & Brew Pubs Distilled Spirits

Peer Q&A: Black Button Distilling

Note to readers: This Q&A is part of a series of peer interviews from The Equipped Brewer. Monthly installments will share the key experiences,...

Craft Beer and the Ongoing Name Game

There really is no subtle way to say it, some craft beverages are saddled with names that are so wrong that they alienate both consumers and...

marketing Craft Beer

Brewers Association Gets Serious With Independent Beer Label

“Craft is in a little bit of an identity crisis,” says Laura Bell, CEO of Bell’s Brewery in a recent Brewbound session. But what does craft really...

equipment Supplies Packaging

Importance and History of the One-Way Beer Keg and PET Production

Preforms on the left.

Operations marketing Tasting Rooms & Brew Pubs

How and Why to Get Your Tasting Room or Taproom on a Tour

As the craft beer, craft cider, craft spirits and wine industries grow, it can be harder to get noticed and get new people to try your products....

marketing

Get Your Product On the Shelf

When Kate Baker and I opened Craft Beer Center at our flagship location in Belmont Center in Belmont, Massachusetts, more than four years ago, the...

marketing Tasting Rooms & Brew Pubs

Host Special Events to Boost Your Brand

It doesn’t matter if you’re distilling the greatest unique spirits in history, pulling corks from the best wines ever bottled, or tapping a keg of...

Production Distilled Spirits Safety

Eight Must-Have Free Resources for New Craft Distillers

The business of crafting spirits requires more than great recipes and deep pockets. Here, the editors at The Equipped Brewer have compiled a...

Beer Supply Chain Managemant

New Enjoy Beer Initiative Unites Craft Brewers

Craft beer veterans have joined forces with a California-based funding partner to create a company to give craft brewers the clout needed to compete...

Tasting Rooms & Brew Pubs Wine Craft Beer

Shared Facilities Incubate Success Among Fledgling Beverage Makers

From incubators and partnerships to co-ops and alternating proprietorships, neophyte craft beverage makers are tapping into innovative business...

Cider Distilled Spirits Wine

Ask a Beverage Attorney: What Are the Recordkeeping Requirements for My Brewery?

Ryan is in his second year of operations at Slapshot Brewing. Since the day he opened, he has barely had time to rest. His beers were popular with...

PeerQA

Ask a Beverage Attorney: Protect and Serve

You may remember Ryan from my previous column, as the head brewer and owner of Slapstick Brewing Company. Ryan spent hours perfecting the recipes and...

equipment bottles

Select the Right Automated Bottling Equipment

The time has come when you realize that to reach your distribution goals for the year, you must transition from manual bottling to an automated...

canning bottles

Despite Increasing Popularity, the Debate Over Cans Rages On (Part 1 of 2)

Ultimately, the craft beverage industry relies heavily on perception. When you hear diehard craft brew fans lamenting the "winification" of beer,...

canning bottles

Despite Increasing Popularity, the Debate Over Cans Rages On (Part 2 of 2)

When it comes to how craft beverages are packaged, beverage producers make informed decisions based on beverage quality, budget, market and growth...

PeerQA

Peer Q&A: Muddy Creek Brewery Takes the Plunge, Part 1

Note to readers: This Q&A is part of a series of peer interviews from The Equipped Brewer. Twice-monthly installments will share the key experiences,...

PeerQA Cider

Peer Q&A: Downeast Cider House

Note to readers: This Q&A is part of a series of peer interviews from The Equipped Brewer. Twice-monthly installments will share the key experiences,...

equipment

Craft Brewing: The Love of the Hunt for New and Used Barrels

The craze is forging full-steam ahead, with virtually every corner of the craft brewing and beverage industry onboard. Competition for both new and...

equipment

Canning Craft Beer and Hard Cider: To Go Mobile or Purchase a System?

equipment kegs

One-Way Kegs

Cider Distilled Spirits Wine

Ask a Beverage Attorney: Avoid the Top 5 Mistakes with Distributor Agreements

Our fictional brewery, Slapstick Brewing Company, had developed such a large following that its owner decided it was ready to expand its market and...

Cider Distilled Spirits Wine

Surviving and Thriving in Festival Season

Beer, wine, and cider are well-established in the festival scene, both through dedicated expos and as participants in food and cultural events....

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