In general, when starting a brewery, your equipment list will need to include kettles, boilers, fermentation tanks, filters, cooling systems, storage tanks, kegs, mash mixer, lauter tun, hot liquor tank, holding kettle, boil kettle, and whirlpool bottling or canning equipment, refrigeration, piping, and cleaning tools.

Also need are: kettles, kegs, boilers, bottling and canning lines, conveyors, cooling systems, storage tanks, fermentation tanks, filters and beer-labeling machines, piping and tubing, refrigeration equipment, cleaning equipment, waste treatment systems and tap handles hydrometer or refractometer and packaging supplies. Promotional posters, banners, specialty lighting and other unique promotional pieces.

In brewing the first step creates wort — the liquid extracted from the mashing of malt and other grains. This is then moved to the kettle, where it’s boiled with hops or other ingredients, producing the flavor, color, and aroma of your beer. At the conclusion of the boil, the wort settles in the whirlpool, where more solid particles are separated out.

The next step in the beer-making process takes place in the fermentation tank, with yeast feeding on the wort to produce alcohol and carbonation. This makes it one of the most important pieces of equipment for any person starting a brewery. Consider tanks with a cone-shaped bottom, allowing the yeast to be easily captured and removed for later use. These gleaming stainless-steel vats are also one of the largest and most prominent pieces of brewing equipment, sometimes prominently displayed behind the bar at brewpubs.

After the brewing process is complete, the beer is filtered and pumped into a secondary brite tank. Similar in looks to a fermentation tank, the brite tank allows the beer to further mature, clarify, and carbonate before it is bottled, canned, or kegged. The beer can also be served directly from the brite tank.
In addition to producing good beer, successfully starting a brewery requires setting the right price for your line of brews. Not only does the price have to be fair in customers’ eyes, but it has to take into account the full cost of producing your beer, while also paying down debts and turning a profit. A too-high price can hurt sales; too low and you may struggle to cover expenses.
There are many types of beer. See the article on our blog post about beer to visit with the different styles of beer and their flavor differentiation.