How to Start a Microbrewery

A microbrewery is a business that grows along with its community. This is because many brewers start off by by using small distributors to sell to local retailers who then sell to customers. Good markets for this business include areas in which restaurants and beer retailers are growing as well as markets near colleges and universities. This is because the average microbrew consumer is more educated than a standard beer drinker and these environments also have Millennial populations that favor experiences (such as exotic local beer) over regular products (standard brands of beer).

Learn how to start your own Microbrewery and whether it is the right fit for you.

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Start a microbrewery by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Microbrewery
  2. Form your Microbrewery into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Microbrewery for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Microbrewery
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Microbrewery
  7. Get Microbrewery Insurance
  8. Define your Microbrewery Brand
  9. Create your Microbrewery Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your microbrewery. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Microbrewery Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state's business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your microbrewery?

Business Name Generator

What are the costs involved in opening a microbrewery?

It can cost upwards of $500,000 to open a microbrewery. The major cost contributors include renting space for 12 months (typically over $50,000) the operational costs for the first three months (approximately $60,000), and the microbrewery equipment itself, which costs approximately $18,000. Start-up inventory can cost over $16,000, while equipment costs for counter areas, serving areas, and store equipment can $26,000 or more. Meanwhile, legal costs—including obtaining proper licenses and permits, hiring a consultant, and purchasing required insurance—is likely to cost approximately $7,500.

For those who want to get into this kind of business at a much lower cost, a nanobrewery is a better idea than a full-scale microbrewery. Because a nanobrewery typically produces fewer than 20 barrels per year, your equipment is smaller in scale and you need less of it and fewer annual materials. Needing less space means also means you can get away rent a much smaller office space than a microbrewery would require. In fact, many people convert their home garages into a nanobrewery.

What are the ongoing expenses for a microbrewery?

Many of the ongoing costs of this business are variable depending on region, business size, and fluctuating markets. The primary expenses will be paying for the materials required to brew (such as malt, yeast, hops), ongoing utilities costs (such as electricity, gas, sewage) and the ongoing costs to clean and repair equipment, including regularly purchasing cleaning equipment. Beyond this, ongoing expenses include paying monthly rent for the business and paying salary for any employees.

Who is the target market?

Brewers don't usually deal with customers directly. Rather, their clients are the beer distributors. One way to find distributors is to seek out the local major distributors that specialize in selling brands like Coors, Miller, and Anheuser-Busch. They may not be interested in selling your local flavor, but their deep history and network can likely point you towards local distributors specializing in imports (a good option for small brewing businesses) or those who specialize in handcrafted beers (an ideal option for a small brewing business).

How does a microbrewery make money?

A microbrewery typically operates on a three-tier system to make money. Under a three-tier system, the brewer uses a distributor to sell alcohol to local bars, grocery stores, liquor stores, etc. These customer facing establishments then sell to the consumers. Microbrews are sold consistently throughout the year and many brewers create unique seasonal offerings. Therefore, it is important to note that even though beer is sold regardless of the season, sales peak during the summer and winter seasons, but they experience dips going into fall and spring. 

Brewers who are just starting out may consider self-distribution: while this is not allowed in every state, it enables the brewer to cut out the distribution middleman and sell beer directly to their local areas. In doing so, breadth of distribution will be limited, however reduced overhead means operational costs and beer costs can be lowered.

How much can you charge customers?

The final end-customer price of your microbrew to customers is usually a minimum of $10 for a six-pack. Depending your beer's popularity and brand qualities, you may be able to support pricing upwards of $15 per sixpack.

While these are standard prices in the industry, it’s critical that all ongoing costs are recovered in the pricing with a reasonable profit margin. Ongoing costs include brewing, bottling and packaging beer while also factoring in an average distributor margin of 21 percent and an average retailer margin of 31 percent, as well as relevant state, federal, and sales taxes.

How much profit can a microbrewery make?

In general, a microbrewery can turn a profit—microbreweries had a 9.1 percent profit margin in the Unites States in 2014. It's important to keep in mind that it may take over a year for a new microbrewery business to regularly turn profit, though, and that fluctuations in the cost of things like grain can cut into that profit margin. Finally, there is a constant need to reinvest some of the profit into growing the business to reach more customers and stand out from the competition.

How can you make your business more profitable?

  • Find a distributor willing to sell these craft beers to a larger demographic.
  • Start one of the sideline businesses mentioned in this article; open a taproom and/or a restaurant.
  • The steadiest path to increased profit is increased production: the ability to generate more barrels per year is directly tied to the amount of profit you can earn, which may eventually mean upgrading equipment in order to generate more business.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your microbrewery is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services. You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

  • Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
  • Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

All breweries are required to obtain a Brewer’s Notice from the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax Bureau. To obtain this permit you will need to provide information about the packaging, labeling and environmental impact of your brewery operation.

  • You can find more information about applying for a Brewer’s Notice here.
  • **Note: it typically takes 6 or more months to obtain a Brewer’s Notice

In addition to obtaining a Brewer’s Notice, new breweries will typically also need to obtain an alcoholic beverage permit from the appropriate agency in their state.

In some states, including Indiana, new breweries are required to post a brewer’s bond when applying for their license, which can be upwards of $10,000.

  • You can learn more about brewer’s bonds here.

 

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Additional Considerations

Any employees involved in brewing or handling beer are legally required to be over 18. To minimize liability, many breweries only hire employees who are over 21.

Breweries need to register as a food facility with the FDA. Registration must be renewed every two years. Learn more here. 

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Microbrewery needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Microbrewery.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended: Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a microbrewery

Marketing a microbrewery starts by advertising through traditional channels, such as local TV and radio programs and via newspaper ads. It's important to have an engaging website and a social media presence that allows loyal customers to spread word of the brewery to their friends. It's possible to reach microbrew aficionados via guest blogging on craftbrew blogs. Finally, you can use email marketing strategies to reach both previous customers and interested parties who sign up for information via social media or the company website.

Increasing consumer interest and loyalty for your brand will not only help you drive more sales through existing distributors, but also create new distribution opportunities.

How to keep customers coming back

There are many possible strategies for attracting new customers. Here are just a few ideas:

  • If you do open a taproom, offer special beers that customers cannot buy elsewhere.
  • Speak frequently with your customers and discover the types of beer they prefer; start incorporating their suggestions into your next creation.
  • Hosting occasional events such as trivia nights and open mic nights can also boost community engagement.
  • Create unique brews and ensure your distributor markets it to interested demographics.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

This business is perfect for outgoing and creative entrepreneurs who enjoy creating something special and then sharing it with their local community. The nature of a microbrewery lends itself to somewhat flexible hours, though the brewer may often be fermenting at odd hours and will have to liaise with various distributors and managers and accommodate some of their schedule restrictions.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a microbrewery?

Operating a microbrewery business involves lots of cleaning. It takes a variety of vessels to ferment and package your product, all of which results in a variety of dirty tanks, tools, floors, etc. When the often-wet equipment ends up breaking during a time-sensitive fermenting process, the brewer will need to know how to fix many of these things. Finally, the actual act of fermenting requires a patience for repetitive tasks and a meticulous attention to detail and record-keeping.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful microbrewery?

  • The best experience one can have prior to opening a microbrewery is to have worked as an assistant brewer, providing the necessary skills and background.
  • Aspiring brewers without lots of background can gain or increase brewing skills by taking certification or diploma programs from institutions such as the American Brewers Guild, the Beer Judge Certification Program, the Cicerone Program, and the Siebel Institute of Technology.
  • Previous experience brewing at home or running a smaller nanobrewery can also be a major advantage.

What is the growth potential for a microbrewery?

Brewing can be done at very small scales, including having a nanobrewery. A nanobrewery is a smaller operation that produces fewer beers—typically no more than three barrels of beer per batch. A nanobrewery can be the first step towards opening a larger microbrewery, which usually produces fewer than 15,000 beer barrels a year. Expanding the business beyond that point usually depends on finding larger distributors willing to distribute to larger regions, which may eventually result in a national brand.

A microbrewery business can also grow by pursuing sideline business opportunities such as selling beer on site by opening a taproom or even running a full-scale restaurant at the brewery (though this requires an additional brewpub license).

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Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

How and when to build a team

With a microbrewery business, you’ll generally need to hire more employees as the business grows. For instance, it is possible for a nanobrewery to handle everything without help, provided he/she can perform general handyman repairs as needed. A microbrewery will typically need an assistant brewer to assist with labor, and possibly a sales manager as the business grows. As the microbrewery produces more barrels per year and/or pursues sideline opportunities such as opening a taproom, more employees will be necessary to play roles such as server, manager, and assistant brewer.

Assistant brewer salaries average $34,000 and restaurant manager salaries typically range from $38,000 to $42,000.

Read our microbrewery hiring guide to learn about the different roles a microbrewery typically fills, how much to budget for employee salaries, and how to build your team exactly how you want it.

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