In February I wrote a Nanobrewery Primer, the starting point for a series of posts about nanobrewing. I received a lot of positive response from readers, so much so that it is still the most viewed post on Beer and Coding. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm did not carry over to many of the brewers I reached out to. Brian and Eric at Mt. Tabor and Don and Donald at Naked City were amazingly prompt and very helpful, but they were also the only ones I heard back from. In July I tried again and got some help from a pair of Cali brewers; Kevin at Healdsburg Beer Company and Mike at Hess Brewing.

So, now I am sitting here with a notebook of information, some reader interest and a little free time; let’s see what we can make happen. For this first spin around the block, we will be taking a look at some of the equipment used by nanobreweries.

Nanos are the wild west of brewing. A combination of lack of equipment options and DIY attitude has created an environment where pretty much anything goes. From homebrew rigs to repurposed pilot systems to retrofitted brewhouses, if it can, or can be made to brew beer, it can be found in a nanobrewery. There are no rules, there are no guides. Welcome to Thunderdome.

In the Primer, I stated that I consider nanos to be breweries that operate systems under 7 bbl. This establishes a ceiling, but there is really no limit to how low you can go. Some Nanobreweries operate systems that produce as little as 10 gallons per batch. For the most part, these are simply licensed homebrew rigs; about the least expensive way to start a commercial brewery.

Mt. Tabor started brewing on one such system. When I talked with Eric and Brian earlier this year, many of their batches were being produced on a standard 10 gallon keggle system; a trio of half-barrel kegs, converted into a hot liquor tank (HLT), mash lauter tun (MLT) and boil kettle. Keggle systems have long been a homebrew mainstay. Jeff Althouse brewed on a keggle system before founding Oakshire and Sam Calagione started Dogfish Head on a similar rig.

Kevin operates a similar system at Healdsburg Beer Company, but uses commercial brewpots instead of repurposed kegs. One of the biggest advantages of the DIY approach to constructing a brewhouse is that you can take into account future expansion at build time. This puts you in a better position down the road than someone who is married to an off-the-shelf system. In Kevin’s case, he started with pots large enough to produce 20 gallons at a time, but decided before ever receiving his license that they were too small. For a larger brewery, this would have meant tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, in new equipment. But for Kevin, just a swap of the pots for larger 55 gallon ones and his capacity jumped from 20 gallons to just over 1 bbl without any other changes to his system.

In the case of both Mt. Tabor and Healdsburg, their brewing systems are custom-built creations, but an afternoon with a welding torch isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Luckily for those mechanically challenged souls among us, there are a few companies willing to do the work. Sabco has been selling its signature single-tier keggle system for years and MoreBeer has an entire line of BrewSculptures, ranging from 5 to 20 gallons. Newcomer Psycho Brew recently entered homebrew/nano market with a 1 bbl single-tier pilot system that uses 55 gallon brewpots, quite similar Kevin’s custom-built rig. Marty at Brickyard Brewery became the first Psycho Brew customer earlier this year.

Stepping up slightly to the 1.5-2.5 bbl range, we find ourselves in the area that offers the fewest off-the-shelf solutions for aspiring nanobrewers. Too large for homebrew gear and too small for most prefabbed equipment, breweries in this range have to rely heavily on custom work. Mike at Hess Brewing found himself here after outgrowing several homebrew rigs, including a 20 gallon MoreBeer 2050 three-tier system. He handcrafted a 1.6 bbl brewhouse; a custom single-tier 4 vessel (HLT, MLT, kettle and whirlpool) rig.

This range also offers the fewest options for appropriate fermentation vessels. The glut starts at 42 gallons with the largest Blichmann conical and extends to around 4 bbl, where standard brewery fermentors become available. Again, custom fabrication is an option, but repurposing is another powerful tool of the nanobrewer. Food-grade plastic conicals, used primarily in wine and biodiesel production are gaining popularity among brewers. Mike uses them at Hess, as do the Mikes at Vertigo and Scott and Tony at Breakside.

Above 3 bbl, the clouds begin to part once again. Many brewpub and small production breweries operate systems in the 3-7 bbl range. These breweries expand and fail every day. And while we generally prefer the prior, both situations result in used equipment entering the secondary market. Ted’s 3 bbl system at Brewers Union once belonged to the now defunct Hawks Brewing of Roseburg. And Naked City’s “used” 3 bbl DME brewhouse was purchased from Two Beers Brewing, who bought the equipment new, but never used it, opting instead for a larger 7 bbl system.

Buying new is also an option at this level, albeit an option that often flies in the face of the nanobrewing ethos. Although, within the last year or so a few manufacturers have started fabricating more customizable equipment with the nanobrewer in mind, or at least started marketing it as such. Blind Bat Brewery recently installed a complete 3bbl brewhouse from Premier Stainless. Premier’s setup, which includes a direct-fired kettle, combi-MLT/HLT and a pair of jacketed conical fermentors starts under 38K.

It will be interesting to see if the nanobrewing equipment market continues to develop as the concept gains more exposure. Conventional wisdom dictates that untapped markets seldom remain that way, but for many nanobrewers, creating something out of nothing is as much art as it is necessity. These guys and gals are the gearheads of their trade. And for them, handcrafting a functioning brewhouse gets the feel-good endorphines flowing just as much as selling the first pint of beer it produces.

Cheers to all the nanobrewers out there!
Kevin

Update 11-16-10 – I have added an area at the bottom for links to my other nanobrewing articles.

There has been a lot of talk about nanobreweries lately; more and more seem to be cropping up here in the Northwest. Vertigo has been rocking their single barrel system out in Hillsboro for nearly two years. And while they have yet to open their doors, Mt. Tabor Brewing has received a good deal of press in the last couple months. There is even a festival dedicated to these smallest of microbreweries. Max’s Fanno Creek Brew Pub is holding another Nano Beer festival, February 26-28. This time, the Nano @ Fanno is winter beer themed, featuring several offering from area nanos.

So, what exactly is a nanobrewery?

There is no official definition, but the general consensus is that breweries operating systems no larger than 7 barrels are considered nano. And many are far smaller than that; 1-2 barrel systems, operated on evenings and weekends by people who maintain non-brewing day jobs.

Ok, so we are talking about tiny breweries, what’s the big deal?

The concept of miniscule breweries is nothing new, but is something that has been considered impractical. While a nanobrewery might seem like the first logical step from garage to commercial brewing, it is a rough step to take. At the federal level, the government makes no distinction between nanos and their much larger brethren. If you want to sell beer legally, you have to abide by the same rules and regulations, be it a single bottle or 1,000 barrels.

If you are thinking of running a brewery from your home, good luck to you sir. The TTB doesn’t look too kindly on people trying to license their residence as a brewery. Some have been able to pull it off in rural areas with detached buildings and favorable zoning, but who knows what other state and local red tape is waiting to block you. Most nanos have found it necessary to rent an industrial space in order to sate the various governing agencies.

The other thorn in the side of nanobrewing is time. Be it one barrel or 10, the time invested in producing a batch of beer is nearly identical. This leads to the prevailing argument against nanobrewing; you can’t produce enough beer on a nano-size system to cover the expenses of operating. Still, some brave souls are making it happen.

This post is the primer for a series of articles I will be writing throughout the year about nanobrewing. I will be talking with several regional nanos and covering topics such as purchasing and upgrading equipment, hidden startup costs, the licensing process and dealing with growth and demand. So far Mt. Tabor, Schooner Exact and Naked City have all agreed to help me by provided information from their experiences.

For anyone not familiar with these breweries, here is some information.

Mt. Tabor Brewing

Mt. Tabor Brewing is owned and operated by Brian Maher and Eric Surface. Located in the Portland neighborhood with which it shares a name, Mt. Tabor just received its final approvals and Eric expects everything to be legal in about two weeks.

Naked City Brewery & Taphouse

Don Webb and Don Averill started Seattle’s Naked City as a Taphouse; adding a 3 barrel brewing system last year. While Mt. Tabor is diving straight into production brewing, Naked City will shows us how a nanobrewery can be grown out of an existing business.

Schooner Exact Brewing

Also from Seattle, Schooner Exact has taken off like a rocket; upgrading to a 10 barrel system last year. While no longer a nanobrewery, they should have some interesting information to share on how they managed their quick growth and expansion needs.

If there is a specific topic you would like to see covered or a question you would me to ask, let me know and I will try to work work it in. Also, if you operate a nanobrewery and would like to participate in future articles, shoot me an e-mail, I would be glad to have you.

Cheers!
Kevin

Nanobrewing: Under the Hood