In my opinion these 5 or 7 barrel systems by Brewha are the best for small operations like mine. Small enough to be easily handled by one person with a harbor freight lift system, but big enough to produce enough beer to supply a small taproom at least. They’re all electric, so you deal with less red tape than you would with gas. And they’re space efficient since you mash, boil, ferment, and condition all in the same tank. Cleaning is easy and you don’t need to deal with harsh caustic cleaners since the boil is done in the tank before you drop yeast in it self sanitizes. They’re a company out of Canada. A little spendy but worth it if space is at a premium where you might wanna brew. They make small homebrew and pilot systems as well. Use code EntrePRObrewer5 if you’re ever in the market and save 5 percent!

Gonna skip the happy hour tonight, had a good friend pass away unexpectedly two nights ago, so going to just drink his favorite beer and be with my family tonight

Owning your own brewery means random long work hours, worry over slow periods, worry over busy periods, being the one to show up even when you’re sick, but goddamn is it satisfying knowing that everything you get is because of the choices and actions you make.

Come have a beer with the group in 45 minutes! Chat, ask questions, make connections, get a buzz

Disclaimer: I have no formal business or marketing education whatsoever. Just a guy who built something from scratch and is good at figuring out things as I go However, I have been running my brewery for almost three years now, and the benefit of being in a small town and having the only brewery in the county has given me in depth insights into what works (at least for my market). Since I have personal relationships with every bar owner and manager in town, they tend to be very honest and helpful about how things go with your beer sales. Sometimes you need to plug numbers into a spreadsheet to fine tune your dollars in and dollars out. Sometimes you don't need to split hairs. When we first started the way I priced my first kegs was this: 1) Figure out who my biggest competitors were locally with a similar style 2) Price my keg 5 or 10 dollars less than theirs (for a sixth barrel keg) That's it lol. Since you're new, the lower price tag should get the bar to price your pint slightly under, Having a new beer always skews the numbers at first because of curiosity making it more attractive to the bar manager. "Hey this beer sold fast, and has a slightly cheaper price tag" Then after the first year I raised prices slightly. Nothing drastic Just prepare for the pitch of "You're getting a better and fresher quality product than (Insert large company), it just costs me a little more to make it since we're just a family business" Or something to that effect. Don't underestimate the growing disdain for large sterile corporate entities, especially in small towns. In a land of 5 or 6 dollar pints of National chain beer, you can easily be the 6.50 dollar a pint "Local Craft" beer