The Business of Craft Beer with John Blichmann – BeerSmith Podcast #199

John Blichmann joins me this week to discuss the business aspects of starting a small craft brewery.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or on Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (1:00:00)

This week I welcome John Blichmann, the President of Blichmann Engineering, producers of both home brewing and pro brewing equipment. John has helped hundreds of brewers start small breweries.

John shares a few words about some of the new activities at Blichmann Engineering.

We quickly get into the subject of pro brewing including the fundamental decision of whether the business would primarily sell from a tap room (at high margin) or via wholesalers/retailers.

We discuss the importance of picking a location.

John shares some of the complexities of running a tap room including setup, employees, atmosphere, and finally food.

We talk about some of the realities of complying with tax laws, payroll, accounting, and licenses.

John tells us why you need to build plenty of margin into your business plan for unexpected rennovations and costs.

We discuss equipment and how to size a brewery depending on your business model and location.

John talks briefly about financing your new business.

We discuss picking a lineup of beers to sell and the importance of brewing what your customers like as well as what you enjoy.

John explains some strategies for managing growth, and shares his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

Thanks to John Blichmann for appearing on the show and also to you for listening!

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or use the links in the sidebar) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Related Beer Brewing Articles from BeerSmith: