Massive upgrade to 2 BBL System.

[djpuckett]

Hey Fellow Brewers,


I have been very fortunate and have a few investors lined up to allow me to upgrade to a 2 BBL Nano-brewery and attempt the ultimate dream of making money doing what I love.

I am now doing the research of 2 BBL systems trying to find the best brand and quality, and I would love to hear your opinions. These are some brands I'm looking at so far.


Alpha Ruby (Seems to max out at 1BBL)
Psycho Brew
Blichmann (Doesn't seem to have a full system
Stout Kettle
Brew-Stuff


Thanks Guys,
Joshua

 

[limulus]

I've seen two Psycho Brew Systems including their 5BBL system and a Stout system that was either 3BBL or 5BBL. Both seemed to be quality systems. The Psycho Brew 5BBL was less than $20k the last time I looked and I thought is was really cool looking and they are made in Michigan (not sure about the origin of their kettles).

I know the Brew-Stuff systems look good and the price is hard to ignore, but there are some very unhappy owners of those systems. Maybe things have changed, but from what I have read, I would not buy anything from him unless I went to Washington and inspected the exact system I planned to buy. That includes pumps and heat exchangers. Most of the complaints were about bad welds a lot of missing parts and unfulfilled promises.

I would recommend that you also check out Glacier. They sell individual tanks and complete skid mounted brew houses. They are also Chinese but I believe they have a pretty good reputation. I think their smallest non-home brew sized tanks are 3BBL.

If you could step up to $65-70k, go straight to Premier Brewing out of California and buy a 7BBL brew house. Just for fun, I took the Brewery Immersion Course at Echo Brewing Co in Frederick, CO. They brew on a Preimier 7BBL system and it was really high quality. The final day, I actually brewed a batch from start to finish on it. Just an excellent quality brew house that would last a lifetime.

I have no idea where you plan to do this or what your financial obligations are. But 2BBL is small. I know you have heard that and read it and don't need to hear it from me. I assume you are young and single, live in a self distribution state that also allows tasting rooms with on-site sales of pints all the way up to kegs. Hopefully, you have a friend who could make deliveries for you because you'll be chained to the brewery. But I know the nano concept can work. The key to knowing if you are successful is your expansion which should already be in the plan. There are NO successful craft breweries that are not expanding.

 

[jimpdx]

Joshua, what system did you end up buying? I'm looking at 1BBL from Ruby Street now...