How to set up your own micro brewery

We've all thought about it...Nigel Huddleston shows us the way

Hundreds of beer-mad individuals in Britain and the States have jacked it all in to pursue the dream of owning their own brewery. But how exactly did they get where they are today and what’s the best way to go about it if you want to follow in their footsteps? We offer some basic pointers on the path to becoming a micro...

1. Get the know-how If your previous brewing experience extends no further than a few bucketfuls of homebrew then you’ll need to learn the science properly. In the United Kingdom, the classic path for a would-be career brewer is to take a brewing degree at the International Centre for Brewing & Distilling at Scotland’s Heriot Watt University, the Oxbridge of the brewing world.

But if you don’t want to give up four years finding out if brewing’s really for you, a preferred option is to take a course with Brewlab at the University of Sunderland.

A three-day Start Up Brewing Course costs £570, with courses scheduled for April, August and November in 2007, though there are more advanced courses if you want to stretch yourself at a later date. “It’s a very good course because it tells you all the bad bits as well as the good bits,” says one British microbrewer. “It tells you everything you really need to know in three days.” Once you’re established Brewlab also provides analysis services to advise on such matters as quality control and excise compliance. They’ll also store yeast for you.

2. Find the dosh Obviously anyone can go to the bank manager with a sou.....

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By Nigel Huddleston

Section : Beer Production

Page number : 55