Microbrewery/Brewpub Feasibility Questionnaire
The information we receive from this completed questionnaire will
allow us to properly evaluate your production needs and requirements.
It will serve as the basis for our detailed written quotation for
brewery equipment and consulting services. Please be as detailed as
you can. If some questions cannot be answered at this time (such as
site questions if your brewery location has yet to be determined)
please indicate when you anticipate the information will be
available.
Concept Questions
- If you are planning for a brewpub, does your state or province
permit them? (i.e. Is a brewery permitted to sell beer on a retail
basis for on-premise consumption?)
- Are the principals of the proposed microbrewery or brewpub
eligible to obtain both a state/provincial and federal brewery
license?
- Do you have a site selected for your microbrewery/brewpub? Is
it an existing building or do you plan to build to suit?
- What is the current zoning for the proposed brewery site?
- Have you discussed the microbrewery and/or brewpub concept
with your local zoning board? What was the reaction?
- Do you or any of your associates have any commercial brewing
or brewery operation experience? If so where?
- Do you want ABT to provide your brewery with a trained brewer
or do you want your brewer-to-be to train in an existing ABT
brewery as part of the ABT apprenticeship program?
- If you are planning a brewpub do you or any of your associates
have any restaurant management experience? If so, where?
- The production capacity of a brewery is measured in annual
production, not brews-per-day. What volume of production, on an
annual basis, in barrels or hectoliters are you projecting for
each of your first three years. A U.S. Barrel is 31 gallons and
equals two 15.5 gallon kegs. A hectoliter is 100 liters and equals
26 U.S. Gallons or two 50 liter kegs.
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Product Questions
- Do you plan to brew ale, lager beer or both? Lager beer
requires more storage time, which cuts down on the production
capacity of the brewery unless more tanks are added.
- How many beers do you plan to produce at the same time? Please
list, but keep in mind that the more beers served, the more tanks
you'll need and have to buy up front.
Site Questions
Finding an appropriate location for your brewery or brewpub can be
as great a challenge as raising money or deciding whether or not your
spouse's best friend should design your label. Remember that a
brewery, even a pub brewery, is still a food processing plant; while
a brewpub is still, ultimately, a tavern. Location requirements for
the two are not necessarily the same.
- How many square feet/square meters of space are you proposing
to allocate for the brewery? How much room would there be for
expansion?
- Does the floor of the proposed brewery site slope to floor
drains that are two (2) inches/five (5) centimeters in diameter or
larger?
- Can the floor of the proposed brewery site be made waterproof
by epoxy coating, tiling or other means?
- What is the brewery site floor constructed from and how thick
is it?
- Depending on the answer to question number four , would any
special placement of brewery vessels be required to meet the load
tolerances of the floor?
- Will the local building code permit a non- pressurized open
vessel for water boiling with a 500,000 B.T.U. / 5 tonne Gas fired
internal heating element? With a 20 kilowatt electric heating
element?
- Is double or triple wall gas vapor venting required and/or
feasible at the brewery site?
- Is space available for a six inch/15 centimeter brewkettle
vapor stack to vent into the outside air?
- Is three phase electrical wiring available on site or nearby
in the building? If so, what is the amperage?
- Is single phase 220 voltage electrical wiring available on
site or nearby in the building? If so, what is the amperage?
- Is there a cold water outlet on the brewery site? What is the
water pressure? Gallons/liters per minute rate?
- Do you have a copy of the local water department analysis of
the tap water that is being supplied to the site? If so please
enclose.
- Do you have a current floor plan of the proposed brewery site?
Does it indicate all current utility outlets (water, gas,
electricity)? If so please enclose.
- Do you have a proposed floor plan for the new establishment?
Are architectural renderings available? If so please enclose.
- Are color photographs of the current site (interior and
exterior shots) available? If so please enclose.
- Is there a basement beneath the brewery site? If so, how high
are the ceilings?
Business Questions
- What is your proposed budget for a) equipment; b) installation
and plant commissioning? Have you raised the necessary capital to
finance your brewery or brewpub? If not, how do you plan to do so?
- Please provide us with two business references and a bank
reference.
- Have you written your business plan yet? If so please send us
a copy for review (free of charge to you). If not, when will it be
ready? If you do not have a business plan do you want us to write
one for you?
- When do you want your brewery to be in operation?
Thank you for completing this questionnaire and supplying the
requested information. Your answers will be held in the strictest
confidence and will not be disclosed to any third party without your
prior approval. By completing and returning this questionnaire you
are authorizing ABT to conduct a credit reference investigation of
you as an individual and your company. Please mail or fax it to ABT
at the address given above. If you have any questions please contact
our Chicago, Illinois office.
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Name
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Company name
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Address
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Country
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Phone and Fax numbers
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email address
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Signature and date
