Going from Brewery to Brewstillery

Brewery taprooms have become more like bars in recent years, offering wine and spirits to attract more guests and keep them coming. Brewery operators know their taproom margins on beer, so it’s inevitable that they’d consider producing other drinks in-house.

We recently spoke with breweries that have added their own wine programs, and growing right alongside that trend is one of breweries adding distilleries.

The two trends share a common takeaway: Adding the production of an entirely separate beverage-alcohol category is not a quick-fix cash grab. If the only goal is to reach more consumers who might be fans of other categories, it’s wise to look into what you can legally offer on-site and buy from other producers. However, as with winemaking, getting into distilling can indeed be successful—if you’ve got the interest, knowledge, staff, space, and equipment.

To better understand what’s involved from a small brewery’s perspective, here are insights from two that have made that leap to add value to their businesses, specifically via their taprooms.