Brewing a Business: How to Open a Brewery

We've taken the original course and expanded it with lessons to address the current state of operating a brewery! Join Allan Branch, founder of History Class Brewing + El Weirdo, as he takes you from why and where, to how.

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Malt Insider: Ancient Grains in Modern Beers

Going beyond barley into ancient grains can be a way to form stronger connections with local farmers, promote sustainable agriculture, and produce more distinctive beers.

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Preparing to Launch: Brewery Incubators Are a Balancing Act

From incubators to accelerators, a range of business models aims to help would-be breweries overcome barriers and launch their brands.

Infographic: Shifts in How We Drink

Beer-drinking habits continue to evolve in unexpected ways, whether it’s adding nonalcoholic drinks to a beer purchase, younger drinkers being more likely to prefer packaged beer over draft—are bottles getting cool again?—or beer consumption itself defying common assumptions, such as the modest increase among our (admittedly self-selected) audience. Here, we plot a few interesting points.

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Building the On-Ramp: Vocational Programs for Brewers

Based on insights from those who’ve done it successfully, we look at how small breweries can set up training programs that both widen and deepen craft beer’s talent pool.

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The Art, Science, and Business of Wood-Aged Beers with New Belgium’s Lauren Woods Limbach

From forecasting your foeders to flavoring with fruit, New Belgium’s wood-cellar director and master blender Lauren Woods Limbach shares the expertise she’s amassed over more than two decades of running a successful, large-scale wood-aging program.

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Brewing a Business: How to Open a Brewery

So you want to open a brewery? Join Allan Branch, founder of History Class Brewing, as he takes you from why and where, to how.

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TTB Hears from Small Breweries on Nutrition Labeling

The process behind long-expected changes in federal labeling rules is lumbering into motion. Brewers have until March 29 to submit public comments on how proposed requirements would affect their businesses.

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How Some Breweries Are Expanding in a Tough Market

Whether anecdotal or statistical, there is plenty of unwelcome news to go around the brewing industry these days—and yet, success stories continue. Here, we look at a few breweries that are growing, and how and why they’re doing it, despite the prevailing headwinds.

After Fatal Accident, Fellow Brewers Kick In

The craft-brewing community in North Carolina and around the country is responding this week after the accidental death of Dan Wade, cofounder of Wooden Robot in Charlotte.

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Hops Insider: Bracing for the Next Market Correction

Tough times are ahead for hop merchants and farmers coping with surplus stocks and stalling demand. After enjoying wider selection and lower prices in the short term, are brewers ready for what comes next?

Video Tip: Filling the Foeders with Care

From planning the brew schedule to preserving the pellicle, New Belgium wood-cellar director Lauren Woods Limbach explains the delicate task of promptly refilling a foeder.

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Beer Awards: Brewing to Win

Brewers who’ve enjoyed repeat success at the judging tables have this advice for their friendly competition: From category selection to packaging methods, you need to sweat the details.

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Beer Awards: Sizing Up the Competitions

Medals and other honors can raise your brewery’s profile, boost your team, and even increase sales. Yet with tighter budgets and more competitions than ever, breweries are carefully considering where and how many they can enter.

Opening a Brewery? First, Ask the Big Questions.

In the first episode of his Brewing a Business video course, Allan Branch of History Class Brewing in Panama City, Florida, outlines the most important questions you need to answer if you’re serious about opening a brewery.

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Tips on Surviving the Winter Lull

It’s the toughest time of year for beer—cold weather, health kicks, and lots of people just staying home. For breweries barely hanging in there, these months can be a knockout blow. From a variety of voices in the industry, here are some ideas about how to make it work until spring.

Video Tip: How Brewery Operators Can Avoid the Death Spiral

In this clip from his video course, Allan Branch—founder of History Class Brewing and El Weirdo tacos in Panama City, Florida—explains the usefulness of “fear-setting” as a way to be ready for warning signs that your brewing business could be in trouble.

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