There is perhaps no more important operational task for small breweries today than brewing beer with efficiency.
American craft breweries are sitting on more excess capacity than at any other time in their history. Brewers Association chief economist and VP of strategy Bart Watson recently put the figure at 51 percent—a particularly troubling stat when production growth is flat or down. Few breweries can afford to waste space, time, or beer. Right-sizing is the name of the game.
That’s an ongoing challenge for any brewery, but it’s especially difficult for those that experience dramatic seasonal shifts in demand. Whether it’s a lakeside brewery that’s slammed during the summer or a desert brewery that can’t keep up in winter, these businesses face particular difficulties when it comes to capacity and forecasting. Adding production equipment and personnel risks leaving tanks and brewers idle during slow periods; yet staying small and lean risks leaving money on the table if a brewery can’t meet high-season demand. Thus, these breweries must adapt their production schedules and other operations to ensure they can thread the needle.