Building breweries and brewpubs is a specialty within the world of commercial construction. A successful outcome requires experience, planning, execution and a specific knowledge of brewery mechanicals beyond standard practices. Special knowledge is as much a requirement for building breweries as it is for brewing beer. Like any discipline, with greater experience comes better results. Although there may be different approaches, the keys for success are the same wherever you go: Good planning, execution, flexibility and dedication. Start with the right recipe.
“Construction projects are a challenge by nature. There are always tight budgets, timelines, high expectations and unexpected situations. It’s common to be coordinating 20 or more subcontractors on a fast-paced project. It’s as much about avoiding challenges as it is expecting and managing them,” said BOP member Chris Linton of Holden Robert Associates (HRA), who explained that whether you’re fitting out an existing structure or building from the ground up, the considerations are nuanced and specific when you design and build for a brewery or brewpub. Specialized equipment, zoning, municipality inspections and permits — these are just the tip of the iceberg.
We asked Chris about these keys, as he not only has experience, but also many stories to tell. His portfolio includes multiple build-outs for Conshohocken Brewing Company, La Cabra Brewing, Tired Hands Brewing Company, Workhorse Brewing Company, Tannery Run Brew Works and many more. There’s something all these projects have in common: Specific realities that must be recognized and accounted for in order to have determinable success.
Preconstruction
“Begin with the end in mind,” as Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” says. This is the creed for constructing a brewery space. When you know exactly what you’ll need, you’ll know how the construction process must go, thus ensuring success. It’s important to note that despite all that, construction is not necessarily formulaic. Properties vary widely in environmental, municipal, legal and physical factors, and each factor influences the project. Experienced professionals like Chris help brewers realize their dream with fewer hiccups by doing the proper preconstruction planning. For example, HRA seeks to “value engineer” a project for best costs, methods and materials; it’s possible to see significant savings by driving the design and materials from the start.
Staging the Build and Planning for Revenue
“How long does it take to run a glycol system or a steam piping? If you don’t know, it can be a costly mistake, and things can take much longer than they need to,” Chris explained. “Lead times for materials, sequencing and durations are the keys to an aggressive schedule. One thing determines the start of another. If you don’t realize this, you can be playing catch-up when you should be brewing beer.” This point that Chris brings up is an important one, and one that’s been learned through experience: “I’ve seen too many people lose months of income because of mistakes like these.”
Building and brewing may be similar in that they both start with the right plan and can quickly turn into what seems like a symphony of controlled chaos. Any build strategy worth its salt will account for not only the physical and aesthetic considerations of the brewery, but also the monetary demands of the brewery itself. “Most of the time, you’re going to want to be brewing beer a month before construction is done,” Chris added. “You can keep finishing out the restaurant portion, but you need to already be in the brewery so you have something to serve on opening day.” These are the details that come with experience and are crucial, yet easily overlooked on any scale brewery project.
Expect the Unexpected
“On one project, the owner, landlord and lawyers told us that the zoning was correct. When we submitted the design drawings to the city, we were told they would need a variance and that it would take three months,” Chris said. “At that time, we had already been working for 14 weeks and the owners had quit their jobs two weeks prior. Five months later during construction, for a variety of reasons, the electric utility required them to build a basement vault for their transformers, which would cost more than $100,000. Excavation for that vault revealed substandard soils, which needed to be removed in order to support the fermenters, which was another $60,000 in unexpected costs.”
While you try to plan for anything, you can’t plan for everything. In that way, building a brewery is just like brewing beer. You can have the right ingredients, tools, recipes and training, but the reality of the process fosters unknowns. The yeast may behave differently than expected. You might get unexpectedly interrupted during a crucial step. Something like substandard soils beneath a building’s foundation would be tough or maybe impossible to predict. This is exactly why preconstruction planning and appropriate staging are so important. Getting these steps right can lessen the amount of headaches, even if you do run into a problem down the road.
Turn to Colleagues
“Where else do you find a business where competitors want to help each other? That’s massive! Most brewers want everybody to do well,” Chris remarked. When he reflects on the brewing community in this way, he echoes the sentiments of many others. It’s a fraternity, and turning to other professionals in the community can be one of the best resources if you’re considering a build or in the process of one. The “been there, done that” adage rings true with building as well as brewing. Don’t waste time reinventing the wheel when you can just ask for help.
The Brewers of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit trade association that brings together leaders of Pennsylvania-based breweries in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state. Established in 2011, the Brewers of Pennsylvania serves the consuming public of Pennsylvania by encouraging brand diversity in the market. We believe in the nobility of brewing and hold dear the great traditions and history of Pennsylvania brewing.
Photos: Brian Sack
