How to Make the Leap from Homebrewer to Gypsy Brewer

All professional brewers brewed at home before setting up their company. Homebrewing is the step prior to commercial production, and making the leap is increasingly easy. This is partly because small producers rent out their facilities to other contract brewers to brew occasional batches and thus recoup their investment in equipment more quickly. In this way, the benefit is mutual, as the contract brewer does not need as much initial capital to start brewing and building their brand.

However, not everything that glitters is gold. Brewing as a nomad carries its risks, and most of them can be avoided through experience and prior information. That’s why we’re going to reveal some tips you should keep in mind if you’re on the springboard of hops:

• Before hiring a brewery, try their beer range. This will give you a rough idea of the styles they’re strongest in, whether you like how they execute them, or if you spot any flaws. Ideally, you should look for a brewery that makes beers similar to your concept, since that way they can bring their experience to the table and help you avoid unpleasant surprises.
• Brew day is just one day, but the beer takes several weeks or even months to mature. Make sure you know whether the price you are paying only covers a set number of maturation days or whether the service runs until the beer is fully finished. This is vitally important for lagers, especially those with a higher alcohol content and complexity such as doppelbocks, or strong ales like imperial stouts. These beers need several months of maturation to reach their optimal point for packaging.
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• Brewing beer at home is not the same as brewing in a factory. The recipe necessarily has to change. The processes won’t be identical. Be careful about demanding complex procedures. For example, in a brewery it’s difficult to carry out decoctions due to equipment limitations. If your recipe requires any special procedure, it’s better to look for a brewery that can carry it out without it meaning a disruption to their usual way of working.
• Most of the time, the owner of the facilities will only cover the costs when there is an obvious fault on their part or clear contamination. So let yourself be guided by their advice, but don’t neglect your own responsibility either, because you are risking your capital with every batch. Virtue lies in the middle ground. In the end, it’s about working hand in hand.

These tips will save you more than one headache. Of course, you need to crunch the numbers and estimate which option is most profitable, but always consider different scenarios before taking anything for granted. Especially if it’s your first batch, the one that will put you on the map. Sometimes a straightforward, well-made beer is the best way to make a good impression.