Moving a brewery to a larger site without losing sales

The licence moves slowest

In India, a brewery or brewpub licence is tied to a specific premises. A new site usually needs fresh approvals from excise and often from pollution control, fire, the factory inspectorate and the local body. These take months. The timing is rarely in your control. Rules vary by state and change, so speak to your licensing consultant before signing the new lease.

Plan backwards from the expected licence date. Build every other step around it with a buffer. Opening on the planned date is the exception, not the rule.

Overlap the sites if you can

The safest move keeps the old brewery running until the new one has made and sold its first approved beer. That means paying two rents for a few months. Compare that cost with the alternative, which is a gap in supply. Outlets that lose your beer for six weeks give the tap to someone else. Winning it back can take far longer than six weeks.

If overlap is impossible, you need to cover the gap with stock or with someone else's brewhouse.

Build stock before you stop

Work out how many weeks the gap will be and how much beer you sell per week by product. Then decide which beers can be stored. Lagers and darker, stronger beers usually hold better than fresh, hop-forward IPAs. Fill extra kegs in the last few weeks at the old site and keep them cold.

Cold storage capacity is the catch. A few thousand litres of kegs need a large cold room, held at around 2 to 4 °C. Renting refrigerated storage or a reefer container may be part of the plan. Beer stored warm in an Indian summer loses freshness within weeks.

Contract brewing as a bridge

Another option is brewing your core beers at another licensed brewery for a few months. Contract and gypsy brewing are allowed in some states and not in others. The rules differ too. Where it is possible, choose a host whose kit and water are close to yours and run a trial batch first. Our guide on craft beer taps without a brewery covers how this works in one state.

Expect the beer to taste slightly different on new equipment. Taste side by side and adjust the recipe before the beer goes to customers.

Moved or new kit needs recommissioning and trial brews

If you move existing tanks, plan it like an install: rigging contractor, lift plan, transport, insurance and recommissioning. Every tank needs a pressure check, new gaskets, a full clean and passivation after the move. Temperature probes, valves and wiring need checking too.

Many breweries move to a larger site because they need larger tanks. In that case, the old kit may be sold or kept as a pilot system. Selling second-hand kit takes time. Start early.

A new brewhouse changes your beer. Mash efficiency, boil vigour, evaporation, whirlpool time and wort chilling all shift. Run water trials and then trial batches of each core beer before you sell from the new site. Measure original gravity, final gravity, colour and bitterness against your old batches and taste them blind.

Treat the first three batches as calibration, not sales stock, unless they match. This is where data from the old brewery pays off. If you have logs of every batch, matching the new brewhouse to them is far easier.

Tell customers early

Outlets, distributors and regulars should hear about the move from you, with a date and a plan, not from rumour. Tell them which beers will be available during the gap and when the new site starts supplying. Our guide on managing from a distance covers keeping control while attention is split. Moving a brewery stretches every system you have, which is why planning, costing and scheduling deserve as much attention as the steel.

Money for the gap

A move costs more than the new site's fit-out. Budget for overlapping rents, extra kegs to hold stock, rented cold storage, contract brewing fees, rigging and transport, recommissioning and the trial batches you will not sell. Add a contingency of at least a few months of fixed costs in case the licence comes late.

Sales usually dip around a move even when it goes well. Plan cash for a quieter month or two and do not count on the new site's capacity until it is licensed and running.

The first step

Draw a timeline with three lines: licences, equipment and stock. Mark the expected licence date and work backwards. Mark the last brew at the old site. Then work out the weeks of beer you need to cover the gap. Decide how you will make them.

Common questions

Can I transfer my brewery licence to a new site?

Usually the licence is tied to the premises, so a new site needs fresh approvals. Rules vary by state, so check with your licensing consultant before signing a lease.

How do I keep supplying customers during a move?

Overlap the old and new sites if possible, build cold stock of beers that store well or use contract brewing where your state allows it.

Will my beer taste different after moving?

Often slightly, because the new brewhouse behaves differently. Run trial batches, compare numbers and taste blind before selling.