Author: Henry Chen Publish Time: 2025-10-13 Origin: Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd.
Short answer: start with your target production volume and space, then choose a brewhouse that fits your batch size today and can scale with you tomorrow. From there, match your fermenter count, utilities, and packaging to your sales plan. Get the fundamentals right, and growth becomes much easier—and far less expensive.
I’m Henry Chen, CEO of Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd. Over the last two decades, I’ve helped hundreds of breweries—from 2 bbl taproom startups to 150 bbl regional producers—pick the right system. In this guide, I’ll share how I approach sizing and capacity with our clients so you can make confident decisions that support both quality and growth.
Define monthly and quarterly targets, not just annual dreams. A clear sales plan drives brewhouse size, fermenter count, and packaging needs.
Convert sales goals to batch math. For example, a brewpub selling 400–600 liters a week can start with a 3–5 bbl brewhouse. A distribution-led model aiming for pallets of cans likely needs 10–20 bbl and a brite tank strategy.
Plan for peak vs. average demand. If summer doubles your sales, design for the peak or accept a production backlog.
Ceiling height matters. Kettle stack-ups, CIP spray coverage, and tank aspect ratios all depend on vertical clearance.
Access and floor loading count. Measure doorways, turning radii, and slab capacity (especially for 2–3 story installs and mezzanines).
Think flow, not just fit. Grain in, wort out, fermentation, conditioning, packaging, cold storage—good layout reduces labor, beer loss, and contamination risk.
Small-batch creativity vs. production efficiency. If you rotate SKUs weekly, a smaller brewhouse with more fermenters can outperform a large system with few tanks.
Mash complexity. Step mashing, adjuncts, and high-gravity beers benefit from precise temperature control and rakes; consider steam heating for flexibility and consistency.
Knockout capacity. Your chiller and heat exchanger must reliably hit target pitch temps across seasons and water temperatures.
Buy for today; design for tomorrow. Choose a platform that accepts more fermenters, larger glycol capacity, or an extra vessel when needed.
Right-size the brewhouse; grow with tanks. Many breweries scale from 4 to 12+ fermenters before upgrading the brewhouse itself. This keeps cash flow healthy.
Plan utilities with headroom. Size steam, glycol, and electrical with 20–40% growth capacity to avoid costly rework.
Total cost of ownership beats sticker price. Consider energy efficiency, maintenance, spare parts availability, and downtime risk.
Warranty and service response matter. Fast, knowledgeable support saves more money than most discounts ever will.
ROI lens. Align capacity with realistic sell-through. It’s better to run a 10 bbl brewhouse at 70–80% and scale predictably than to finance a 30 bbl system that idles.
Steam, electric, or direct fire? Steam offers the best control and versatility for diverse beer styles, especially above 7 bbl. Electric is great for smaller systems and clean installs.
Glycol and water. Size the chiller for worst-case ambient temps and concurrent loads (crash cooling + whirlpool). Confirm water flow, pressure, and pre-treatment needs.
Compressed air and CO2. Reliable, dry air for valves, packaging, and keg washers; CO2 supply and manifold planning for cellaring and packaging.
System integration is non-negotiable. Brewhouse, fermenters, brite tanks, chiller, packaging, filtration, controls, and CIP should be designed as one ecosystem.
Controls and data. From simple semi-auto panels to advanced PLC/HMI, choose the level of automation that fits your team and quality goals. Logging and repeatability are your friends.
Packaging alignment. If draft is your core, prioritize kegging and cold storage. If cans or bottles are key, design for bright tank turnover and dissolved oxygen control.
You’re buying a partnership, not just equipment. Ask for references, visit sites if possible, and evaluate engineering depth and response time.
Spare parts, documentation, and training shorten your learning curve and minimize downtime.
Look for process help, not just hardware. A good supplier helps you size tanks, balance cellar ratios, select pumps and heat exchangers, and lay out your floor plan.
1.Define demand
Target weekly and monthly beer sales by package type.
Identify your core styles and any high-gravity or lager requirements.
2.Choose a brewhouse
Pick a batch size that fits your cash flow and SKU strategy (commonly 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 bbl).
Decide heating method (steam/electric/direct fire) and automation level.
3.Set fermenter-to-brewhouse ratio
Ale-focused breweries often start with 3–5 fermenters per brewhouse, growing to 6–8 as volume increases.
Add 1–2 brite tanks if packaging or if you need faster tank turns for draft.
4.Size utilities
Steam boiler or electric capacity, glycol chiller tonnage, water pre-treatment, air compressor, CIP carts or centralized CIP.
5.Plan packaging and cold chain
Kegging for taproom and on-premise.
Canning or bottling line when distribution demands it. Ensure low O2 design and QA checks.
6.Build for growth
Leave space and utility stubs for 2–4 more tanks.
Select modular controls and scalable glycol loops.
At Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd., we design and manufacture complete brewing systems from 2 to 150 bbl, built to your production plan and growth path. Our portfolio includes:
Malt milling equipment
Brewhouse systems (steam, electric, or direct fire)
Fermenters and brite beer tanks
Yeast propagation and dry hopping systems
Filtration and water treatment
Kegging, bottling, and canning lines
Steam piping, valves, CIP, air compressors, glycol chillers, and full integration
We engineer for efficiency, repeatability, low DO, and cleanability, backed by responsive support, installation guidance, and training. Whether you’re launching a neighborhood taproom or scaling regional distribution, we’ll help you size it right the first time—and expand smoothly when you’re ready.
If you’re considering a new brewery or an expansion, I’m happy to review your targets and translate them into a clear equipment list, budget, and layout. Share your weekly sales goals, space details, and preferred styles, and we’ll propose a system that fits today and scales for tomorrow.
Visit us at www.cassmanmachine.com to get started.
