5 Tips to Take Your Brewery Technology to the Next Level

The craft beer industry is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting markets out there today. Valued at almost 90 billion dollars globally in 2019, the industry has increased its revenue by almost 300% since 2005. 

And microbrewers are at the heart of the market. Beers brewed in small and mid-sized breweries represent a major portion of the industry’s profits and are a driving factor in its growth. 

But balancing the many moving parts of brewing—from fermentation to settling to clarification and polish—is no simple task.

Fortunately, the world of technology is teeming with solutions to help you manage and grow a successful brewing business, including contactless ordering for breweries. Here, we’ve gathered five tips to take your brewery technology to the next level. For more on why contactless ordering and payments is the future of the brewing industry, visit our website today.

#1 Install a Beer Centrifuge

If your brewery is experiencing increased demand and you want to scale up beer production, you can't do much better than installing a centrifuge system. 

A good beer centrifuge can help you boost production, streamline the filtration and settling process, and even result in a higher-quality beer.

What is a Centrifuge?

Simply put, a centrifuge is a machine that separates liquids from solids. By spinning the beer at a very fast rotation, it extracts and separates hop, yeast, and other particles from the beer. 

Once upon a time, only large-scale businesses had access to this valuable brewing technology. Smaller operations were left to traditional—and time-consuming—filtration methods, which inhibited growth by limiting batch size and slowing operations. 

Now, however, innovations in the field have made this technology an attainable tool for microbreweries to thrive in the highly competitive craft beer market.

Here’s how: 

• Shortened batch time – Compared to traditional filtration methods, a centrifuge is substantially faster. By speeding along the settling process, a beer centrifuge allows you to move on quickly to further steps in the brewing process, like clarification and polishing. This can shave days or even weeks off of the fermentation process.
• Greater batch yield – Centrifuge systems are a great way to increase the amount of beer you get out of each batch and decrease the amount that gets thrown away. This is because centrifuge systems can extract liquid from the pulpy sediment at the bottom of the tank—liquid that traditional filtration methods miss.
• Optimize labor – A beer centrifuge can streamline the flow of production in your brewery. With a centrifuge system, you don’t have the hassle of continually cleaning and replacing filters or monitoring pressure during the filtration process. Centrifuges are also largely self-cleaning, which means you don’t have to waste labor on lengthy clean-ups.

#2 Implement Cellular IoT Technology

A cellular “Internet of Things,” or IoT, network uses the built-in technology on smartphones to connect various objects to the Internet. The concept might seem foreign, but chances are you’re already interacting with a wide array of IoT networks in your daily life. 

The app that lets you pay for street parking without ever touching a meter? That’s a form of cellular IoT technology. The FitBit you wear to track your daily steps? That, too. Your wireless headphones, smartwatch, and smart TV all run on cellular IoT networks.

The Internet of Your Brewery

For brewers, cellular IoT technology presents a range of opportunities for streamlining practices and increasing productivity. With an IoT network, you can implement a variety of quality control measures at every stage of the brewing process, such as: 

• Digital waterproof thermometers that allow you to monitor the temperature of each batch and that can alert you as soon as temperatures deviate from the parameters you’ve set
• Humidity sensors that monitor the conditions of your stored ingredients, such as yeast, hops, and grains
• CO2 monitors that track the carbonation levels of every beer you brew
• Hydrometers that can give you immediate, accurate information about your beer’s alcohol content

With cellular IoT technology, you can easily access this information from your smartphone or tablet anytime you want. It puts you in control of your brewery’s operations, from fermentation to bottling.

What’s more, IoT technology allows you to collect a range of data about the fermentation process. You can use this data to pinpoint the specific methods needed to ensure every beer production is consistent in quality and flavor.

#3 Implement a Cloud-Based Brewery Management System

Organization is key to making sure your brewery always performs at its best. But keeping track of all the paperwork, inventory reports, and spreadsheets involved can be a headache. A great way to stay on top of all the ins and outs of managing your brewery is to implement a cloud-based management system.

Business management systems streamline your brewery operations by giving you control over and insight into every aspect of your microbrewery. From inventory control to sales and accounting, a business management system can help you increase efficiency, limit waste, and maximize your brewery’s profitability.

With a good cloud-based brewery management system you can:

• Forecast and track inventory 
• Organize and manage recipes and production schedules
• Conveniently access orders and invoices 

The wide integration capabilities of cloud-based management systems means all of your brewery’s most important information is stored in one place—and all accessible from virtually any device. With the right system, you can even integrate your existing accounting and/or POS software, taking some of the strain out of managing your business.

#4 Invest in a Refractometer

When it comes to brewing beer, knowing the gravity and alcohol content is essential. This is what makes tools like hydrometers such important brewery components: they allow you to track the gravity and ABV of your beer, from wort to finished product.

A good refractometer is a small investment that can simplify this part of the brewing process. Compared to hydrometers, refractometers require a much smaller sample to generate a quick reading of the gravity of unfermented wort. 

Keep in mind that to measure the final gravity of beer, you’ll need a special refractometer calculator.

#5 Implement a No-POS System

Technology is rapidly changing the game for microbreweries both behind the scenes and in the front of the house. You can make sure your brewery has the edge on the competition by replacing your existing POS system with an innovative No-POS system. For more information on how to use a No-POS system in the brewery industry, contact us today.

What Can No-POS Do For Your Brewery?

At GoTab, we know that for food and beverage service—whether that’s full-service dining or drinks at the bar—the future is in No-POS systems. Our innovative systems give you the freedom and flexibility you need to meet customer demand, operate safely, and take your brewery to the next level.

While No-POS systems vary in their particulars, you can expect the following benefits:

• Incredible flexibility – With the right No-POS system, you have free range to customize your digital menu, including adding your own branding, product photos, and other media. Look for an option that makes it a breeze to add and remove menu items, change the menu order, and even customize your menus based on where customers are seated.
• Ability to choose your deployment model – Digital-only options eliminate the need for external software and can run on any mobile device. Need to print chit-slips, checks, or receipts? GoTab’s printer integration model lets you connect to existing printers using only one piece of hardware. And our integrated deployment model comes with all of the software and hardware you need to manage your menu, sales, and inventory. 
• Contactless service – Contactless ordering and payment at your brewery mean that guests can browse your menu and place their orders from the comfort of their own mobile device. Sync this system with pay-at-table devices to add a personalized touch for guests who are more accustomed to traditional ordering. 
• Support for tabs – Tabs give your customers the freedom to order what they want when they want it. They also allow you to serve more guests with less labor. When the need to take and input orders is removed from the equation, your staff has more time to focus on customer service. 
• Responsiveness – With GoTab, your POS has access to two-way text capabilities so that your guests are kept in the loop about every step of their dining experience. That way, you can respond to their needs immediately. And with our dedicated team of support specialists available 24/7, you never need to worry about technical difficulties torpedoing your operations.

Get Started With GoTab Today

There are many ways you can take your brewing equipment and technology to the next level. At GoTab, you have a family of professionals dedicated to empowering you and helping your business thrive. 

GoTab enables you to deliver the highest caliber customer service by allowing guests to choose when they order, what they order, and when and how they settle up the tab. 

You can serve more guests with a smaller staff, allowing you to lower your operational costs at the same time as you’re maximizing your profits. And our varied order and payment options mean your customers always have the safest, most comfortable dining experience possible.

Interested in improving your brewery payment technology? Get started with GoTab today and learn more about how to upgrade brewery offerings with contactless ordering.

Sources: 

• BrewersAssociation.org. Brewers Association Releases Annual Craft Brewing Industry Production Report for 2020. https://www.brewersassociation.org/press-releases/2020-craft-brewing-industry-production-report/
• Trucent.com. Matching Beer Centrifuge Technology with Microbrewery Operations.  https://www.trucent.com/matching-beer-centrifuge-technology-with-microbrewery-operations/
• Aeris.com. Take Your Microbrewery to the Next Level with Cellular IoT. https://www.aeris.com/news/post/take-your-micro-brewery-to-the-next-level-with-cellular-iot/