Brewery Tech 101: A Beginner’s Guide to the Tools That Power Modern Breweries

Running a successful brewery takes more than brewing great beer. From taproom service and food prep to inventory and loyalty programs, your systems need to work together seamlessly. That’s where GoTab comes in.

We’ve put together a comprehensive list of the tools our best performing brewery operators use. A bit selfishly we are starting with the point-of-sale because that is our heritage - with the guest, at the point of experience.  

1. A POS Built for Breweries

The GoTab Point-of-Sale System isn’t your average POS. It’s cloud-based, mobile-first, and designed to work on the hardware you already trust—like high-performance Android devices, tablets, or even phones.

Why it’s unique:

• Start tabs without swiping a credit card
• Let guests open a tab from their own phone, scan a QR, or order at the bar
• Eliminate the hassle of “Who had the card ending in 4032?”
• Run tabs across multiple service areas (patio, bar, food truck, etc.)
• Reduce the need for extra staff with flexible, self-directed ordering options
  
  

And because GoTab is fully cloud-based, it’s easier to update menus, reroute orders, and view data in real time—no back-office back and forth required.

2. Integrated Brewery Management Systems

Brewery operations don’t stop at the taproom. Fermentation schedules, inventory, ingredient costs, and production forecasting are all critical to your bottom line.

That’s why it’s essential to choose a brewery management system that integrates directly with your POS. GoTab partners with leading brewery platforms like Beer30, Ekos, and others to sync sales and production data in real time.

When your POS talks to your brewery management system, you get:

• Accurate COGS tracking tied to actual sales and recipes
• Better visibility into taproom demand, helping you brew the right beers at the right time
• Smarter inventory management with fewer stockouts or overages
• Time savings by eliminating duplicate data entry between systems

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The result? A tighter connection between the beer you’re brewing and the revenue it’s generating.

3. Keep Guests Informed with Digital Beer Menus

Your tap list changes often—sometimes mid-service. While GoTab doesn’t provide digital beer menus directly, we integrate seamlessly with top digital menu providers like Taplist.io and Evergreen to help you keep your beer list current, consistent, and guest-friendly.

When paired with GoTab, these tools let you:

• Sync your beer list with real-time POS data
• Display taps on TVs, tablets, or via QR code
• Auto-update availability, pour sizes, and pricing as items run out or rotate
• Share tasting notes and ABVs to help guests choose confidently

With the GoTab integration in place, there’s no need to manually update a chalkboard or reprint paper menus. Your team stays focused on service—and your guests stay in the know.

4. Kitchen Operations Without the Chaos

Whether you’ve got a food truck on-site or a full-service kitchen, your back-of-house needs to run smoothly. GoTab’s Kitchen Display System (KDS) helps reduce errors, speed up prep, and coordinate across service zones.

With GoTab KDS, you get:

• Smart ticket routing based on service area
• Timers and alerts to keep prep on pace
• Real-time syncing with the POS for consistent communication
• Modifier visibility to reduce errors and comped items

No more missed tickets or shouting across the kitchen—just clear, efficient workflows that scale with your operation.

5. Streamlined Memberships & Mug Clubs

For most breweries, community is everything. Whether it’s a mug club, loyalty perk, or event subscription, GoTab makes it easy to manage member benefits without a separate system.

With GoTab Memberships & Subscriptions, you can:

• Assign perks automatically—like discounted pours or exclusive access
• Let members sign up and manage their accounts from their phones
• Tie membership benefits directly to tabs and checkouts, no cards or spreadsheets needed

It’s a low-lift way to build repeat business and reward your biggest fans.

From front-of-house operations to the brewhouse and beyond, GoTab brings your brewery’s systems together so your team can focus on what they do best—serving great beer and creating memorable experiences.

6. Don’t Overlook Your Website

Your website is often a guest’s first impression—so it shouldn’t be an afterthought. Modern website builders like Webflow make it easy to create a fast, mobile-friendly site without relying on developers for every update. A flexible content management system helps you keep content fresh and relevant.

Better yet, GoTab integrates with Webflow, so you can embed menus or online ordering directly into your site for a seamless guest experience. It’s one more way to reduce friction and keep your brand consistent from the first click to the final sip.

7. Keep Your Digital Presence as Fresh as Your Beer

With GoTab’s integration with Marqii, your taproom’s digital presence is always accurate—automatically. As you update menus, hours, or special events in your GoTab POS, Marqii syncs that info across 80+ platforms, including Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Apple Maps.

The result?

• Better local SEO
• Fewer manual updates
• More guests showing up with the right expectations

Whether you’re releasing a new hazy IPA or adjusting holiday hours, the GoTab + Marqii integration keeps your online listings and menus consistent—so guests always know what’s on tap.

8. Smarter Tip Management Without the Headaches

Handling tips shouldn’t require spreadsheets, guesswork, or late-night math. Modern tip management tools like Tiphaus integrate with GoTab and help you automate tip pooling, streamline payouts, and ensure transparency for your team.

Whether you're splitting tips by hours worked, role, or revenue center, tip management tools make it easy to configure rules that match your operation. Staff can see their earnings in real time, and managers get clear, auditable records—reducing disputes and saving hours of admin time.

It’s one less thing to worry about—and one more way to build trust with your team.

9. Labor Management Made Simple (With the Right Integrations)

Managing staffing needs shouldn’t eat up your time—especially during rushes. While GoTab doesn’t include labor scheduling built in, we seamlessly integrate with your favorite tools like 7shifts, giving you the best of both worlds.

Here’s what that means for your team: 

Real-Time Scheduling Visibility: See your front-of-house shifts alongside expected sales and foot traffic, pulled live from GoTab.

• Smarter Forecasting: Use sales trends and historical data from GoTab to build better 7shifts schedules—reducing overstaffing and minimizing labor costs.
• Accurate Reporting: Track labor hours, sales per labor hour, and sales by shift in one dashboard for better insights and payroll reconciliation.
• Fewer Errors, Happier Staff: Eliminate manual schedule transfers between systems and reduce mix-ups—so staff always know when and where to work.

By integrating GoTab with labor tools like 7shifts, operators can streamline workforce management, simplify payroll, and focus on delivering excellent service—with tech that works together.

10. Marketing with GoTab and Strategic Partners

Marketing often takes a back seat to operations and finance—but it shouldn’t. While your team focuses on daily execution, it’s just as important to keep refining your marketing stack to engage customers and boost revenue.

Consumer preferences for how they interact with breweries vary just as much as beer styles, and understanding these generational differences is key:

• Gen Z prefers mobile-friendly digital menus they can order from directly.
• Gen X and Boomers lean toward traditional printed menus.
• Millennials tend to engage best with dynamic on-site displays.
  
  

A flexible menu system that integrates with your POS—like GoTab—makes it easy to deliver the right format at the right time. For example, printing a simple list of core beers can help spark conversation and lead to more confident purchases in the taproom.

Text and email marketing continue to outperform social media when it comes to driving direct action. With GoTab’s built-in data tools, you can create targeted customer profiles and send personalized offers that resonate—like a stout discount on a rainy night or a reminder for a new seasonal release.

Finally, don’t overlook brand loyalty programs. Whether it’s a mug club, a trivia night membership, or another unique perk, these initiatives should be easy to manage and accessible to any team member. A centralized system ensures consistency and frees up time to focus on what really matters: crafting great beer and creating unforgettable experiences.

11. Use AI to Customize Your Solutions

Not seeing what you need in a pre-built platform? AI can help you fill in the gaps. A great example: demand forecasting based on historical sales and weather.

Export your last 2-3 years of sales to CSV and align them with local weather data. AI can then forecast next week’s sales. It's repeatable, scalable, and surprisingly accurate.

With a forecast in hand, you can pre-plan promotions, optimize staffing, and ensure your kitchen is prepped for demand. GoTab’s direct marketing tools are perfect for delivering targeted offers, like a rainy-day discount.

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By integrating GoTab with labor tools like 7shifts, operators can streamline workforce management, simplify payroll, and focus on delivering excellent service—with tech that works together.

With GoTab’s flexible POS, smart KDS, and seamless membership tools, your team gets powerful, purpose-built features out of the box—plus the freedom to connect with the tools you already use. Thanks to GoTab’s open API and robust integration capabilities, it’s easy to extend your tech stack as your brewery grows—no lock-in, no limitations.

No more credit card holds. No more duplicate entry. No more chaos. Just good beer, good service, and smart tech.

Explore what GoTab can do for your brewery: GoTab Brewery POS.