The Difference Between Homebrewers and Commercial Brewers

Originally posted by SamGamgee
Just think of all of the issues of brewing on a large scale, like heating and cooling liquids, moving liquids, protecting beer from oxygen, correctly using a myriad of chemicals, and keeping a sanitary process. Professional equipment is a lot more complicated to operate, with stuff like steam power, pumps, compressed air/CO2 and glycol systems. Lots of plumbing and lots of wiring.

Pro brewers also have to think a lot more about product stability: microbiological, flavor, and colloidal. Even the difference between brewpubs and regional breweries is night and day on these issues, and a brewpub is a lot more like a big homebrewery. Consistent, stable beer takes more process control, especially of fermentation, and lab work like testing yeast viability, density, and fermentation performance becomes necessary.

Homebrewing will get you very far as far as recipes and flavors go, but the process is just another game altogether and there is a big learning curve.

You’re hitting right on the nail here.
I’ll also strongly emphasize the business aspect. If you’re running a brewery you have to have a falcon’s view on all aspects such as correct hygiene, having clear procedures for all aspects of cleaning and sanitizing to more obvious things like supplying your brewers with ingredients and recipes.

Originally posted by SamGamgee
Just think of all of the issues of brewing on a large scale, like heating and cooling liquids, moving liquids, protecting beer from oxygen, correctly using a myriad of chemicals, and keeping a sanitary process. Professional equipment is a lot more complicated to operate, with stuff like steam power, pumps, compressed air/CO2 and glycol systems. Lots of plumbing and lots of wiring.

Pro brewers also have to think a lot more about product stability: microbiological, flavor, and colloidal. Even the difference between brewpubs and regional breweries is night and day on these issues, and a brewpub is a lot more like a big homebrewery. Consistent, stable beer takes more process control, especially of fermentation, and lab work like testing yeast viability, density, and fermentation performance becomes necessary.

Homebrewing will get you very far as far as recipes and flavors go, but the process is just another game altogether and there is a big learning curve.

This

I would also add that fernentation control is one of the most important for product turnover. You cant have fermentation tanks stalling as you need to meet the demands of your distribution network. If you cant meet those demands you are in big trouble. Everything has to be highly organised to be successful.