They are eating themselves.  

Gone are the days of installing a few fermenters in a warehouse and opening the garage doors to a pouring of enthusiastic zythophiles. The independent brewery scene has become overwhelmingly saturated in recent years — in Denver especially. 2017 had the most brewery closings in over a decade. More folks are moving to the city and its surrounding suburbs, many from states that have little to no craft brewery culture. While the product is and will always be the center of the industry, more and more people want first-rate service, varied beverage offerings and a cool place to hangout with friends and family.  

Grist is upping the experience game.

There has been a disconnect between the culture of independent microbreweries and the expected experience of the restaurant service industry. Grist is taking the best of both worlds and mixing it up. The brewery and its taprooms have recruited top-notch service personnel to work side-by-side with the “beer geeks” that embody the true culture of craft beer. Operations have been aligned, product and systems updated and new avenues are being pursued, including food, revamped interior, programming, entertainment… and technology. 

Full-bodied Digital Integration. 

Apart from a competitive market, one of the primary difficulties of thriving in the brewery business is lack of technology. The attitudes and cultures of many small craft breweries is of old school beer enthusiasts who like to tinker with brewery equipment and beer recipes but typically have very little interest in technology systems (and, frankly, processes and forecasting in general). 

We partnered with brewers, engineers and tech consultants to come up with a system that can streamline multiple brewery processes, predict failures in equipment and monitor inventory, all to the increased efficiency of the entire brew business. Many brewing mechanical systems (such as canning and bottling lines and specialty taps) require meticulous attention but still often fail, requiring brewery personnel to halt operations in order to fix the situation which leads to a complete workflow breakdown. But with IoT predictive maintenance sensors placed on canning/bottling systems, taps and brewing equipment, production efficiency can be maximized. These low-cost, wireless sensors can detect ultrasonic sounds that analyze data and predict when equipment will need maintenance. This ultimately saves money with far less product loss and down time. 

Inventory software systems have become more sophisticated in recent years, and there has been an entire market dedicated specifically to craft breweries. Breweries that have not adapted to these systems are finding it increasingly difficult to scale and operate on both a day-to-day and long-term level. CMMS systems are crucial to the overall success of a business that is constantly producing multiple styles of beer, ordering raws from numerous vendors and keeping product inventory current. With new technology implemented and process and procedures kept current, forecasting new and better ways to brew beer and run a business is making it possible to thrive in an increasingly competitive market.