Brewery premises and utilities
The search for brewery premises is now on in earnest. The search so far has been tedious because I need to make sure the utilities will be adequate.
The biggest issue has been energy supply. The initial plan was to go with an electric steam boiler of 120 kilowatts or 12 boiler horsepower. The power requirements would be 3 phases of 167 amps each. Plus there is refrigeration, pumps, mash tun and kettle stirrers and other equipment to run. Typically the power supply for smaller industrial units is only 100 amps per phase. Upgrading the power is, I have found out, a major exercise. Estimates have ranged from $12,000 to $40,000 depending, depending. Part of the problem is that without specific it is hard to get an accurate quote, but I need a quote to decide about premises.
The alternative is to run a gas powered boiler. They are generally more expensive than an electric boiler of similar size and the installation costs more. Hence the initial idea of going electric.
Checking for the availability of gas has been tedious because without a specific address AGL have not been able to tell me too much. Gas mains might be in the street, but they might not run the full length. So depending on availability of gas, one plan was to start with bottled gas if connecting to natural gas were too expensive and then connect later and have the burner changed when the volume of brewing made it economical. Currently looking at a 15 hp gas boiler with a consumption of 675 megajoules an hour (on a side note, Mr Joule was a brewer who wanted to work out the cost of running the kettle in the family brewery). On bottled propane the cost would be about $22.50 and hour, with natural gas about $10.75.
But sometimes things can just come together. I have found some prospective premises. There are three vacant units in a small complex of ten. The size and layout are right, there is good truck access, and when I rang AGL with the address Asheby was able to tell me that not only was gas in the street, but Unit 1 in the complex had been connected to the gas in the past. The connection should be cheap and straightforward.
Asheby also wanted to know about equipment and consumption rates so AGL could check whether the gas supply would be sufficient – I will hear from them in a week or so about that. She asked what sort of business I was planning and I told her. She very quickly asked what sort of beers I would be brewing and would they be available in Melbourne.
Yes the beer will be available home delivered pretty much anywhere in Australia – although postal costs to WA, the Territory and the distant parts of Queensland will take a shine off of things. The anticipated cost delivered in the Sydney metro region will be about $57 – $58 a carton, a couple of dollars more for Victoria and SE Queensland.
Thank you Asheby.
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