Solon Consulting
A brewery consultant earns the fee when the plan survives contact with construction, equipment lead times, and opening day. Solon works owner-side on brewery startups, expansions, and operating turnarounds; the Brewers Association tracks hundreds of openings a year, and the ones that open on budget almost always had experienced project support early.
Brewery Consultant for Startup, Expansion, and Operations
A brewery consultant should make a difficult project easier to define, not add another layer of guesswork. Solon's brewery consulting work helps owners plan new breweries, expand existing facilities, and improve operating plants across facility design, utilities, equipment, automation, commissioning, and production. Solon works with the owner's architects, engineers, trades, vendors, and operating team; it does not replace licensed disciplines or permit authorities. Start with a focused review of the project, the constraints, and the decisions that need to hold up when the work reaches the floor.
01
Startup planning
Facility and project readiness
02
Expansion
Capacity and integration decisions
03
Operating improvement
Troubleshooting and practical upgrades
brewery consulting services
Brewery Consulting Services for Startup, Expansion, and Operating Facilities
Solon's brewery consulting services meet owners at three different moments: planning a new brewery, expanding or retrofitting a facility, and solving problems in an operating plant. The work begins by defining the decisions, interfaces, and constraints that can change cost, schedule, production capacity, or day-to-day reliability.
01
Brewery Startup Planning and Facility Readiness
A brewery startup consultant can help translate business goals into an equipment, facility, utility, and commissioning basis before owners commit to disconnected decisions. When the scope reaches licensed design or permitting, Solon coordinates with the appropriate licensed disciplines and authorities. Related recipe development and beer brand services can be scoped separately when a startup also needs product and launch support.
02
Brewery Expansion and Capacity Planning
A brewery expansion consultant reviews how proposed capacity, equipment, utilities, controls, sanitation, and installation plans will interact with the facility that must keep operating.
03
Operating Brewery Troubleshooting and Improvement
For an operating brewery, Solon traces production constraints, utility limitations, controls, maintenance, and work practices to help the team choose practical improvements instead of another temporary patch.
design through startup
Brewery Design, Equipment, Automation, and Commissioning
Brewery design is not a drawing exercise in isolation. Equipment, utility demand, floor flow, controls, sanitation, installation, and startup all have to work together. Solon brings those interfaces into one brewery consulting scope so owners can make informed decisions before field conflicts and change orders take control.
Design decisions have to survive installation, startup, and the operating floor.
A
Facility and Process Design
A brewery design consultant can develop facility layouts, process relationships, production flow, and equipment interfaces, then coordinate with the owner's licensed architects, engineers, trades, equipment vendors, and permit authorities rather than replace those disciplines or authorities.
B
Equipment Specification, Procurement, and Integration
Solon's equipment services help define requirements, compare practical options, support procurement, and plan installation and integration around the production outcome the owner needs.
C
Utilities, Glycol, and Sanitary Systems
Solon reviews water, electrical, HVAC, steam or hot-water demand, drainage, glycol, cleaning, and sanitary interfaces so utility and infrastructure decisions match the process they must support.
D
Automation, Controls, and Production Visibility
We define control-system architecture, instrumentation, PLC and HMI requirements, and production visibility so equipment and processes can be commissioned as one operating system.
E
Installation, Commissioning, and Startup
Installation and commissioning connect the design basis to the real floor. Solon supports checkout, startup, troubleshooting, documentation, and operator handoff so unresolved interfaces are found before they become the team's permanent problem.
protect the investment
Risks a Brewery Consultant Helps Owners Address
A brewery consultant helps owners identify risks that often hide between contracts: utility and infrastructure undersizing; layout, process-flow, drainage, and sanitation conflicts; equipment mismatch and hidden integration cost; controls, instrumentation, and production-visibility gaps; permit, vendor, construction, schedule, and commissioning dependencies; capacity, downtime, consistency, yield, and labor constraints; and weak documentation, training, handoff, and recovery planning. Solon records the decisions and distinguishes consulting work from tasks that require a licensed professional, stamped documents, vendor action, or jurisdictional approval. Review your brewery project with Solon.
| Decision area | What owners need to resolve |
|---|---|
| Facility and utilities | Capacity, utility demand, layout, process flow, drainage, sanitation, and infrastructure interfaces. |
| Equipment and integration | Equipment fit, controls, instrumentation, vendor dependencies, and hidden integration cost. |
| Operations and production | Capacity, downtime, consistency, yield, labor, documentation, training, handoff, and recovery planning. |
| Project delivery | Licensed disciplines, permits, vendor action, construction, schedule, commissioning, and approval dependencies. |
how we work
How Solon Works With Brewery Owners and Project Teams
Solon starts with the decision the owner needs to make, not a predetermined package. Depending on the project, brewery consulting may begin with a facility assessment, a scope-definition call, or a focused project review. We gather the available drawings, operating data, vendor information, constraints, and owner priorities, then define the work, responsibilities, and next decisions in writing.
Solon starts with the decision the owner needs to make, not a predetermined package.
Solon brewery consulting engagement principle
01
Define the Decision and Project Scope
We clarify the outcome, project scope, constraints, available evidence, and the decision that must be made before broadening the work.
02
Assess the Facility, Process, and Risks
We examine the layout, utilities, equipment, controls, sanitation, production data, operating constraints, and team experience that shape the real risks.
03
Build the Prioritized Plan
Solon turns the findings into a prioritized plan that identifies decisions, recommended work, dependencies, responsible parties, and the order in which issues should be addressed.
04
Coordinate Implementation, Commissioning, and Handoff
When implementation is in scope, project management support coordinates owner, vendor, contractor, and licensed-discipline interfaces and supports startup, troubleshooting, documentation, and operator handoff so the brewery can own the result.
brewery projects
Brewery Consulting Projects and Operating Work
Solon's brewery consulting work includes startup facilities, controls and operations, equipment and utility systems, and international project support. Each example below is limited to work Solon can substantiate. Balanced Rock Brewing was a ground-up startup, not an expansion project. Old Gregg Brewing is disclosed as a related-party engagement. See additional case studies and client feedback.
BR
Balanced Rock Brewing: Ground-Up Startup
Solon supported ground-up startup and facility execution, including layout, chiller and glycol coordination, drain and sewer coordination, HVAC and boiler scope, controls, commissioning, startup, and operations support. Solon's permitting role was advisory; licensed professionals and authorities remained responsible for stamped work and approvals.
OG
Old Gregg Brewing: Facility, Controls, and Operations
Solon's related-party scope included facility, controls, PLC and HMI work, procurement support, owner-representative work, commissioning, and operations support.
Solon provided consulting services to a related party in this engagement.
FMN
Forgtmenot Brewing: International Brewery Support
For Forgtmenot Brewing in Greece, Solon supported an international engagement focused on defining the facility and operating process, with related advisory work. This public proof is limited to that confirmed scope and does not establish an expansion outcome.
SP
Stay Put Brewing: Chiller and Glycol Assessment
Solon supported Stay Put Brewing at 73 Rainey with rooftop chiller and glycol-loop assessment, controls, equipment, procurement, and related operating coordination. This example documents assessment and coordination, not a claimed production or financial outcome.
cost and budget
What a Brewery Consultant Costs
Brewery consulting fees follow the scope of the work. The ranges below cover hourly advisory, project-based support, and monthly retainers, along with the factors that move the number and how owners budget for it.
Hourly Advisory
$150 to $350 per hour. Targeted guidance on equipment selection, licensing questions, recipe troubleshooting, or specific technical decisions.
Project-Based
$5K to $75K and up. Full facility design, permitting, equipment specification, and project management from concept through commissioning.
Monthly Retainer
$2K to $10K per month. Ongoing strategic, technical, and operational support as the business grows and evolves.
What Drives the Price
| Factor | Lower cost | Higher cost |
|---|---|---|
| Project scale | 1 to 3 BBL nano brewery | 30+ BBL production facility |
| Scope of work | Single advisory review | Full design, permitting, and project management |
| Timeline | Flexible multi-month schedule | Compressed fast-track delivery |
| Engineering needs | Operational guidance only | Stamped PE-licensed drawings |
| Regulatory complexity | Simple state licensing | Federal TTB plus multi-state compliance |
The Cost of Skipping Professional Guidance
These are avoidable mistakes that show up repeatedly in breweries that went without professional review:
- Undersized equipment: $50K to $200K to fix within 18 months of opening
- Poor facility layout: 20 to 30% higher labor per batch, permanently
- TTB licensing delays: 3 to 6+ months of lost revenue
- Bad site selection: wrong zoning can make a signed lease worthless
- Recipe scaling failures: 6 to 12 months of wasted development time
How to Budget for Consulting
Allocate 3 to 5% of total project budget for consulting. For a $500,000 buildout, that is $15,000 to $25,000. Typical returns run 5x to 20x the fee, with payback inside 6 to 12 months. Front-load the engagement: money spent in planning saves multiples of it in construction changes.
Include consulting in project financing. SBA lenders and investors treat professional guidance as risk reduction, and the first six months of operations typically need the most outside support, so carry the budget past opening day. If lending is part of the plan, our brewery business plan guide covers the report structure SBA lenders expect.
Brewery Design Consultants vs Build Contractors
Brewery design consultants answer to the owner; build contractors answer to the schedule. The design consultant sets the process layout, equipment specification, and utility basis that contractors then price and build against. When one company plays both roles, the owner loses the independent check on scope and cost. Solon works the design and owner-representation side, which keeps contractor bids comparable and change orders visible before they are invoiced.
hiring a brewery consultant
Questions About Hiring a Brewery Consultant
Owners comparing brewery consultants usually want clarity on project timing, equipment decisions, team roles, scope boundaries, cost, and how to compare firms. These answers give the short version and point you to the fuller guides on planning, cost, and hiring.
When should I bring a brewery consultant into a new facility project?
Bring a brewery consultant in before layout, equipment, utility, controls, and vendor decisions become expensive to change. An early facility assessment or scope-definition review can identify missing information, decision owners, and work that requires licensed disciplines or permit authorities.
Can Solon help expand or automate an operating brewery?
Yes. A brewery expansion consultant can review capacity, utilities, equipment, automation, sanitation, downtime constraints, and commissioning needs in an operating facility. The scope should define what can be evaluated while production continues and what requires a planned shutdown, vendor action, or licensed work.
What should be reviewed before brewery equipment is purchased?
Review required capacity, product and process fit, utilities, floor loading and space, access, drainage and sanitation, controls and instrumentation, installation, commissioning, maintenance, spares, and lifecycle support. Solon's equipment services can help owners compare those requirements before procurement.
Does Solon sell equipment or represent manufacturers?
Solon can provide owner-side equipment evaluation, specification, sourcing, and procurement support. Any product sale, vendor relationship, commission, or other commercial role should be identified separately so the owner knows whether Solon is acting as an adviser, procurement support, or seller in that transaction.
How does Solon work with architects, engineers, trades, and equipment vendors?
Solon defines interfaces, decisions, and responsibilities and can coordinate owner teams, operators, vendors, contractors, architects, engineers, and permit authorities when those roles are part of the project. We do not represent consulting coordination as licensed or stamped work.
How much does a brewery consultant cost?
Brewery consultant cost depends on the decision, facility, records available, site work, disciplines involved, and whether the engagement is an assessment, design-support scope, commissioning effort, or longer implementation. Review the brewery consulting services and cost guide for a practical explanation of common scope and pricing factors.
Can Solon help with a brewery business plan?
Yes. Solon can support facility and equipment assumptions, implementation logic, operating inputs, and technical due diligence for a brewery business plan. Use the brewery business plan resource for the detailed planning framework.
Does a brewery consulting engagement include stamped engineering documents or permit approval?
Not by default. An approved engagement may include consulting inputs, coordination, or permit advisement, but stamped documents and permit approvals remain with the appropriate licensed professionals and authorities unless the signed scope specifically states otherwise and applicable requirements allow it.
How do I evaluate and compare brewery consultants?
Look for relevant brewery work, a clear scope, concrete deliverables, and an honest explanation of what the consultant handles directly, coordinates with vendors, or routes to licensed professionals. Credentials and permit requirements vary by jurisdiction and scope. Read the guide to hiring a brewery consultant for a fuller comparison framework.
start the conversation
Talk With a Brewery Consultant About Your Project
Bring the project, the operating problem, or the decision that has become difficult to resolve. Solon can begin with a facility assessment, a scope-definition call, or a focused project review. We will tell you what we can address directly, what information is missing, and where licensed disciplines, vendors, or permit authorities need to be involved.