How To Design A Brewery: 9 Brewery Design Ideas

Many components go into building a great brewery. From your beer selection to your brewery name, several elements contribute to your business's long-term success. One of those important elements is design. 

With over 9,700 craft brewers in the United States today, the brewery competition is real. Executing an attractive and accessible design for your brewery can help you stand out from the crowd.

We’ve got the 9 best brewery design tips to help you create a brewery that pleases customers and helps your business grow.

1. Your layout is important 

A critical aspect of brewery design is your layout. It will lend a foundation of efficiency to your business.

Your layout’s priority is to minimize the steps of service. For example, you should purposely place your beer tanks as close to your bar as possible. This way, your brewery can save money on beer lining and insulation. Also, there should be enough space in your layout to stay organized. This results in smoother service and makes a good impression on guests. No one likes a disorganized space!

Lastly, keep in mind what your layout prioritizes- does your site brew all its beer there, or are you more of a taphouse, focused on entertaining guests?

Harpoon Brewery is a massive place that does both- they have one sector of tanks and still have enough space for entertaining guests with great beer and tasty pretzels. 

Stone Brewing also has a variety of taprooms around California with spacious layouts and delicious beer such as their hazy double IPA.

2. Build an attractive menu 

A well-designed beer board is a great way to display your beer selection. It attracts both beer lovers and novices alike. This board serves as a menu with the different beer names, ABV%, price, and style.  Plus, you can customize it to suit your brewery’s style. A menu like this makes it easy for guests to see your selection and choose what they want. 

The UK’s Track Brewing Company gains a competitive edge with its large, bright beer board.

This menu matches the colorful aesthetic of the brewery and is still readable.

On the other hand, Hill Farmstead Brewery is located in Greensboro Bend, Vermont. Hill Farmstead is just as much about its beer as it is about its beautiful views. This place doesn’t need fancy interiors to attract guests, but they still do a great job of displaying their offerings. 

3. Select unique furniture 

Brew-N-Krew located in Salinas, California, has a unique interior design style that makes it stand out from the competition. This brewery went all out with furniture, color, and decor. While their interior design alone makes guests stay, their fabulous social media marketing attracts guests in the first place. The point is - no matter how charming your design, you have to make sure you tell people about it!

For all breweries lucky enough to have beautiful outdoor spaces, Maui Brewing has all the outdoor furniture inspiration you need. With 5 different locations, Maui Brewing has many different scenic views of Hawaii, topped off with patio furniture, umbrellas, and much more. 

4. Use memorable signage

Little details make all the difference, and a special sign can make all the difference. 

Embolden Beer Company never lets guests forget about their brewery with its cool signage and outdoor patio. There’s no doubt this aesthetic makes for the perfect Instagrammable pic, boosting exposure for their business. Embolden Beer Company’s modern design as a whole makes for a great atmosphere to enjoy some brewskies with your two-legged and four-legged friends.

DSSOLVR’s Taproom located in Durham, NC uses memorable signage outside of its business to bring guests in for a beer. They commonly use chalkboard signs with current draft offerings and specials. This is a great way to attract customers to your brewery. 

5. Apply a clean aesthetic 

Speaking of modern design, Oxbow Brewing Company sells their farmhouse ales and lagers in a space that applies multi-material decorating to create a clean and simple aesthetic. The contrast of metal against wood is quite common in brewery design, and guests love it!

Another great clean aesthetic brewery is The Drowned Lands which is a destination farm brewery in Warwick, NY with a modern interior inside. The structure that houses the brewery and taproom is a 100-year-old refurbished administration building that once belonged to a reform school for boys. It has that older outside look with a modern, updated inside twist. This contrast is attractive and the location is beautiful. 

6. Add Color

When you picture a colorful business, a brewery may not come to mind at first. However, adding bright accent colors to your walls may add the flair that other breweries are missing. Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, NC has the color inspiration you need. This space is amazing as a whole, but its colorful murals stand out the most. Check out Hi-Wire Brewing’s colorful taprooms and tasty beers. 

7. Create a comfortable space 

A major part of your guests’ experience is your tasty beer, but the comfortability of your space is what keeps guests hanging around. To ensure guests feel cozy, think about the floor plan of your brewery. Consider every detail - from your bar design to your table design - to determine what will make your space most accessible for guests.

Scratch Brewing Company is a farmhouse brewery located five miles from the Shawnee National Forest in Ava, Illinois. This site is very cozy with a bonfire area outside and a warm interior. They also have an additional space called The Serpent Room. This room is available to rent for events for people who want a private bartender and an intimate, colorful space to enjoy with close friends, family, or colleagues. The Serpent room is colorful, unique, and a great space for an event. 

Likewise, Allagash’s Brewery Tasting Room in Portland, Maine is filled with tasty beer and all the good vibes. This comfortable and spacious room has wooden accents with friendly staff. Check Allagash Brewery out and make sure to try an Allagash White.

8. Incorporate warm lighting

Interior lighting is still important, even in a brewery. There are multiple ways to create the right lighting for your brewery. Here are a few examples:

• Vary your light fixtures 

• Hang twinkle lights 

• Experiment with unique lightbulbs 

• Soft white (2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin) for warmer lighting

Monday Night Brewing, a brewing company with multiple locations, uses twinkle lights to add a cozy vibe to their breweries later in the evening. See if they have a location near you to enjoy good beer and vibes. 

Similarly, Treehouse Brewing, with multiple locations in New England, incorporates warm lighting into all its stunning spaces. Check out their newest addition, The Clubhouse at Tree House in Tewksbury. This brand-new location includes a  speakeasy and lounge, an immersive retail experience, and a grand hall complete with a 180” Unilumin 4k Display, a soaring timber cathedral ceiling, massive custom chandeliers, and beer hall-style seating. If you’re searching for brewery design inspiration, this spot is it. 

9. Designing with energy efficiency in mind 

Because of the high costs of sustaining beer tanks, energy efficiency must be a priority when designing your brewery. To save your business money, think about the following:

• Build out a heat recovery system when designing your layout to reduce heat loss. 

• Reduce the distance between brewing processes- less pumping means less energy needed.

• Consult with professionals - like Micet - to build out more efficient systems for your specific brewery

Micet Brewing Company is a China-Canada high-end brewing equipment manufacturer focused on craftsman spirit and innovation.

Focus on the basics 

Regardless of the amount of space you have to work with, you can still fill your brewery with personality. Incorporating these 9 design tips will help you create the welcoming brewery you’ve always dreamed of. Just don’t forget to have fun with your design- breweries are supposed to be a chill place to be!