Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for breweries.
A checklist built from how breweries work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Recipes and brew plan
- Batch and tank records
- Ingredient and packaging stock
- Packaging runs
- Keg and container tracking
- Taproom and distributor sales
- Quality checks and recalls
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the head brewer
- For cellar and packaging staff
- For the taproom
- For sales and the owner
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Tank use and free dates
- Batches by recipe and yield
- Ingredient stock and reorder list
- Packaging output by format
- Kegs held by customer and overdue
- Sales by product, channel and customer
- Lots shipped to each customer
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Taproom card terminal
- Barcode and label printer
- Accounting software export
- Email and SMS
- Fermentation logger import
- Online shop
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is this brewery software or general inventory software?
- Can it plan which tank to use?
- Can it follow one batch into several package formats?
- How does keg tracking work?
- Does it run the taproom till?
- Can distributors place orders themselves?
- Can we trace a faulty batch?
- Can we import our recipes and stock?
- What does it cost?
- Do we need this for a very small brewery?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Tank schedules live on a whiteboard
- Batch records are incomplete
- Brewhouse ingredients are judged by eye
- Kegs go missing
- Sales channels are kept apart
Prefer to talk it through? See the breweries page.