Sound Brewing Systems, Inc. has offered knowledgeable, effective and reasonably priced consulting services since 1994. Our approach is no-nonsense, and strongly oriented toward getting the project done or the problem solved for the lowest possible cost to you. We’ve found that the best advertising is referrals by satisfied clients and customers. Our projects are successful, too. Of the two dozen-plus brewing companies we have helped to set up and expand operations, all are still operating and producing beer.

Sound Brewing Systems’ founder and President Vince Cottone has been involved in the craft brewing industry since its earliest days. Mr. Cottone entered the brewing industry as a full time consultant in 1986, following 18 years of construction industry experience. He has completed numerous brewing education programs at The Siebel Institute and U.C. Davis, and has orchestrated over 30 brewery and brewpub start-ups and major expansions. He has written over 300 articles on beer and the brewing industry for a wide variety of industry trade publications and the consumer press. Mr. Cottone also recently co-authored a chapter on Craft Brewing for the 1999 edition of The Practical Brewer, an industry handbook published by the Master Brewers Association of the Americas. This book is highly recommend to anyone contemplating setting up or operating a craft brewery. Order The Practical Brewer 1999 Edition from the MBAA at (414)-774-8558.

New Project Consulting
For brewery and brewpub start-ups, from three barrels to 300 barrels. We’ve been project consultants on over 25 new breweries and many plant expansions. We’ve equipped most of these projects as well. Every project is treated as a custom job, because every brewery we start up is unique. We’re motivated to assemble the best brewery to meet your needs at a competitive cost and without compromising quality and reliability. We are very open to working with any combination of new and used equipment. In fact, almost every project we’ve done incorporates some used equipment.

Most project consulting is done on a combination of per hour and per day billing (when travel to the site is required) basis. With the complexity of today’s permitting processes, construction and code compliance issues, it is very difficult to “bid” a consulting job at a fixed price. However, complete project consulting for typical brewpub start-ups in the past 4 years have averaged in the range of $8,000-$14,000 for services, depending on the complexity of the project and the level of skills the client brings to the job. And, the average billed cost per job has been going down for the past five years.

Expansions
Planning expansion for a growing brewery can be daunting, whether it’s a cellar expansion, adding bottling line or upgrading a brewhouse or cooperage. We excel at planning and managing expansions of all types to get you the greatest efficiency and the biggest bang for the buck.

Annual Telephone Consulting Retainer
For your peace of mind, we offer a flat fee, pre-paid annual retainer for unlimited telephone consulting, subject to certain limitations. Under this program, all client calls to us at our offices, for any reason, are included in the flat annual fee. You don’t have to be concerned that the meter is running, whether we talk for two minutes or two hours. This is a real bargain for start-ups and ongoing support. Contact us for details and pricing.