Craft Beverage
You know the recipe by heart. But do you know the true cost per pint? We track production costs by batch and separate taproom from distribution to reveal your real margins.
The Industry
Craft beverage is three businesses wrapped into one. You are a manufacturer turning raw ingredients into finished product. You are running a hospitality venue with the taproom or tasting room. And you might be a distributor selling to bars, restaurants, and retailers across the region.
The financial complexity comes from the production cycle. Grain becomes wort becomes beer over weeks. Grapes ferment for months. Spirits age for years. Your cash is tied up in inventory that is not ready to sell yet, and tracking costs through that transformation is where most bookkeeping falls apart.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Craft breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, and meaderies. Any business producing beverage alcohol where the taproom or tasting room is a major revenue driver alongside wholesale and distribution.
The Friction
The Friction
Your point-of-sale tracks taproom sales. Your production software tracks batches. Your distributor sends a statement. Getting all of this into one clean financial picture requires reconciliation work that rarely happens consistently.
The Process
We focus on cost per unit. What does it actually cost to produce a pint of your IPA or a bottle of your reserve? This means tracking raw materials through production and allocating labor and overhead to each batch. The result is a clear number you can use for pricing decisions.
Revenue gets separated by channel. Taproom sales, bottle shop, distribution, online orders, and merchandise are tracked independently. This reveals which channels are actually driving profit and which ones are just moving volume without contributing much to the bottom line.
Batch Costing
Batch Costing
Every production run is tracked. Ingredients, yeast, packaging, and labor hours are allocated to the batch. When you tap that keg or bottle that case, you know your floor cost before you set a price.
Excise Tax Organization
Excise Tax Organization
Federal and state excise taxes require detailed production and removal records. We organize your data so these filings are accurate and the tax liability is clear well before the deadline arrives.
Common Problems
The most common mistake is expensing ingredients when you buy them instead of tracking them through inventory. A $500 grain order looks like this month’s expense, but it might produce beer you sell over the next three months. This distorts your monthly profit picture and makes it hard to know how you are actually doing.
The other issue is channel blindness. Taproom sales feel great because you collect full retail price. But you are also paying for the bartender, the rent, and the credit card fees. Distribution margins look thin, but the overhead is lower. Without separating the numbers, you cannot see the truth.
Keg Tracking
Keg Tracking
Kegs are assets that leave your premises. They come back sometimes. We track keg inventory and deposits so you know where your equipment is sitting and what money is owed back to you.
Sales Tax Complexity
Sales Tax Complexity
On-premise consumption versus off-premise sales often have different tax rates. Some categories of alcohol are taxed differently than others. Getting this wrong creates liability you will not see until an audit.
What Changes
You price your product knowing exactly what it cost to make. No more guessing. When a distributor asks for a lower price, you can see instantly whether the deal still works or if you would be losing money on every case.
Expansion decisions get easier. Buying new fermenters, adding a canning line, or opening a second taproom becomes a financial analysis instead of a leap of faith. You know your numbers, so you can plan growth with confidence.
Recipe Profitability
Recipe Profitability
Not all products are created equal. That hazy IPA might outsell your lager three to one, but if the hop cost eats the margin, you need to know. We give you profit data by product so you can make smart decisions about your lineup.
Compliance Confidence
Compliance Confidence
TTB reports and excise tax filings become routine. The data is organized, the records are clean, and you are not scrambling every quarter to pull together production numbers at the last minute.
San Diego's Small Business Bookkeeper
The Next Step:
A Short Conversation
A quick call to tell us about your business. We'll listen, answer your questions, and give you a clear price quote.
