Beer Software: Solutions Used by Breweries & Beer Suppliers

By
Nick Mirev
Table of Contents
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    Virtually all businesses need modern technological solutions. Some of these innovations are primarily related to hardware and equipment. Others are different types of software and cloud solutions. The beer industry is no different. In past decades, breweries have started using different types of beer software. Some of these solutions are related to recipe management and monitoring the brewing process. Others offer features related to wholesale distribution and inventory management. In this post, we’ll share more about brewery management software and other innovative solutions used by beer manufacturers, suppliers, and other companies. Make sure to also read our posts on how to start a brewery and craft beer menus.

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    Key takeaway: Nowadays, breweries use various types of modern equipment and software technology. These solutions help them achieve better efficiency, consistency, and higher sales.

    Brewery Management Software (BMS)

    This is the main type of beer software used by breweries, taprooms, brewpubs, and other beer manufacturers. It’s similar to ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions, but it is custom-tailored to breweries. The main goals of brewing management software are to centralize operations and streamline processes through a single solution. This makes it an all-in-one platform for various brewing operations. Some types of brewery management software focus on the brewing process and have limited additional features. Others offer users a wide range of features related to accounting, regulation compliance, sales, and more.

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    Main Features of Brewery Management Software

    1. Product management features related to recipe development, brew scheduling and tasks, fermentation tracking, and real-time monitoring;
    2. Supply chain and inventory management functionalities such as tracking deliveries of different types of grains, low-stock alerts, reorders, and other inventory tracking functionalities;
    3. Sales features related to order processing, distribution management, and customer relationship management (CRM) are also part of many brewery management software solutions;
    4. Compliance and regulations features such as quality checks, traceability tools, and tax report automation solutions;
    5. Accounting and financial analytics features help with budgeting, forecasting, cost of goods sold calculations, and integration with accounting software.

    These key features can be found in most well-known brewery management software solutions. However, some of them have additional features or can be integrated with other types of software. For example, some types of brewery management software are more suitable for brewpubs and have features related to beer menu engineering.

    Benefits of Using Brewery Management Software

    The craft beer revolution has made the beer niche market very competitive. As such, breweries that don’t use a BMS are bound to be less efficient and lose competitiveness over time. Let’s examine the main benefits of using brewery management software.

    1. Better efficiency thanks to automation and easier execution of various tasks;
    2. Scalability and growth can more easily be achieved with professional beer software;
    3. Integration between brewery management software and other technologies can streamline all operations;
    4. Batch consistency is especially important in this sector. Businesses in the restaurant industry and other bulk buyers want consistency in terms of quality and characteristics;
    5. BMS also helps breweries with regulatory compliance;
    6. The powerful analytics features of this beer software allow brewery managers to plan and forecast more easily.
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    Other Types of Beer Software

    Although brewery management systems are the most important type of beer software for breweries, there are other solutions these businesses can use. 

    1. Inventory management solutions. They are fairly common among all businesses in the food and beverage industry. Breweries use them to track raw and finished inventory. Bigger companies usually choose software that has vendor-managed inventory capabilities.
    2. Distribution software. Solutions like BlueCart can help breweries increase their B2B sales, manage wholesale orders, automate sales, and create eCommerce catalogs. Sales and distribution solutions have functionalities related to customer relationship management (CRM), route planning, sales reporting, order fulfillment, and sales forecasting.
    3. POS. Point-of-sale systems are primarily used by restaurant businesses such as brewpubs and taprooms. They have various features related to data collection (used primarily in analysis and restaurant marketing), reservation management, sales tracking, and the overall management of restaurants.
    4. QA software. These solutions are used to track consistency between batches and lab results related to carbon dioxide levels, microbiological testing, alcohol by volume (ABV), and more. These metrics are tracked for regulatory and quality assurance reasons.
    5. Marketing solutions. Mailchimp and Google Analytics are examples of generic software solutions that can also be used by breweries. There are also specialized types of beer software, such as BrewLogix and BeerMenus that help business owners in the beer sector increase their sales and achieve high ROI.
    6. Accounting software. QuickBooks is one of the most versatile and popular accounting solutions available, and it can also be used by breweries. These software types have features related to invoicing, payroll, and taxes.
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    Frequently Asked Questions about Beer Software

    From tips on how to achieve restaurant success to advice about building a restaurant training program, there are plenty of useful resources on BlueCart’s website. In the following paragraphs, we’ve answered some common questions regarding beer software and technology.

    What Are the Trends in Beer Software and Technology?

    There are multiple innovations in the brewing industry. As with other sectors, one of the main trends is related to automation. This can be seen in various aspects such as data analytics, fermentation monitoring & control, and real-time inventory management. Breweries and other companies in the beer supply chain also use innovative marketing techniques. The craft beer revolution has changed the sector drastically. Exotic and lesser-known types of craft beer can be used as part of the beer marketing strategy. Beer software has also changed in recent years. Development companies aim to include more features and make their beer software solutions easily accessible and user-friendly.

    What Are the Most Popular Brewery Software Solutions?

    There are many brewery management software solutions available. Some of them focus primarily on brewing processes while others also have features related to accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), and reservation management (more suitable for brewpubs and taprooms). Here are some of the most popular brewery management software solutions.

    1. Ollie;
    2. Breww;
    3. Ekos;
    4. Kegshoe;
    5. BrewMan;
    6. BrewNinja;
    7. Beer30.

    Most of the features of these beer software examples are similar. However, there are differences in pricing, additional features offered, and usability. Thus, different types of businesses in the beer market can find that one beer software fits their needs better than the rest.

    What Are Brewery Supplies?

    The term refers to consumables, raw ingredients, equipment, and other products used by breweries in their day-to-day operations. Thanks to the craft beer revolution, the number of breweries has tripled in the past decade. As such, a growing number of distributors specialize in bulk sales of brewery supplies. Some of them also offer D2C services as there are many beer enthusiasts who wish to buy equipment and ingredients to brew their own beer.

    BlueCart: The Wholesale Ordering Software Breweries Can Trust

    From beer distributors and broadliners to importers and other wholesalers, various businesses can benefit from BlueCart’s features. Thanks to our software, companies can increase their wholesale sales while simultaneously automating certain aspects of their business. BlueCart’s marketplace is also a great place for wholesale buyers. Thousands of restaurants, cafes, retailers, and other companies use BlueCart to order from their suppliers. Whether you operate a broadline distribution company or wish to find suppliers for your food service business, BlueCart is the reliable software for you!

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