Most breweries start off with Excel as their primary brewery management software.
Excel is easy to use, inexpensive and most people know how to use it. In the beginning, those are all really great things. However, as a brewery grows, Excel starts to get in the way. Many brewers find that what once worked well for a single brewer with 2-5 styles of beer, becomes unmanageable with multiple brewers and an increasing number of brew styles. That progression is normal. As the brewery grows, what used to be an easy-to-use tool slowly becomes more of a problem than a solution. So what are some of the warning signs that it is time to upgrade from Excel?
- Spending time changing multiple spreadsheets or tabs to replace grains or make simple adjustments
- Rechecking formulas to ensure that when a new column was added, it did not break the spreadsheet
- Keeping multiple spreadsheets with related data
- Inventory levels
- Formulas
- Schedule
- Quality by Brew/Fermentation
- Concerns about who changed what and if a change is needed
- Multiple sources of the same truth
VicinityBrew Brewery Management Software
If any of these warning signs feel familiar, it might be time to think about growing beyond your Excel spreadsheets. Don’t get me wrong – Excel is a terrific query and data analysis tool – it is just an awful database, especially for a brewery. Using the proper tool to store your data will take you a long way in your growth. So why should you consider centralizing data in a tool like VicinityBrew?
- One source of truth for all formulas
- Changing materials (grow year) is simple
- Logs are integrated with inventory for up to date inventory balances
- A centralized schedule can be seen by many and it predicts grain shortages
- A fully integrated financial system – Quickbooks Online or Microsoft Dynamics – pulls all the financial data together
- Growth is simple and dynamic – use what you need when you need it
So grow your brewery beyond Excel when the time is right. If you are no longer brewing in converted home brewing kegs, then you should not be running your business on Excel. Just as you upgrade your brewing equipment or beer list, think about doing the same with your brewery management software. Let us know how we can help – we are here when you are ready to take the next step towards a more efficient brewery management software.