When we decided to go commercial, in our teeny tiny way, I did not imagine for one moment that our first actual purchase, our first momentous handing over of hard cash that would deplete our small pot of money, would be for lino flooring! The process of setting up a commercially licenced brewery in the UK seems simple. But I can tell you it hasn’t felt it! From sorting out the bank account (surely a 5 minute job? Nope, weeks…) to registering with HMRC and getting our alcohol warehouse licence, I’ve learned to be prepared for everything that could go wrong to do so. Oh, and if you think something will take a week, allow three… So far, we’ve done a load of paperwork and started prepping our premises. Watch this space for more news… Where are so far:

• Registered with Companies House
• Registered for Corporation Tax
• Bank account open
• Submitted application to HMRC re registering premises commercially and paying duty
• Submitted application to the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS)
• Spoken to the Council’s food safety team
• Worked out what we need to adjust in our brewing premises to meet food safety standards
• Commissioned branding and artwork
• Decided our four launch beers
• Drawn up the kit purchase list