We first reported on Keg Outlet in our February 2020 post Growing Beyond Home Brewing where we referenced three informative videos they had produced:

• How to Make Kombucha in Large Batches to Serve on Draft
• How to Add Natural Fruit Flavor to Kombucha During Second Fermentation
• How to Keg Kombucha and Serve Kombucha on Draft

These are among the 90+ informative videos that Keg Outlet have posted to their YouTube channel. This interview with company co-founder Brandon Hanson is an update on their business and observations on the kombucha industry in general.

Keg Outlet is a small family-run business based in Ventura County, California. Brandon Hanson and his brother Cary initially started “Brew PS” (a play on UPS) supplying home-brew ingredients, but pivoted to selling equipment due to challenges stocking perishable goods. While beer and cold-brew coffee brewers are their primary focus, they have a steady market in kombucha supplies, largely catering to individuals looking to scale up their brewing, often with an eye towards commercial production. The core business provides equipment like kegs, fermenters, kettles, and kegerators.

Kegging kombucha is a convenient method for larger batches. Keg Outlet has seen a steady interest in home brewers and scaling up to commercial kombucha operations. They also note growing international interest in their kombucha equipment. Their website and YouTube channel serve as valuable resources for people interested in these processes.

Keg Outlet remains a small operation run by brothers Brendan and Kerry Hanson emphasizing direct customer interaction.

I know a lot of our customers like that they can call and talk to one of us on the phone or shoot us an email and it’s one of us who responds.

In addition to their YouTube, Keg Outlet has published a ‘Drips & Draughts’ podcast series, including an interview with Ethan and Kate from Blue Ridge Bucha in Waynesboro, VA. They share their experience in scaling up from home-brewing.

Brendan: As you build up the brewery side, can I ask what a typical batch size for this is when you’re brewing?

Ethan: Yes. Absolutely. Kombucha, I would say most people in a home brew environment would probably have about a gallon jar. Some people step up to two gallon jars and there might be some people who are working at of five gallon crocks. That’s pretty much all the information you can find available on the internet, will be how to brew one gallon or two gallons.

It’s really been a journey this scale up. We have other kombucha companies we’ve been in their facilities, checked out. Some were operating upwards of couple of hundred gallons. Some are still in two gallon glass jars or five gallon crocks. We have developed our process to where were in 250 gallon vessels. They work just great. The biggest jump actually was from our two-gallon glass jar to the first 25-gallon kettle and it was like, “All right. Can we make this leap?” And, then, from there we just scaled up. We did 25-gallons to 50-gallons then we jump from that to our 250’s.

It feels like a really nice manageable size to really keep that artisanal feeling for us. One brewer can be standing up there with the paddle and just stirring this giant caldron. It’ feels great, it’s real great. From the quality craft side, we’ve actually at this scale we’ve been able to really hone in and have more controls on our grand science experiment, which is our beverage. We can really hone it in and have every batch just to be that much more consistent and we’ve locked in our flavor better than we ever have with our current system which is awesome.

Listen to the podcast to hear Brendan tell the Keg Outlet story.

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