My birthday became the starting point for launching my own business. Friends who knew about my dream gave me a special grain kit so that I could try brewing beer myself. I gathered the equipment I had at home and tried to brew my first beer over a fire, without any complicated technology. While brewing, I thought that this could be a reference to the Middle Ages, when there were no electronic thermometers or sophisticated filtration systems, and I decided to create authentic beer. At the time, I could not have imagined that it would grow into a business; I was simply curious to see what would come of it.
Beer with a Taste of the Middle Ages: How Much Does It Cost to Open a Craft Brewery?
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Historian and serviceman from Kharkiv Region Viktor Yesipov had been searching for original beer flavours and dreaming of his own brewery since his student years — one that would stand out from conventional breweries through its authenticity. Comparing mass-market beer with beer served in pubs, he realised that he wanted to try brewing a drink according to his own recipes, but he was not able to bring the idea to life immediately.
After graduating from university, Viktor Yesipov served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and fought in the ATO zone. When he returned home, he worked in his profession as a history teacher until the full-scale war began… Later, after leaving military service, while looking for work, he returned in his thoughts to the business idea of producing craft beer.
Viktor Yesipov, brewer and owner of the Dwarf Brewery beer brand
After brewing the beer, Viktor waited 1.5 months for it to ferment, tasted it and treated his friends to it. The result was excellent on the first attempt, everyone liked it, and the flavour turned out to be much more distinctive than that of so-called «store-bought» beer. After that, the brewer began buying grain kits and trying to brew other varieties. Not everything worked out, but he experimented, chose classic styles and modified them slightly, and even then began thinking that the venture was worth turning into a business.
«I purchased packaging and tried selling beer at retail through social media, but it was difficult because very few people knew about me or my products. In addition, certification, licensing and other requirements were necessary. I managed to sell several batches, but I realised that I did not have enough time to devote my full attention to brewing, and retail was not the format that suited me. So I put the process on hold for a while,» the craft producer says.
Later, Viktor Yesipov came across news from AgroPortal.ua online that the CraftUP Ukraine project for craft producers was being launched. This gave him hope that he could receive grant funding and purchase an automatic brewing system and equipment that would speed up the beer brewing process.
Viktor Yesipov, brewer and owner of the Dwarf Brewery beer brand:
Moreover, during the training within the project, I realised that I need to start by cooperating with shops and draught beer establishments, so I hope that grant support will help me restart the business. My idea was also supported by friends who even agreed to invest in production and help create authentic beer. Now I plan to start working in a new way, with the experience I already have.
«Irish Stout»
One brewing cycle produces 20 litres of beer, and for now the brewer can make four batches per month. However, with an automatic brewing system, he could brew beer every day, and production volumes would therefore increase significantly.
«I buy ready-made ingredients for brewing beer from specialised stores — grain kits that include barley malt, hops of the appropriate variety, which determine the type of beer to be produced, and yeast. The flavour of the beer changes depending on the brewing temperature. I also monitor quality and cleanliness and taste the product at different stages to understand what it is lacking,» Viktor Yesipov shares his experience.
Sugar is not required for the beer itself. During brewing, the malt is heated and releases natural sugars, which are fermented by the yeast. Later, when the beer needs to become foamy and carbonated, a certain amount of sugar is added directly to bottles or kegs, where carbonation takes place naturally. This dispels the myth that «livе» beer is suitable for consumption for only 2–3 days. Real beer, provided it is not contaminated with fungi or bacteria other than yeast, can be stored for several months or even years. Moreover, when stored correctly, the process of champagnisation takes place, changing the density, alcohol content and flavour. In other words, beer stored for one month will taste different from beer stored for 3–9 months, and it will not turn sour unless foreign bacteria get into it.
Viktor Yesipov, brewer and owner of the Dwarf Brewery beer brand
My philosophy is that beer should have quality and a unique flavour that distinguishes it from mass-market beer. I brew classic Irish Stout, Vienna-style beer, Rauchbier — a red beer, honey beer, which is quite difficult to make, white wheat beer, and a darker, sweeter-tasting beer. For IPA enthusiasts, I also brew beer using different types of hops. In addition to beer, I have made kvass and kombucha. The latter is difficult to produce, and the technology still needs some work.
The brewer is currently working on selling his beverages and has chosen a strategy of wholesale sales through food service establishments or draught beer shops. He plans to look for partners and provide trial batches for sale in order to understand which beers are in demand among consumers.
«I also plan to produce beer «by subscription» — that is, a person will be able to order a particular variety that I will brew to order. It will be exactly what the consumer wants and in the quantity they need. I am focused on working for the consumer, studying their preferences and developing recipes for original flavours that are not yet available on the mass market,» Viktor Yesipov notes.
The craft beer niche in Kharkiv Region has become less crowded, unfortunately, due to the loss of relevant breweries in Donetsk and Luhansk regions that used to supply their products. In addition, the entrepreneur does not feel competition from other regions, as his production is entirely local.
Viktor Yesipov, brewer and owner of the Dwarf Brewery beer brand
The biggest problem in my case is that I started selling the wrong way. I should have focused on wholesale rather than retail. In addition, I mostly work alone, but now my friends have become interested after seeing the process and evaluating the result. They concluded that craft brewing has a right to exist, so they are ready to help, invest and develop together with me.
To enter the brewing business without repeating his mistakes, the craft producer says, it is necessary to purchase an automatic brewing system, which costs approximately UAH 20,000 depending on its capacity, condition and manufacturer. Fermentation vessels are also required — UAH 500 each (Viktor has four), as well as kegs for transferring and selling finished beer, and grain kits or raw materials from farmers. Grain kits cost an average of UAH 500–900 each, depending on the variety. It is advisable to purchase different varieties so that consumers can taste different types of beer. Accordingly, production should be registered from the outset in order to enter the wholesale market and have the right to sell at retail. The price depends on the region and the location of the production facility — for example, a licence in a village will cost less than in a city. Water and electricity costs should also not be forgotten. Thus, a brewing business can be started with UAH 45,000 — excluding documents for registering production, licences and other expenses.
For reference: CraftUP Ukraine is an educational and grant project for craft food producers organised by the online publication AgroPortal.ua with the support of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine. The project consists of several stages. The first was a study of Ukraine’s craft production market, based on the results of which a training programme was developed. Its participants included 40 craft producers from different regions of Ukraine.
Following the educational stage, 10 finalists were selected and are now preparing for the final presentation of their business projects. In September, they will present them to the Expert Council. At the same time, the CraftUP Ukraine team is introducing the audience to the stories of all the finalists, while the participants themselves are taking part in individual mentoring sessions with specialised experts.
Information about the project is available on the page of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine
Viktoriia Polevyk, AgroPortal.ua
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