Plato Brewing and Consulting

08/06/2026

If your 20 barrel brewhouse is knocking out 18 barrels instead of 20+, you may not feel it on brew day. But for a 6000 barrel a year brewery, across 300 batches a year? That's 34 additional brew days of ingredients, labor, water, energy, and time.

That's not a rounding error. That's a line item that's quietly increasing your costs and eating into your margins.

Brewhouse efficiency is where we start every single operational audit at Plato Beverage Consulting. 9 out of 10 times, it's where we find the first (and fastest) opportunity for improvement. An average of 7% improvement in batch yields alone.

We just published a full breakdown of the Top 5 Brewhouse Metrics every brewery should be tracking in our latest Operational Efficiency Improvement Series article
Read it here → www.plato.b**r/brewery-resource-center

Want to know where your brewhouse efficiency stands today? Let's talk. 📩 www.plato.b**r/contact

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02/06/2026

Most breweries track sales closely. Far fewer track, review, and improve the right operational metrics that directly drive profitability.

In the latest article from our Operational Efficiency Improvement Series, we take a deeper dive into one of the most important areas of brewery operations: The Brewhouse.

In this piece, we break down 5 Brewhouse Efficiency Metrics every brewery should be tracking, reviewing, and improving over time.

Small improvements in brewhouse efficiency can compound into meaningful gains in labor utilization, raw material efficiency, production capacity, and overall profitability over hundreds of batches each year.

At Plato Beverage Consulting, operational efficiency is one of the core areas we focus on with breweries through our Plato Improvement Process (PIP), helping breweries identify opportunities to improve yields, reduce losses, and strengthen operational performance and profitability over time.

If you have been following along with our series on Operational Efficiency, you have likely read through our latest article providing an overview of Operational Efficiency and why it matters for Your Brewery. If you haven’t, check that out as well as other writings and info available at our Brewer...

19/12/2025

As brewery owners wrap up a busy 2025, many are already thinking about how to enter 2026 with stronger margins and less stress.
I’ve launched The Bottom Line: a monthly newsletter sharing calm, practical insights on operations finance, cost control, and profitability for small to mid-sized breweries, brewpubs, cideries, and craft spirits producers.
Each issue is a quick 3-minute read: one key number, one actionable fix, and real-world proof that protects your bottom line.

09/12/2025

A reintroduction to Plato Beverage Consulting. With over 15 years of brewing operations experience as a Head Brewer and Director of Operations, our President and Principal Consultant: Derek Wasak brings unparalleled expertise to Plato Beverage. Specializing in Operational Planning, Business Planning, and Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) for breweries, brewpubs, cideries, distilleries, and beverage manufacturers. Derek helps owners and managers gain visibility into their business to optimize profitability and efficiency through an operational and financial lens with data-driven insights.

Derek leverages his deep operational management background to deliver financial reviews, operational audits, custom KPI dashboards, and actionable recommendations for improvement. His proven, data-focused strategies have driven cost reductions, enhanced margin health, and increased production efficiency. Often leading to double digit gains in efficiency and profitability for clients.

After years spent professionally brewing, planning, opening breweries and brewpubs, managing daily operations, designing facilities, and making award winning b**r, Derek transitioned into full-time consulting by founding Plato Brewing and Consulting Inc. in 2019. Now, he empowers brewery owners nationwide with Financial and Operational Planning, Business Planning, and Operational Improvement services. Turning complex data into actionable growth and improvement plans. Passionate about profitability and efficiency, Derek is committed to helping your brewery thrive with expert financial and operational guidance to help improve profitability.

03/12/2025

A lot of you know us as the brewery consulting firm created by Derek Wasak, a brewer helps plan, build, and launch your brewery, brewpub, or cidery over the last decade. Thank you, sincerely, for trusting me with those big, life-changing projects.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve quietly pivoted Plato Brewing into Plato Beverage Consulting. Something a little different but built on the exact same foundation: making good operators great, helping avoid costly mistakes, and helping your business save and make more money.

26/11/2025

Make sure to take the time to be with family, friends, and the people who make all the long hours worth it. To all of my clients and others in the brewery, brewpub, cidery, bar and restaurant industry: Have a SAFE and Happy Thanksgiving.

Send this to a brewery or restaurant owner you know, Cheers from Plato Beverage Consulting!

11/11/2025

It is November and that means Brewery Budgeting Season is upon us! Without a 2026 budget locked in now, that Holiday Season spike becomes February’s cash-flow crisis.
I just published the Plato Beverage Consulting 2026 Brewery Budget Guide, a step-by-step playbook to:

✅ Planning and Forecasting your Brewery/Brewpub Budget for 2026
✅ Bridge the Q1 dip with better cash flow visibility
✅ Align production, labor, and growth needs before the busy season hits

Reach out to me directly for a free budget best practices planning check list! Let’s make 2026 your most profitable year yet.


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It’s November, Quarter 3 is in the books, and Quarter 4’s holiday surge is on the way, which can be a great spike in revenue to end the year. But as a Brewery Owner, you know the January/February slump is on the horizon and can erase those gains without a plan.

08/09/2025

As small and mid sized breweries face ongoing cost pressures from labor and ingredient prices, as well as waning consumer demand, it has never been more important to ensure you are tracking the financial health of your business.

I put together a short list of the most important KPI's all brewery and beverage business owners should be tracking to gain insight into the financial health of your margins and business. There are many more than this, but it is a good start to get back to basics, manage your cots, and protect your margins.

Let me know if I missed any important KPI's!

Boost brewery financial success in 2025 with these 5 KPIs: Gross Operating Margin, Net Margin, and more. Expert FP&A tips from Plato Brewing and Consulting.

23/05/2023

Educational information for people who want to start a brewery.

23/08/2021

Brewing Hard Seltzer is just important as brewing Craft B**r. We break down why and how you can do it so you don't fall behind the times.

www.plato.b**r/brewery-startup-info/brewing-hard-seltzer-a-must-for-craft-breweries-everywhere

We break down the importance of brewing hard seltzers in the craft brewing industry today. We will also give some tips and tricks on how to brew a proper hard seltzer base.