The Real Story Behind Your Favorite Beer: How Modern Breweries Are Built in Southern California

When you enter a taproom, as most craft beer aficionados would, the first thing you see is the beer list, the atmosphere, the lighting, the merch board, the tap handles… even the dogs in the patio heaters. The thing is that the construction, plumbing, electricity, drainage, permits, and coordination are the backbone of a brewery, and every pour is possible because of these.

The brewers, designers, architects, subcontractors, electricians, plumbers, project managers, inspectors, and general contractors, all of whom have collaborated to make the dream a reality, are behind every smoky IPA or barrel-aged stout. This build-out stage, more than ever before, is crucial in Southern California, where the craft beer industry has been growing, defining not only the brewery itself but also the experience that every visitor will have.

We can deconstruct what it actually requires to open a brewery.

1. Brewery Floors: The Foundation of the Entire Operation

No one posts Instagram pics of the brewery floor, but they’re the #1 most important part of any brewhouse.

A proper brewery floor includes:

• Urethane cement coating to handle hot/cold shock
• Perfect slopes toward trench drains
• Waterproof membranes under the surface
• Non-slip textures so staff stay safe
• High load-bearing strength for tanks, kegs, and forklifts

This is one of the biggest mistakes breweries make when they choose the wrong contractor, and it’s one of the most expensive things to fix later.

2. Plumbing the Right Way Matters More Than Most People Realize

Beer is 90% water.  A brewery’s construction plan?  It’s about 90% plumbing.

Every brewery needs:

• Hot and cold water supply
• Floor drains
• Trench drains
• Steam and condensate drains
• Wastewater management
• Gas line installation
• Backflow prevention
• Venting systems

This is not “normal” commercial plumbing. This is industrial-level plumbing designed for constant water movement, temperature changes, and heavy usage. When the plumbing is bad, the entire operation suffers.

3. Electrical Work: Breweries Use More Power Than You’d Expect

Brewhouses, glycol chillers, walk-in coolers, pumps, canning lines, lighting, HVAC, it all requires clean and stable power.

A modern brewery needs:

• 3-phase electrical service
• High-capacity breaker panels
• GFCI-protected circuits
• Emergency shutoff systems
• High-performance LED lighting
• Dedicated electrical lines for production equipment

Good electrical planning = fewer shutdowns and safer operations.

4. Turning a Warehouse Into a Taproom Takes Serious Know-How

The Southern California breweries tend to begin in the industrial parks, where there are large vacant spaces, high ceilings, and good infrastructure.

However, to transform a warehouse into a warm, law-abiding taproom, one will need:

• Framing new walls
• ADA-compliant bathrooms
• New HVAC
• Seating and bar layout for customers.
• Fire safety systems
• Proper insulation
• Flooring upgrades
• New electrical runs
• Back-of-house layout planning.

It will be to create an area that flows freely, where staff and guests move with the experience of enjoying the brewery.

5. The Outdoor Beer Gardens have become a massive constituent of the SoCal Brewery Experience.

If you have been to San Diego, Riverside, Orange County, or the Inland Empire in recent times, you must have realized one thing, which is that everybody is building or extending their outdoor area.

That means:

• Shade structures
• Paver patios
• Artificial landscape or artificial turf.
• Outdoor bars
• ADA pathways
• Lighting
• Awnings
• Drainage and grading
• Fire pits and heaters

Outdoor beer gardens don’t just need code-compliant paths—they benefit from durable design accents that create ambiance and flow. Heavy-gauge planters, trellises, obelisks, lanterns, and privacy screens can define zones, buffer street noise, and withstand coastal weather while matching an industrial‑modern taproom palette. For inspiration and hospitality-grade pieces, explore H Potter garden decor for metal planters, trellis screens, torches, and stakes that elevate patios without sacrificing durability.

Outdoor extensions tend to generate tremendous revenue growth in monthly incomes, particularly in the warmer seasons.

So Who Helps Breweries Build All This?

Here’s the truth: Most contractors can build a house. Few can build a brewery.

Brewery construction requires subcontractors and teams that understand:

• Heavy-duty plumbing
• Industrial electrical work
•  Building codes
•  Safety requirements
•  ADA compliance
• Concrete work & drainage
•  HVAC for both taprooms and brewhouses
•  Industrial-to-hospitality conversions
• The entire project management process

One company involved in this kind of work in the Inland Empire and surrounding areas is S-Line Contractors, who provide commercial construction and renovation services, especially in brewery-heavy regions like Corona, CA.

Their Corona service area is here:
 👉 https://www.slinecontractors.com/corona/

Like a fresh construction or a renovation, or even a total remodeling of a taproom, it is important to have a contractor who is knowledgeable in the requirements of a brewery.

Behind every great beer, a man put up the space.

Craft beer is personal. People form friendships over it, feast with it, visit cities through it, and learn new flavors with friends. Out of the limelight is yet another craft, the craft of building, repairing, electrical, plumbing, and choices untold, that makes a brewery feel secure, operational, and friendly. Whenever you have a nice time sipping a pint on a sunny patio or are gazing at a beautifully completed taproom, keep in mind that all those details were meant to help it.

Someone had to dream it.

Someone had to draw it.

Someone had to build it.

And that is an art that is worth enjoying.