Hey folks! Today we're talking specifically about being careful about margins and how that can save you money in your operations.
"We probably lost some to foam" isn't sufficient when you're missing 3–5% every run. That variance compounds—and it undermines both inventory accuracy and cost per unit. Here's how to capture and reduce it.
The gap between brite tank volume and packaged output is often treated as a rounding error. In reality, packaging waste—low fills, seam issues, line purges—can account for 3 to 5 percent or more of production. In reality, packaging waste—low fills, seam issues, line purges—can account for 3 to 5 percent or more of production. Without tracking that waste, your inventory will show more finished goods than you actually have, and your cost per packaged unit will be understated.
The Packaging Variance Loop
At packaging, liquid moves from a brite tank (or fermenter) to cans, bottles, or kegs. The ideal outcome: every gallon in the tank becomes a saleable unit. The actual outcome: some volume is lost to line purges, low fills, seam failures, foaming, and other operational waste. That lost volume must be recorded as packaging waste, not ignored.
Input: Volume in the brite tank at the start of the run.
Output: Saleable units produced (cans, bottles, or kegs).
Variance: The difference between input and output. That variance is packaging waste.
If you do not log packaging waste, your ledger will show that the brite tank was emptied and that X cases were produced. It will not show that 2 percent of the volume was lost to low fills and purges. Over time, that gap creates a discrepancy between what your system says you have and what you actually have.
What to Log at Packaging
Every packaging run should record:
- Source vessel: Which brite tank (or fermenter) provided the beer.
- Volume transferred: How much beer went through the line.
- Units produced: How many cans, bottles, or kegs were filled and passed quality.
- Waste: How much was lost, and why.
Waste categories might include: line purge, low fills, seam failures, foaming, equipment malfunction, QC samples. The more granular the categories, the better you can identify improvement opportunities. “General waste” obscures root causes.
Low Fills and Quality Thresholds
The first cans or bottles of a run are often out of spec—underfilled, over-carbonated, or otherwise unacceptable. Many breweries run a purge of 20 to 50 units before the line stabilizes. Those purged units should be logged as packaging waste, not as saleable production. If they are not logged, they will show up later as inventory variance when a physical count reveals fewer units than the ledger suggests.
Kegging Variance
Kegging has its own waste profile. Foam during filling, line purges, and incomplete kegs all contribute. The same principle applies: record what went in, what came out, and what was lost. Keg fills that are short of a full half-barrel or sixth-barrel should be logged as partial fills or waste, depending on your standards.
Using Waste Data for Improvement
Once packaging waste is logged consistently, you can analyze it. Is waste higher at the start of a run? On certain SKUs? With certain operators? Those patterns point to process improvements—better line setup, different carbonation targets, or training needs.
Packaging variance tracking is not separate from production accounting. It is part of the ledger. Every gallon that leaves the tank should be accounted for—either as saleable output or as documented waste. When that discipline is in place, your inventory numbers become reliable, and your cost per unit becomes accurate.
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How BrewLedger Supports Packaging Tracking
BrewLedger tracks batches and inventory movements. When you package, you can log the source batch, the units produced, and waste events. Those movements feed the ledger and support variance visibility. See how it works when you are ready.