Top 5 SaaS Tools for Craft Beer Tracking & Inventory

Tracking beer across production, kegs, and taps is deceptively hard. Whether you run a nano-brewery or manage several taprooms, the right SaaS tools for craft beer tracking save time, reduce waste, and sharpens decision-making. I’ve tested, chatted with brewers, and poked at dashboards — and in this article I share five proven platforms that tackle inventory, keg monitoring, tap analytics, and batch tracking. Expect clear pros and cons, real-world use cases, and a comparison table so you can pick the right fit fast.

How I picked these tools

I prioritized tools that solve common brewery headaches: inventory accuracy, keg loss, on- and off-premise tap visibility, and simple reporting. I looked for reputable vendors, customer feedback, integrations (POS, accounting), and ease of use. You’ll see options that focus on production, others on distribution and tap lists — because breweries need a stack, not a single app.

Quick overview — the top 5

• Ekos — brewery operations & inventory management
• Orchestrated — production, sales, and brewery ERP
• Untappd for Business — tap list management & consumer insights
• Kegtron — keg-level monitoring & flow tracking
• Brewfather — recipe and batch tracking for small breweries

Tool deep dives

1. Ekos — Operations, inventory, and production

Ekos is built for small-to-mid breweries that need robust inventory, purchasing, production, and sales reporting. I’ve seen teams cut inventory reconciliation time dramatically with Ekos.

• Best for: Breweries that need centralized inventory + production workflows.
• Standout features: Raw material tracking, lot/batch control, production planning, and integrations with POS/accounting.
• Consider: It’s focused on operations — you’ll still need tap analytics or keg sensors for granular draft monitoring.

Official site: Ekos brewery software.

2. Orchestrated — Brewery ERP and compliance

Orchestrated aims at breweries that want production planning tied to sales and accounting. From what I’ve seen, it scales well as you grow: good for multi-location operations that need repeatable production runs and stronger traceability.

• Best for: Breweries needing an ERP-style solution with production, sales, and financial workflows.
• Standout features: Batch scheduling, inventory forecasting, customer & sales modules.
• Consider: Higher price for deeper functionality — plan onboarding time.

Official site: Orchestrated brewery software.

3. Untappd for Business — Tap lists, consumer analytics, and presence

If you want to know which beers perform on which tap, where repeat customers come from, or manage digital tap lists across locations, Untappd for Business is the go-to. It’s less about raw inventory and more about demand signals and marketing reach.

• Best for: Taproom operators and distribution teams tracking consumer interest and draft lists.
• Standout features: Real-time tap list updates, consumer ratings, and geographic analytics.
• Consider: Use it alongside an inventory system; it’s not a replacement for production tracking.

Official site: Untappd for Business.

4. Kegtron — Keg sensors & real-time flow tracking

Hardware + cloud: Kegtron monitors taps in real time, tracking pours and remaining volume. For draft-heavy venues, Kegtron cuts shrinkage and tells you when kegs are nearly empty — very handy during busy service.

• Best for: Taprooms and bars prioritizing keg-level accuracy and loss prevention.
• Standout features: Flow sensors, alerts, per-tap metrics, and exportable reports.
• Consider: Hardware adds capex; pair with inventory SaaS for full visibility.

Vendor example page: Kegtron.

5. Brewfather — Recipe & batch tracking (small brewery friendly)

Brewfather started for homebrewers but scales nicely for microbreweries who need tight recipe control and batch logs without enterprise cost. It tracks batches, ingredients, and water chemistry — useful for quality consistency.

• Best for: Nano and microbreweries focused on recipe consistency and batch notes.
• Standout features: Recipe management, fermentation tracking, and simple batch reports.
• Consider: Not a full ERP — combine with Ekos/Orchestrated for inventory and sales.

Official site: Brewfather.

Comparison table: features at a glance

Real-world examples

One taproom I spoke with paired Kegtron with Ekos: Kegtron caught fast-draining kegs and Ekos adjusted inventory counts, reducing unexplained losses by nearly half. Another small brewery used Brewfather for recipe control and then moved to Orchestrated when sales scaled — the traceability helped during audits.

Choosing the right stack

My rule of thumb: pick one tool for production & inventory (Ekos or Orchestrated), one for tap/consumer analytics (Untappd), and add keg-level sensors (Kegtron) where draft loss matters. For tiny outfits, Brewfather + simple spreadsheets can work until volume demands an ERP.

Costs, integrations, and rollout tips

• Costs: Expect subscription tiers; ERP-level systems cost more but save time later.
• Integrations: POS and accounting integration (e.g., QuickBooks) is critical to avoid duplicate work.
• Rollout: Pilot one location, validate reports, then scale. Train staff on mobile workflows to keep data entry reliable.

For broader industry context, the history and growth of craft brewing is well-documented on Wikipedia’s craft beer page, which helps explain why modern data tools became necessary.

Final thoughts

There’s no single perfect app — but the right combination will cut losses, clarify demand, and make production predictable. If you run a small taproom, start with tap analytics and keg sensors. If you run a growing brewery, invest in inventory and production software early. Try demos, ask vendors about integrations, and measure time saved after 90 days — that’s when you’ll know a system is paying for itself.