Small independent breweries (UK) playbook · 11 jobs

AI for independent breweries: 11 jobs to hand to AI this week (pub pitches, replies, payment and container reminders and release copy; no duty calculations)

This page is for the selling and admin side of a small independent brewery in the UK. The evidence says the hard problems are getting your beer onto pub bars, margin and tax, and writing cannot fix those, so the jobs are about the messages, one-pagers and checklists around them. One software vendor's own documentation says its software handles UK beer duty calculations, so duty is not where AI helps and the one duty job is a double-check list from HMRC's own pages, not a calculation: AI never works out duty, a rate, a discount or a margin. Alcohol advertising and labelling have their own official bodies (the Portman Group, the ASA and CAP, and Trading Standards), so the jobs point to them and never say a piece of copy complies. Three jobs cover unpaid-invoice reminders, a request for casks and kegs back, and a festival stall checklist with questions for the council. They are limited to the owner's own terms, records and event details and to questions for the council, the organiser and your solicitor: none gives a legal conclusion, an interest or fee figure, an ownership or charging statement, or any help filling in a Temporary Event Notice (England and Wales only). Evidence is thin: SIBA's 2025 survey (a trade body, so attributed as advocacy), one broker's guide from 2019 and a software vendor's pages. Owner voice is thin and old (single blog posts from 2017, 2018 and 2024 and one social post from 2025). No customer, venue-staff or HMRC account details go into an AI tool, ever.

Never used ChatGPT or another AI tool? Start with job 1 below. Each job tells you which tool to open, the exact words to paste, and what to check before you send. New to all this? Read how to use AI at work, for beginners.

Your downloads: every prompt (.txt) every prompt (.md) whole playbook for Notion (.md) printable playbook (save as PDF)

Job 1 of 11ChatGPTGemini

Write a three-step pitch sequence to a local pub or bar, with a line for the buyer, one for the bar staff and one for the drinker, from your own beers and terms

SIBA's 2025 report says independent brewers cannot sell to, on average, 60% of the pubs local to their brewery, and 79% of members said the main barrier was a lack of access to beer lines. A better pitch will not open a tied bar, but it can make the venues that are open to you easier to say yes to. One broker's 2019 guide says to sell your beer three times: to the decision maker, to the bar staff who sell it and to the drinker who buys it. AI can turn your own facts into a short first email, a follow-up and a one-page sheet for the bar team. You decide every price, term and claim. AI does not work out margins or discounts, and the official alcohol-marketing bodies, not AI, decide what you can say about a drink.

Time: About 45 minutes for the first venue, then 10 minutes per venueTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool

An AI chat tool you already use, then your own email, spreadsheet or word processor (no customer, venue-staff or HMRC account details ever go into the AI tool)

Steps

  1. Sort the venue by type before you write. The broker's guide describes independent free-trade outlets (no more than 3 outlets and free of ties), larger leased and tenanted estates (where the deal is done at head office), small and medium operators, managed outlets with a buying department, and wholesalers. Write down which type this is, and for a pub that buys through a wholesaler note the wholesaler's name, because the guide says to know who it is before you go direct to the decision maker. If the pub is tied, ask the manager what they can buy rather than assuming.
  2. Write your facts in plain words: the two or three beers you would put forward (name, style, ABV as printed on your label, pack formats), what you can supply (delivery area, minimum order, lead time) and your price list as you set it. Leave any price or term you have not decided as [PRICE] or [TERM].
  3. Paste the facts into the prompt. The AI returns three things: a first email of about 120 words to the buyer, a second short email you send if there is no reply, and a one-page sheet for the bar staff (what each beer is, how to describe it in one line, how to pour and serve it only if you have given those facts). It also writes one 25-word line for a table card for drinkers.
  4. Read every line against your own facts and against the Portman Group Code and CAP Code section 18 pages (for anything the drinker will see), then send. For a business email to a sole trader or some partnerships, read the ICO's electronic mail marketing page first, because they are treated as individuals; a company can be emailed, and the ICO says its page is under review.
  5. Keep a simple log (venue, type, date sent, reply, next step) so the follow-up job on this page starts from facts, not memory.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a small independent brewery in the UK. I want to pitch a local pub or bar for a tap or listing. Below are my own facts. They contain no names, phone numbers or email addresses.

Task: write (1) a first email to the buyer of about 120 words, friendly and direct, that says who we are, which beers we suggest, what we can supply and one clear next step (a sample or a call); (2) a second email of about 60 words to send if there is no reply, that adds one new fact and does not nag; (3) a one-page sheet for the bar staff with a heading for each beer and one plain line each, using only the serving and tasting facts I give; and (4) one table-card line of about 25 words for drinkers. Use only my facts. Do not add awards, quotes, sales figures, claims about other breweries or any claim about a venue's customers. Use the blanks [BUYER], [VENUE], [MY NAME], [PRICE] and [TERM] where I have not given a fact.

RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my brewery's own facts, beers, prices, terms and dates. I have not included, and will not include, any customer, venue staff, drinker or employee name, phone number, email address or personal detail, and no HMRC login, reference number, bank or account detail. Do not ask for any, and do not invent any: use roles and blanks such as [BUYER], [VENUE] and [MY NAME]. Do not do arithmetic: copy every price, ABV, volume, date and figure exactly as I typed it, and never work out duty, VAT, a margin or a discount. Do not make any claim I have not given you: no award, health, mood, performance, social-success or strength claims, nothing that would appeal to under-18s, nothing that urges anyone to drink quickly or heavily, and never say that anything complies with a code, the law or HMRC's rules. If something is unclear write [FOR ME TO DECIDE] instead of guessing.

VENUE TYPE: [PASTE: for example independent bar, tenanted pub, small group, wholesaler]
MY BEERS AND TERMS: [PASTE]

✓ Check before you send

  • Every beer name, ABV, pack size, price and term in the drafts is one you typed in, copied exactly, with no figure the AI added.
  • The table-card line and anything a drinker will see has no claim about mood, health, strength, popularity or social success and nothing that could appeal to under-18s; you checked it against rule 3.2 of the Portman Group Code and CAP Code section 18 on their own pages.
  • No award, review or sales claim appears unless you hold the proof.
  • You know whether the venue is tied, tenanted or free of tie before you promise a price or a delivery, and the email does not assume it can buy from you.
  • For sole traders and some partnerships you checked the ICO's electronic mail marketing page before emailing; no customer or venue-staff personal detail went into the AI tool.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Open this job on its own page →

Job 2 of 11ChatGPTGemini

Write a three-step reminder sequence for unpaid invoices to pubs and wholesalers, from your own terms and ledger

One brewery owner wrote in 2018 that he took a day off brewing to chase unpaid invoices, and that 30-day terms could turn into chasing at 60 days. Getting paid is a cash-flow problem for a small brewery, and the chasing is slow and awkward because you want to keep the pub. A three-step sequence (a friendly reminder, a second reminder and a final reminder) that restates facts from your own ledger, asks the pub to pay or tell you if your figures look wrong, and gives a date you choose is easier to send consistently. AI drafts the three messages from blanks and your own terms line. It never decides whether a payment is late, never works out interest or fees, never says a sum is owed, and never adds a threat: your terms and your accountant or solicitor decide what you may claim, and you fill in every figure by hand.

Time: About 25 minutes to set up once; 5 minutes per reminder after thatTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool

An AI chat tool you already use, then your own email or accounts package (no pub name, invoice, amount or account detail ever goes into the AI tool; add them by hand)

Steps

  1. Open your own signed trade terms and your sales ledger. Write down yourself the payment period your terms give for the account, and one plain sentence from your terms about payment that you want repeated in the reminders. If you have no written terms agreed with the pub, stop and ask your accountant or solicitor first: do not ask the AI to write them.
  2. Choose the gap between the three steps (for example a week), and decide who sends them. Decide yourself whether the account is a business customer: this sequence is for business customers only.
  3. Paste only your own terms sentence and your chosen gaps into the prompt. The AI returns three short messages with blanks for the pub, invoice number, invoice date, amount and dates, each ending with an invitation to tell you if the figures look wrong, and a line “if you have already paid, thank you, please ignore this”.
  4. Check each draft against your ledger. Remove any word about interest, fees, charges, stopping supply, court or collection that the AI added. Add the pub name, invoice details and dates by hand, and send step one on the day you choose.
  5. Send steps two and three only if your ledger still shows no payment, on the dates you set. After the final reminder the sequence stops: what happens next is a decision for you, your accountant or your solicitor.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a small independent brewery in the UK. I want three reminders to send to a business customer (a pub or wholesaler) when my sales ledger shows an invoice unpaid. Below is one sentence from my own signed terms and my chosen gaps between reminders. The pub name, invoice details and every date and amount will be added by me by hand.

Task: write three short emails, each under 90 words, polite and direct: (1) a friendly reminder; (2) a second reminder; (3) a final reminder. Each must say that my records show no payment against invoice [INVOICE NUMBER] dated [INVOICE DATE] for [AMOUNT], repeat my terms sentence exactly as I give it, ask them to pay by [PAY BY DATE] or to tell me if they think my figures are wrong, and say "if you have already paid, thank you, please ignore this". Reminder 2 refers to the earlier reminder as [DATE OF FIRST REMINDER]; reminder 3 refers to both. Use only the blanks [PUB], [MY NAME], [INVOICE NUMBER], [INVOICE DATE], [AMOUNT], [PAY BY DATE] and [DATE OF FIRST REMINDER]. Call the third message a "final reminder", never a demand. Do not say a sum is owed or overdue, do not mention interest, fees, charges, costs, the law, court, claims, collection, stopping supply, credit ratings or any consequence, and do not say whether a payment is late or an invoice is valid.

RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my brewery's own terms sentence and my chosen gaps. I have not included, and will not include, any pub, wholesaler, customer or staff name, address, phone number or email address, any invoice, ledger, account or amount, or any HMRC or bank detail. Do not ask for any, and do not invent any: use roles and blanks such as [PUB] and [MY NAME]. Do not do arithmetic or count dates: I will add every figure and date by hand. Do not state or suggest anything about the law, what anyone must pay or what is late. If something is unclear write [FOR ME TO DECIDE] instead of guessing.

MY TERMS SENTENCE: [PASTE]
MY GAPS BETWEEN REMINDERS: [PASTE]

✓ Check before you send

  • Every pub, invoice number, date and amount is added by you from your own ledger, and none of them went into the AI tool.
  • No message says a sum is “owed” or “overdue”, mentions interest, fees, charges, costs, the law, court, collection, stopping supply or credit ratings, or uses “demand”; the third message is a “final reminder”.
  • The terms sentence is exactly the one from your own signed terms, and you have written terms agreed with the pub; if you do not, you spoke to your accountant or solicitor first.
  • The account is a business customer, and you know whether the pub is run by a sole trader, because the court-related protocol applies differently if it is.
  • Each message invites the pub to correct your figures, and you stopped after the third reminder rather than adding a step the AI suggested.

UK notes extra

  • UK: this sequence is for business customers only. Whether a payment is late, whether interest or costs can be claimed and what your terms say are matters for your own terms, your accountant and your solicitor; the reminders state facts from your ledger and nothing else. GOV.UK says: “You can claim interest and debt recovery costs if another business is late paying for goods or a service. If you agree a payment date, it must usually be within 30 days for public authorities or 60 days for business transactions. You can agree a longer period than 60 days for business transactions - but it must be fair to both businesses.” Use that as a prompt to check your own terms, not as a statement about them; this page quotes no rates or amounts. GOV.UK: late commercial payments, charging interest and debt recovery (UK).
  • The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 says in section 8(1): “Any contract terms are void to the extent that they purport to exclude the right to statutory interest in relation to the debt, unless there is a substantial contractual remedy for late payment of the debt.” That is why this job does not draft any interest or late-fee clause and why you should not copy another brewery’s published late-fee wording: ask your solicitor. legislation.gov.uk: Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, section 8 (UK).
  • England and Wales: the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims “applies to any business (including sole traders and public bodies) claiming payment of a debt from an individual (including a sole trader)” and “does not apply to business-to-business debts unless the debtor is a sole trader.” Many pubs are run by sole traders, so this sequence stops at a final reminder and does not include any letter before a court claim; take advice before taking a step towards court. Scotland and Northern Ireland differ and were not read. Ministry of Justice: Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (PDF; England and Wales).
  • Owner voice, 2018: a brewery owner’s blog says he took a day off brewing to chase unpaid invoices and that other breweries told him they had the same problem. It is one owner’s account from 2018, not a count, and his suggestion that brewers can enforce terms with late-payment fines is his own view, not an example to copy. Beer Nouveau (owner Steve), blog: Cashflow, 12 September 2018 (one brewery owner's account, 2018).
  • Existing sites and software already cover generic late-payment chasing, including automated chasing tools; this job adds only the trade-account context and a stricter wording limit. A reminder to a business customer about your own invoice is not marketing; add no promotion to it.
Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Open this job on its own page →

Job 3 of 11ChatGPTGemini

Reply to a venue that asks for a retrospective discount or a special volume price, from your own floor price and terms

One broker's 2019 guide says that the more volume an account sells, the more the venue will expect from you, and that retrospective discounts and special prices for volume are part of that. The guide separately says market consolidation and the need for brand support are eroding margin. The Guardian reports that about 5% of SIBA members say large pub chains demand deep discounts that smaller brewers cannot afford. A reply written in a hurry either gives away margin or loses the account. AI can help you draft a calm reply with the options you have already decided, such as a firm no, a written tier tied to volume, or support that is not a price cut. You decide the numbers. AI does not work out margin, discount or duty.

Time: About 30 minutesTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool

An AI chat tool you already use, then your own email, spreadsheet or word processor (no customer, venue-staff or HMRC account details ever go into the AI tool)

Steps

  1. Before you write, decide your position in private on a sheet of paper: your lowest price per unit for this account, what volume you expect, and what you would trade for it (for example a longer commitment, a fixed delivery day or a tasting night). Do the arithmetic yourself, with your accountant if needed.
  2. Choose which of three replies you want: a polite no with a reason, a written offer that applies only above a volume you name, or a non-price offer such as point-of-sale, a staff tasting or an event. Write your terms in words and figures you typed.
  3. Paste the venue's request in your own words (not their name) and your decision into the prompt. The AI drafts a reply of 120 to 150 words in the tone you choose, and a short list of the written terms to confirm. It must not offer any discount, price or volume that you did not give it.
  4. Read it as the buyer would. Remove anything that sounds like a promise you have not priced. Check with your accountant how any retrospective discount would show in your invoices and records.
  5. Send it by email so the terms are in writing, and note the date and what you agreed.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a small independent brewery in the UK. A venue has asked for a retrospective discount or a special price for volume. Below is the request in my own words and the position I have decided. They contain no names or contact details.

Task: write a reply of 120 to 150 words in a calm, friendly, firm tone. Use only the position and terms I give. If I have said no, say no kindly and explain in one sentence, and offer only what I list. If I have given a volume tier, set it out in plain words exactly as I typed it. Then list, in bullets, the terms I will need to confirm in writing. Do not offer any discount, price, volume or support I have not given you, do not do any arithmetic, do not say what other brewers do, and do not say anything about the venue's finances. Use the blanks [BUYER], [VENUE], [MY NAME] and [DATE].

RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my brewery's own facts, beers, prices, terms and dates. I have not included, and will not include, any customer, venue staff, drinker or employee name, phone number, email address or personal detail, and no HMRC login, reference number, bank or account detail. Do not ask for any, and do not invent any: use roles and blanks such as [BUYER], [VENUE] and [MY NAME]. Do not do arithmetic: copy every price, ABV, volume, date and figure exactly as I typed it, and never work out duty, VAT, a margin or a discount. Do not make any claim I have not given you: no award, health, mood, performance, social-success or strength claims, nothing that would appeal to under-18s, nothing that urges anyone to drink quickly or heavily, and never say that anything complies with a code, the law or HMRC's rules. If something is unclear write [FOR ME TO DECIDE] instead of guessing.

THE REQUEST IN MY WORDS: [PASTE]
MY POSITION, PRICES AND WHAT I CAN OFFER: [PASTE]
TONE: [warm / neutral / firm]

✓ Check before you send

  • Every price, volume and date in the reply is one you typed and worked out yourself; the AI did no arithmetic.
  • The reply offers nothing you have not priced and no discount that applies before the volume you named.
  • The written terms to confirm match your sheet (price, volume, period, delivery, who pays for what).
  • You asked your accountant how a retrospective discount affects your invoices and records before agreeing one.
  • No venue or buyer name, contact detail or private pricing of another business went into the AI tool.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Open this job on its own page →

Each one comes with its job title, so you can paste them into a note and use them later.

How much time could these jobs save you? Tick the ones you do and enter how long they take you now in the time-saved calculator.

8 more jobs in the full craft breweries playbook

Here is what each one covers. Open any job to see what is inside.

The full playbook

Unlock the other 8 craft breweries jobs

Every job has the full steps, the exact prompt, a check-before-you-send list and optional UK notes. We keep adding new jobs and new niches, and re-checking existing jobs, while you subscribe. Monthly, cancel anytime, instant access, no password.

Just craft breweries

£5 a month

Every job in craft breweries plus the updates we make to it.

Subscribe · £5/mo

3 niches

£12.99 a month

Starts with craft breweries; you pick the other two (or swap later) on your account page.

Subscribe · £12.99/mo

All niches

£19.99 a month

All 81 niches, and every new one we add. Or £149 a year: save £90.88.

Subscribe · £19.99/mo or £149 a year (save £90.88)

Cancel anytime. One click in Stripe's billing page, no emails or phone calls: how to cancel.

Pay securely with Stripe. Prices include any VAT. Digital content: at checkout you ask for instant access and agree you lose the 14-day right to cancel once it starts. Terms · Privacy · Pricing · Already subscribed? Sign in

Questions small independent breweries (UK) ask

Can AI work out my beer duty or tell me my label or advert complies?

No. AI never works out duty, a rate, a discount or a margin, and it never says a piece of copy complies. Alcohol advertising and labelling have their own official bodies (the Portman Group, the ASA and CAP, and Trading Standards), and the jobs point you to them. The one duty job is a double-check list from HMRC's own pages.

Is it safe to put customer, venue or HMRC account details into AI?

No. Keep customer, venue-staff and HMRC account details out of the AI tool. Use placeholders and add the details yourself when you send.

Does this apply across the UK?

The page is for small independent breweries in the UK. A Temporary Event Notice is an England and Wales only route and does not exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the government guidance on alcohol-free and low-alcohol descriptors is for England and is voluntary, so each job says where the nation matters.

Related playbooks

What can AI do for a small business? Jobs by type →

Privacy tip: don't paste customers' full names, addresses or other personal details into AI tools unless you need to and you've checked the tool's privacy settings.