brewery

IPA/ˈbruːəri/
KK[brˈuɚi]IPA/ˈbruːəri/

brewery — noun

  • brewerysingular
  • breweriesplural

1. a business or production site that makes beer for sale

1.nounB2
Definition

a business or production site that makes beer for sale

Example

The old brewery by the river now has a coffee shop.

Priya found summer work at a small brewery outside Leeds.

pattern: work at a brewery

Common collocations
  • local brewery
  • craft brewery
  • family brewery
  • brewery tour
Synonyms
  • brewhouse

    often means the brewing building or room, not always the whole business

  • beer company

    broader business term that may focus more on the brand than the factory site

  • plant

    more formal industrial word for a factory of any kind

Usage Note

Often used for both the company and the buildings where the beer is made. In everyday use, it can also mean a site that has tours, a shop, or a bar connected to the beer-making business.

Common Mistakes

My aunt is a brewery in Tainan.
My aunt works at a brewery in Tainan.
'brewery' names the business or place, not the worker.
We visited a bakery to see how beer is made.
We visited a brewery to see how beer is made.
a brewery makes beer, while a bakery makes bread.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A brewery is the usual word for a business or site that makes beer. Brewhouse is narrower: it often means the building or room with the main brewing equipment, although some companies use it in their name. Distillery is different because it makes strong alcoholic drinks such as whisky, rum, or gin. Winery is the matching word for a place that makes wine. If you want to stress the business as a brand, beer company can work, but brewery usually keeps the idea of actual beer production. Say We toured a local brewery on Saturday, but The restaurant buys gin from a small distillery.

brewery ↗brewhouse ↗distillerywinery ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • brewery owner
  • brewery worker
  • brewery tour
  • brewery gate

Phrases

  • family-owned brewery
  • small brewery
  • visit a brewery
  • work at a brewery

Prepositions

  • at a brewery
  • from a brewery

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Brewery was formed in English from brew and the suffix -ery, which often names a place or business. Brew comes from Old English breowan, a verb for making drink by boiling and fermenting. Earlier English also used brewhouse, and Old English had breawern for this idea.