A US brewery pays a German brewhouse manufacturer in staged installments tied to build milestones, not one lump payment. A typical structure is a deposit at order confirmation, a progress payment during fabrication, a pre-shipment payment after factory acceptance testing, and a holdback released after on-site commissioning. Each installment is sent as an international payment to the manufacturer's IBAN and BIC, with the beneficiary name matching the legal name on the commercial invoice exactly.
A Portland craft brewery adding a 30-barrel second brewhouse doesn't shop the way it does for hops or malt. The stainless-steel system, mash tun, lauter tun, kettle/whirlpool, and fermentation tanks come from a German manufacturer with generations of brewing-equipment experience. The build takes months. The contract has staged payments, and the commissioning date drives the brewery's whole production calendar. Paying that contract correctly matters as much as picking the right equipment.
Key Insight: A brewhouse contract usually lists three or four different payment triggers, order confirmation, mid-build progress, pre-shipment, and commissioning, each with its own date. Sending the balance against the wrong trigger is a common way breweries pay before they should.
Why a brewhouse order pays differently than a supplier invoice
Paying a hop or malt supplier is usually one invoice, one payment. A brewhouse system is a capital equipment purchase, and German manufacturers typically structure it as a percentage of the contract released at each build stage rather than the full amount up front or on delivery.
Read the contract for the exact wording, some manufacturers tie a payment to "before shipment," others to "after the container is booked," and those are two different dates that can be weeks apart. The table below maps the four stages most brewhouse contracts use.
| Payment stage | Trigger wording to look for | Verify before sending |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | "Order confirmation" | Beneficiary legal name, IBAN, and BIC match the commercial invoice |
| Progress | "Fabrication underway" | Build-status report or fabrication photos tied to the invoice |
| Pre-shipment | "Before shipment" vs. "after the container is booked" | Written factory acceptance test (FAT) confirmation |
| Holdback / balance | "On-site commissioning" | System installed and running to spec in Portland |
Reading the manufacturer's IBAN and BIC
A German IBAN is 22 characters and carries the bank code and account number inside it. Checking the structure before sending a large payment catches a transposition error before it delays the manufacturer's build schedule.
| Component | Format | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Country code | 2 letters | DE for Germany |
| Check digits | 2 digits | Validates the IBAN checksum |
| Bankleitzahl (bank code) | 8 digits | Identifies the manufacturer's bank |
| Account number | 10 digits | The manufacturer's own account |
The BIC (or SWIFT code) is a separate field, usually 8 or 11 characters identifying the bank, country, and branch. On a contract this size, confirm the beneficiary name on the payment matches the manufacturer's legal name on the commercial invoice exactly, not a shortened trading name from an email signature. A mismatch often triggers manual review. International payments also get screened against standard compliance watchlists before release, so build a short buffer into the schedule rather than sending on the deadline itself. On a payment this size, confirm up front who absorbs any fees deducted by banks along the way, so the amount that lands matches the invoice both sides expect.
Paying the brewhouse order, stage by stage
Confirm the deposit trigger and beneficiary details
Match the contract's exact wording for what the deposit unlocks, and verify the manufacturer's legal name, full IBAN, and BIC before sending anything.
Send the progress payment against real documentation
Ask for fabrication photos or a build-status report tied to the invoice before releasing the mid-build percentage, not just a date on the calendar.
Hold the pre-shipment balance until the factory acceptance test clears
If the contract includes a factory acceptance test, get written confirmation it passed before sending the payment tied to shipment.
Send each payment as an international payment built for a business invoice
Send through Zil Remit (zilremit.com), the B2B payment service built to deliver a standard IBAN credit the manufacturer's bank can process. Attach the invoice reference to each transfer and keep the confirmation for your records.
Release the holdback only after on-site commissioning
Keep the final percentage until the system is installed and running to spec in Portland, and keep every payment confirmation with your equipment and customs paperwork.
Mistakes that delay or risk a capital equipment payment
| Mistake | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Paying against a shortened trading name instead of the manufacturer's full legal name on the commercial invoice | Payment held for manual review at the receiving bank |
| Sending the balance before a factory acceptance test result is in hand | Paying for work not yet confirmed to spec |
| Leaving out the invoice reference on a staged contract | Slows the manufacturer's reconciliation of which stage was paid |
| Treating VAT and customs documentation as the payment provider's job | Missed HS code or import paperwork the customs broker needed separately |
| Waiting until the payment deadline to confirm bank details | No time to fix a typo in the IBAN or BIC before the deposit is due |
Common questions
What payment stages does a German brewhouse contract usually include?
Most contracts list three or four triggers: a deposit at order confirmation, a progress payment once fabrication is underway, a pre-shipment payment after factory acceptance testing, and a holdback released once on-site commissioning confirms the system runs to spec.
What is an IBAN and why does it matter for paying a German manufacturer?
A German IBAN is 22 characters and contains the country code, check digits, the manufacturer's bank code, and account number. Checking the structure before sending a large payment catches a transposition error before it delays the manufacturer's build schedule.
What's the difference between an IBAN and a BIC?
The IBAN identifies the manufacturer's specific account. The BIC, or SWIFT code, usually 8 or 11 characters, separately identifies the bank, country, and branch. A large international payment to Germany needs both fields entered correctly to route properly.
Why would a beneficiary name mismatch delay a brewhouse payment?
If the payment lists a shortened trading name instead of the manufacturer's full legal name as it appears on the commercial invoice, the mismatch is a common reason a large business payment gets held for manual review.
When should the final balance on a brewhouse order be paid?
Hold the final holdback until the system is installed and running to spec after on-site commissioning in Portland, not simply when the equipment ships or clears the port. Releasing it earlier pays for work not yet confirmed.
Getting the payment right before commissioning day
A brewhouse purchase is one of the largest single payments most craft breweries ever send. Treat it as a staged contract, not one lump sum. Confirm the IBAN and beneficiary name. Tie each release to a real build milestone. That keeps the deposit, the progress payment, and the balance aligned with what the manufacturer has actually delivered. For a look at broader payment planning for doing business in Germany, see a broader payment strategy for doing business in Germany, and for how the same staged-payment approach applies outside brewing equipment, see other US manufacturers paying European suppliers for equipment.
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