Expert cider consultant guiding you through every step of your new or expanding endeavor.
In-depth insight into the practical needs of cidery start-up and expansion.
Building out your cider space the right way.
Education, troubleshooting, and expertise on creating quality cider.
Purpose-built tools for cider producers.
Let’s talk about how our cider consulting can set you up for success.
Let's Do This“Over the past 6 years, Brent at Brown Hat Consulting has been invaluable to Offset Ciderworks at every stage of our journey. From fine-tuning our business model and identifying way to lower costs, to forecasting and projecting growth, Brent’s guidance has been instrumental. As a small company with limited resources, every decision is critical, and working with Brent gives me and the company the utmost confidence to make the right choices that have led—-and will continue to lead—-to our success. I wholeheartedly recommend Brown Hat Consulting to anyone starting a cider company. 10/10 would recommend!”
“Coronado Brewing Company has been brewing world class beers and malt beverages for over twenty-five years, but there had always been the hunger to produce the timeless and amazing beverage of cider. The art of cider making is very different from beer, and to truly be able to produce cider on the same level of quality as our beers, you need to have experts around you to educate, guide and collaborate in the process. Brent was pivotal in helping develop our cider program, and we could not have brought Coronado Hard Cider to life without his knowledge and expertise. Cider is now a large part of CBC’s future and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Brown Hat Consulting and would recommend to anybody else looking to pursue a new business in cider.”
“Brown Hat Consulting has been instrumental in getting our cider business off the ground. He provides a comprehensive program to help with build out, inventory, sourcing materials and cider making. Would highly recommend to anyone who would like to start a cidery. ”
“Working with Brent at Brown Hat Consulting has been a game-changer for Crossmount Cider Company. As an established company embarking on an expansion project, Brent’s expertise has been invaluable. From planning our expansion and recommending equipment to designing floorplans and refining critical processes like COGS, forecasting, recipe development, fermentation management, and troubleshooting, his guidance has been exceptional, and he is very knowledgeable. Brent has also helped us implement SOPs and connected us with resources to elevate the quality of our product. His deep knowledge and dedication have made a significant impact, and we’re excited to continue collaborating with him as we grow. Highly recommended!”
“I have been working with Brent at Brown Hat Consulting on and off for almost 5 years through this cidery start-up journey, and I cannot overstate how invaluable that has been. Having spun up this cidery from decade and a half long hobby without any experience working in a commercial cidery, and lacking any other mentorship or co-owner with experience, Brent has helped tremendously in navigating everything including permitting, fermentation and production, tracking down best materials, product marketing and industry trends...Spending the resources on Brent’s expertise has been a very worthwhile investment, especially in the amount of time and energy many aspects of this start-up would have taken.”
Brown Hat was created in 2019 by hard cider consultant Brent Miles-Wagner to provide an expert resource for the cider industry.
Brent was the founding Head Cidermaker at Seattle Cider Company, where he wrote the business plan, developed their lineup of innovative and award-winning ciders, managed their cider production from inception in 2013 to 20,000 barrels in 2016.
In 2017 Brent became Head Cidermaker at Sly Clyde Ciderworks in Hampton, VA. He built their cidery from the ground up: developing and producing all ciders, planning production and tap room buildout, and directing the graphic designer on all brand development and packaging.
His ciders have won gold medals at multiple competitions, most recently the 2026 International Cider Awards, and he has been a lecturer at the Oregon State University Craft Cider Startup Workshop and a presenter at CiderCon. He is an instructor for Nordic International Cider Education (NICE).
Brent received a Master’s in Entrepreneurship from Uppsala University in 2024, writing his thesis on the challenges facing Swedish craft cideries. In 2025 he founded Small Cider, a collaborative cidery in Uppsala fermenting 100% juice from Swedish apples. He is currently living in Sweden and continuing to consult with clients worldwide.
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Please fill out the form below, tell us as much information as you can about your goals and why you’re looking for cider consulting and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours.