The 20-minute AI opportunity audit for craft beverage

You don't have an AI problem. You have a "the same boring task eats six hours a week" problem. This worksheet finds the one task worth automating first — the highest return for the least disruption — so you spend on the thing that actually pays back.

No jargon, no hype. Work down the four steps, score honestly, and you'll finish with a ranked shortlist and a clear #1. Built by a fermentation operator who now ships AI and software — so the recommendations fit how a brewery or distillery actually runs, not how a tech demo wishes it did.

Step 1

Where does the time actually go?

Check every task someone on your team does that's repetitive, rules-based, and doesn't require a human's judgment. These are the candidates.

Answering the same customer questions — hours, taps, tours, events, allergens, shipping
Replying to event / wholesale / distribution inquiries by hand
Updating the website, tap list, or menu across multiple places
Writing social posts & the weekly email from scratch
Logging production / QC data into spreadsheets by hand
Pulling sales or inventory numbers into a report each week
Onboarding / scheduling staff and answering their repeat questions
Chasing reviews, reservations, or follow-ups

Step 2

Score your checked tasks

Check a task above and it drops into this table. Score each column 1–5. On all three, 5 is the answer that argues for automating it — most hours, most repetitive, lowest risk. Totals add themselves; highest wins.

Task	Hours/wk it eats (1–5) 1 = under 1 h · 2 = 1–3 h · 3 = 3–6 h · 4 = 6–10 h · 5 = 10+ h	How repetitive (1–5) 5 = most repetitive	Low risk if AI helps (1–5) 5 = lowest risk	Total
Leader				–
Leader				–
Leader				–
Leader				–

Rule of thumb: repetitive + low-risk + many hours = automate first. A high-judgment, high-stakes task (your recipe, your hiring) is the last place to start, not the first.

Step 3

What data are you already sitting on?

AI is only as good as what you feed it. Check what you already have — it's usually more than you think.

Point-of-sale / sales history (Square, Toast, etc.)
Customer emails or a mailing list
Production & QC logs (even messy spreadsheets count)
Your own FAQs, menus, and SOPs written down somewhere
Inventory / ordering records

Step 4

Read your score

Total 8–10

Worth doing eventually. Keep it on the list, but it's not your first move.

Total 11–13

Strong candidate. Real hours back with manageable effort — shortlist it.

Total 14–15

Start here. High return, low risk, repetitive. This is your flagship automation.

My highest-scoring task to automate first:

Estimated hours back per week: × 50 weeks = ______ hours/year of your team's time.

step 5 // the easy part

Got your #1? Let's build it.

Bring this filled-out sheet to a free 30-minute call. I'll tell you straight whether your top task is worth automating, roughly what it takes, and how I'd build it — or whether you should skip it. No pitch deck, just a plan.

Book your free 30-min call →

MycoAI · Guy Stewart · mycoai.net fermentation × intelligence × code