2beerguys beer blog

EXPANSION NEWS: Full Steam Brewery, Iron City Brewing, New Glarus, and Auction of Old Dominion Brewery assets

Here are a couple of stories that have floated around the past week or so..

Fullsteam Brewery To Begin Operations in Durham’s Central Park District in Late 2009

Durham, N.C. – Excitement is brewing at Fullsteam Brewery, the newest addition to the Durham and North Carolina craft beer scene. Fullsteam’s new home is an 8,100-square-foot warehouse at 726 Rigsbee Avenue where test batches of its signature “Southern agricultural” beers currently ferment in a humble backyard homebrewing system.

The new operations site has a history of beverage production; it’s a former 7UP bottling plant. Build-out on the space and the 15-hectoliter brewing system has already begun, with Durham’s Ellen Cassilly Architect (www.ellencassillyarchitect.com) as the lead designer. Fullsteam expects canning and kegging operations to be fully operational by the end of the year. The brewery expects to package several of its beers in cans; in time, they’ll bottle complex ales in large, champagne-like “corked-and-caged” bottles……..

Fullsteam Founder Is Rooted in NC Beer Tradition
Beer fans may know Sean Wilson as the craft beer enthusiast who helped lead breweries and beer lovers to pass the “Pop the Cap” initiative in the North Carolina Legislature. The grassroots effort made higher-alcohol beers legal to brew and sell in North Carolina in 2005. Wilson continued to run Pop The Cap, shifting its focus from changing the law to promoting craft beer in North Carolina. Since the 2005 law change, the state’s beer scene has fermented admirably. Asheville recently tied with Portland in an online poll for “Beer City USA.” North Carolina now has 20 brewpubs and 20 breweries—more than any other Southern state…..

Click here to read the full story.

Iron City Brewing moving operations to Latrobe

The iconic Iron City beer, made at Pittsburgh’s last commercial brewery, is leaving Lawrenceville for Latrobe in a move the owners say must happen in order for the beer maker to survive.

“We would not be viable in this plant much longer. It’s a business decision we had to make,” Iron City Brewing Co. President Timothy Hickman said Thursday.

Under a five-year deal reached Wednesday night, City Brewing Co. will begin brewing Iron City products — Iron City, IC Light and Augustiner — at its Latrobe brewery in July. Iron City will brew the last batch of beer in Lawrenceville beginning the week of June 22…..

Iron City Brewing, previously Pittsburgh Brewing Co., is the city’s last commercial brewer. The Pittsburgh area was home to about 25 breweries in the late 1800s until consolidation, Prohibition and industry trends put brewers out of business. Iron City’s corporate headquarters will remain in Lawrenceville.

“We’re just moving 40 miles down the road,” Hickman said…..

Converting the 148-year-old Pittsburgh brewery into a modern facility would cost $12 million to $15 million, including about $2 million for a canning line, he said. The brewery needs electrical wiring and an air handling system, among other major improvements…..

The Latrobe brewery can produce 25,000 cases of 12-ounce bottles in an eight-hour shift, compared to just 10,000 cases in Lawrenceville, Hickman said…..

Link to article:
read the entire story here….

Other Articles:

Iron City Beer to Leave Pittsburgh

Iconic Pittsburgh Beer Risks Losing the City by Leaving It

New Glarus Brewing to celebrate grand opening of Hilltop Brewery this weekend

Spotted Cow, Wisconsin’s most popular craft beer, has an astonishing new home.

Open just a week, the New Glarus Brewing Co.’s new Hilltop Brewery is up and running, and eager beer fans have already begun exploring the state-of-the-art brewing plant and the new gift shop.

With both exterior and interior spaces that invite comparisons to famous destination breweries like the Guinness headquarters in Dublin, the Hilltop Brewery is poised to burnish the Badger State’s growing reputation as the Napa of the North when it comes to craft brewing……

The Careys said even they are a little dazzled by the project, which has basically doubled the brewery’s output from about 65,000 barrels to around 130,000 barrels per year. They anticipate sales of more than 80,000 barrels in 2009, sold exclusively in Wisconsin……

The design of the new buildings on the hill pays tribute both to the barns and farm buildings of the surrounding countryside as well as to the classic architecture of Northern European communities, where many of the finest brewing traditions arose……..

Click here to read the entire article.

Auction of all remaining assets from Old Dominion Brewery

AUCTION — LIVE ON-SITE and ONLINE — Micro Brewery and Brew Pub Equipment

Old Dominion Brewery — Ashburn, VA Plant Closed. Surplus to the On-going Operations of Coastal Brewing Co.

* Beer & Beverage Production Support Equipment — includes Forklifts.
* Complete Brew-Pub Restaurant & Kitchen — Over 150 Lots
* Delivery Van and Refridgerated Beer Truck

All Assets Auctioned off in 1-Day Auction Event July 9th at 11:00 AM EST.

About The Auction Sale:

All remaining assets from Old Dominion Brewery (as listed in Auction Catalog) will be sold at Auction on July 9th, 2009 at 11:00AM EST. The auction will be Live Onsite and Simulcast on the internet via www.bidspotter.com. Auction attendees may bid live onsite at Ashburn, VA location or via the PC Computer.

Equipment Available includes:

– Beer and Beverage Production Support Equipment including Fork Trucks, Pallets Racking, SS Piping with Butterfly Valves, External Keg Washer, (2) Bryan Flexible Tube Boilers, (2) 45,000 lb Malt Silos and more! See complete auction catalog…

– A Complete Restaurant and Brew Pub. Including all Kitchen Equipment and Restaurant & Bar Items.
– Vehicles to be auctioned included Delivery Van and Refridgerated Beer Truck.

About the Brewery:

Coastal Brewing, parent company of Old Dominion Brewing Co. the Washington, DC, area’s first microbrewery, was established in 1989. Located in Loudoun County, VA, just a few miles from Dulles International Airport. Product is distributed throughout Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

In 2004, Old Dominion produced 26,827 barrels of beer. At this level of production, it was the 44th largest brewery in the country. All beers were brewed using no preservatives or adjuncts, and beer was never pasteurized. For this reason, a date-stamp was applied to each bottle produced. Beers brewed included a full range of Lagers, Ales, and Stouts.

The Virgina facility is closed and all equipment will be liquidated during this sale event. Coastal Brewing products will continue to be dsitributed and produced at the company’s other facility in Dover, Delaware.

Link to auction site.