Anybody who loves Bell’s Two Hearted Ale knows it hasn’t been easy to come by lately. That has spread rumors about capacity, pulling from markets, etc. In special letter Bell’s addresses shortages, and the new expansion underway…
Letter addresses Bell’s Brewery Inc. 2011 capacity constraints
First and foremost all of us here at Bell’s want to thank you for the support you’ve shown for our beers this year! Our growth over the past few years has exceeded everyone’s expectations to the point that we simply are not able to keep up with demand. We’d also like to assure you that we do not have any intentions of pulling out of any states that we are currently selling beer in.
We feel that we are able to do this because we have started the process of increasing capacity to meet that growing demand. The expansion project includes an additional, larger brewhouse, increased fermentation and dry hopping capabilities, and new grain handling facilities. The additional capacity is scheduled to come on line early in 2012. Unfortunately until that time we will be forced to spread the beer we can produce to our existing customers as best we can.
The hardest hit has been Two Hearted Ale as demand has been off the charts! Beyond the simple numbers crunch however, this beer requires special fermentation tanks for the dry hopping process making it impossible to shift brewing from other brands. The additions to the brewery will include significant enhancements to our overall brewing capacity and to Two Hearted production in particular. It is important to note that we will continue to allocate this brand until the new production facility is up and running. We will be working with all of our distributor, retail, and restaurateur partners to apply this as evenly as possible throughout our current footprint.
Thanks again for all that the support that you’ve shown for Bell’s and we very much hope that you will bear with us through our growing pains knowing that there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Sincerely,
Marty Compton
Sales Manager
Laura Bell
Marketing Director
