Brewery Expansions
Modern Times is opening a new taproom in Santa Barbara this year
San Diego, California based Modern Times Beer is expanding to Santa Barbara this year. The brewery is building a 5,000 square foot tap room and restaurant in the downtown area.
The Modern Times Academy of Recreational Science is what the new space will be called. The new space boasts a 2,500 square foot outdoor area alongside indoor seating and bar area, with “brain-bending art installations” and “weird design features”.
“This forthcoming palace of sensory delights will feature a full menu of the highest quality noms ever nommed, as well as a dazzling array of delicious beers from all of our brewery locations.”
The Modern Times Academy of Recreational Science is expected to open by the end of 2018, on South State Street in downtown Santa Barbara. This will be the 5th location for the brewery, alongside San Diego’s Point Loma, and North Park, The Dankness Dojo in L.A., and the Belmont Fermentorium in Portland, Oregon.
Founders is building a second brewery in Detroit
Grand Rapids, Michigan based Founders Brewing Company is building a second facility in Detroit.
RELATED: Founders to release a watermelon gose
The new fully operational brewery and taproom will be located in the lower Cass Corridor neighborhood in Midtown Detroit. Some of the brewery’s strongest in-state support comes from east Michigan, making the build an even easier justification.
“It’s a hard working, no-nonsense, culturally diverse and musically-inspired town, which happens to have the best sports teams in the country. Some of our strongest support has come from the east side of Michigan, and we could not think of a better place to expand our taproom experience. We anticipate creating a taproom that is inspired by what we do in Grand Rapids, but unique in its own Motown way. We’re excited to be a larger part of ‘the D’!” – March Dorich, VP Founders Retail OpsFounders is building a second facility in Detroit
The Founders Detroit Taproom (seen above) will be located at 456 Charlotte Street. Construction begins this summer, with completion the following winter. The brewery did not comment on the cost of the build.
Founders has been based in Grand Rapids since they opened in 1997.
Atlanta’s Red Hare Brewing to build in North Carolina
Marietta, Georgia based Red Hare Brewing is building a second facility, two states away in North Carolina.
The idea to build a second facility occurred with Red Hare founder Roger Davis, and co-founder and head brewer Bobby Thomas took a trip to Oregon. Open air fermentation paired with the coastal climate inspired the duo to build something similar on the east coast.
Red Hare Brewing has selected the 111 year old former Coastal Drug Company building in Shallotte, North Carolina. American wild and sour ales will be the focus of the new facility.Expect the new space to house a coolship, and plenty of oak for fermentation and aging. Red Hare plans on capturing native yeast and bacteria for use their the wild ale lineup.
The Shallotte, North Carolina location should be open sometime in the second half of 2017. Red Hare has already named R.A.Jeffrey’s and Healy Wholesale as their local distributor.
A look inside SweetWater’s massive sour expansion [PICS]
Atlanta, Georgia’s SweetWater Brewing is putting the finishing touches on a massive new barrel house at their home on Ottley Drive. The brewery hopes it will be among the largest of it’s kind in the United States.
First, let’s start by acknowledging the fact that wild and sour beer production is on the rise in America. (read: On fire.) You’ll find few people upset over this trend. Sour and wild beer production comes with two big drawbacks that need to be overcome if you are going to really go all-in on the styles. The first – keeping the sour and wild beer separate.
Yeah, wild ales are great, but so is SweetWater 420 and IPA. Best practice says those beers need to grow up away from each other. The second is space to let your wild beer sit in peace for long periods of time. Both these problems are most easily solved with more room. Anytime the brewery has needed more space, they just buy the empty building next door.
They’ve done that very thing again. Introducing The Woodlands, SweetWater’s new wild and sour facility, and event space.
The 37,000 square foot space is tacked onto the warehouse end of the brewery. It will house 11 foeders (6 are in place in the images below). The barrel storage area can house around 1,000 wine and spirits barrels.
Back to the discussion of keeping things separate. The new facility will house their own packaging line for bottling and canning.
Let’s face it. Barrels are sexy. For that reason, The Woodlands will serve as an upscale event space, for your beer-forward, stylish events. Care was taken to design the taproom with a grand staircase, detailed lighting, exposed brick, and more.
SweetWater’s Mark Medilin and Troy Montrone will oversee the sour expansion. Beer Street Journal is told the first release is slated to be a raspberry sour ale. Hopefully two releases in 2017, and up to four a year going forward.
SweetWater The Woodlands should be open to the public in January 2017.
An inside look at Monday Night Brewing’s future sour brewery
Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing is about to grow. We aren’t talking about distribution either. The brewery is adding a nearly $2 million dollar sour and wild ale facility on a massive urban redevelopment project known as the BeltLine. Honestly, it took the brewery’s fans a bit by surprise.
Monday Night co-founder Jonathan Baker tells Beer Street Journal that it was an idea that pretty much happened all at once. It’s no secret that sour and wild ales are on fire in the U.S. (it’s about time). The downside for a brewer that wants to brew more of the wild style, is the danger wild beer poses to your clean brewhouse. On top of that, you need lots of extra space for barrels to sit for months and years. Throw in the desire to spontaneously ferment things and you’ve solidified the need for a brand new facility.
We took a trip out to see where Monday Night is building the largest sour facility in the state. The location lies just four miles from downtown Atlanta right off of I-20, where the new sections of the Beltline are currently being constructed. Baker mentions the hunt for a sour facility yielded the warehouse space faster than they expected. When Monday Night found this place, it was hard to say no.
Below is a gallery of the space, pre-construction. Baker mentions dinosaur murals on the walls, big patio space, and a spot for a small orchard that will farm the wild yeast they need to do spontaneous fermentation in the brewery’s future coolship. The space is directly on the [future] Beltine, and will house a new brewhouse, indoor and outdoor tasting rooms, private event space, foudres, puncheons, and an expanded barrel aging.
Due to the time it takes to make quality sour/wild ales, expect a strong battery of kettle-soured beers when the facility comes online. There will be a few “clean” beers on tap to cover all tastes.
(Author Op-ED): Apart from being excited about the big expansion to the beer scene in Atlanta, Georgians have to take some action of their own in the meantime. The state’s laws surrounding breweries and beer sales are highly restrictive. It’s time to fight for your ability to buy a pint at a brewery in Georgia. Reach out to the Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild for more information on ways to change these restrictive laws.
The yet-to-be-named facility (Baker is pushing for “The Crunkatorium”) should be pouring beers by summer, 2017.
Terrapin will open a pilot brewery at the new Braves Stadium
Athens, Georgia based Terrapin Beer Co. is building a new pilot brewery at Suntrust Park, the new home of the Atlanta Braves. The stadium opens in time for the 2017 season.
The build is separated into two parts: The Microbrewery, aka the ATL Brew Lab, and The Terrapin Taproom, which will feature Atlanta famous Fox Bros. BBQ. The Battery, a section adjacent to the stadium that will house both the ATL Brew Lab and the Terrapin Taproom, will be open year-round. Concessionaire Delaware North will be running the Terrapin Taproom.
The Brew Lab is a 5-Barrel system which will serve as a pilot system for the Athens, Georgia brewery as well. Terrapin co-founder “Spike” Buckowski mentioned at a media event yesterday that the brewery has never really had a pilot system, so this addition is especially new and exciting.
Construction on the taproom and ATL Brew Lab begins in November, with completion by the spring home opener in 2017.
Terrapin is already planning a few fun collaborations out of the ATL Brew Lab, including one they hope will be with a few notable ex-Braves players.
Pic: Beer Street Journal
Jester King begins farming on 58 acres [Gallery]
Earlier this year, Jester King Brewery (Austin, Texas) announced they had purchased 58 acres of land around the brewery for land preservation. As of this spring, the brewery is farming said land.
To date, the brewery has planted plum and peach trees, blackberry bushes, and a melon patch. Additionally, the brewery has planted a test plot of wheat, in hopes of being able to one day grow the grains (and fruits) used in the brewery’s beers.
Jester King is very tied to the local terroir, using wild caught yeast and bacteria to ferment their expansive wild and sour lineup of beers. The logical next step is growing the fruits, vegetables and grains for future releases.
Work is already being done to maintain an avoidance of unnatural fertilizers and pesticides, as well has efficient irrigation systems.
Images in the below gallery are shared via Jester King.
Read more: Jester King News
