[Credit: OdellBrewing.com]
(Fort Collins, CO) – Odell Brewing broke ground last week on a major expansion project that will significantly increase capacity and improve the visitor experience.
Derek Strubel (Brewery Sales, Colorado, Idaho, and South Dakota) shared some insights about the expansion on the Colorado Craft Beer Show last weekend.
Odell is adding 15,000 square feet of space as well as a 120-barrel brewhouse to compliment its existing 50-barrel system. Eight 400-barrel fermentors will come online as part of the project which is expected to be completed by next fall. The taproom will also be expanded along with the addition of an outdoor beer garden.
Odell Marketing and Branding Manager, Amanda Johnson-King, tells BeerPulse that the expansion will bring capacity “to around 100,000 barrels [per year] and ultimately 300,000 with additional tanks.” The new brewhouse will operate in tandem with the existing 50-barrel system for a while though Johnson-King is unaware of long-term plans for the latter.
According to Strubel, Odell brewers have been on a 24/7 brew schedule but that should get cut down to 24 hours only 3-4 days a week when the 120-barrel system is up-and-running.
Odell didn’t add any new markets in 2012 to its ten-state footprint and doesn’t plan to add new markets in 2013. Odell most recently added Idaho in spring of 2011. The company will, however, double down on out-of-state markets, adding additional sales support.
As for 2012… “We expect to end the year about 67,500 bbls,” says Johnson-King. “Next year, we’re aiming for around 78,000 bbls.” If those projections hold true, that would mean four straight years of 13-16% growth.
Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout debuts in 4-packs early next month. Strubel says that the first production batch was brewed just last week. The brewery has been releasing the pilot batches under the name, “Spent Grain.” Lugene is the name of the “resident farmer” who has taken away the spent grain from the brewery for sixteen years. It is the first new four-pack offering in a couple years for Odell, according to Strubel.
Isolation Ale is finishing up its turn in the seasonal rotation in December and Odell Red Ale, which will be released around the same time as Lugene, is set to replace it on taps and store shelves in six-packs.
Finally, label approval recently came through for Odell Amuste Wine Barrel Aged Imperial Porter. Stay tuned for details.
