USA, NC: Natty Greene's Brewing Company adds six more tanks to step up production and starts thinking of finding a new location

Natty Greene's Brewing Company began operations at its West Lee St. brewery in Greensboro in 2007, its growth in recent years mirroring the state's love of craft beer, TWC News reported on January 1.

The company has just added six more tanks to step up production.

"We got five new fermenters and also a 120 barrel bright beer tank that we've added. Our original cellar consisted of 23 tanks and now this brings us up to 29," says Head Brewer Scott Christoffel.

The brewery turned out more than 17,000 barrels of beers, ales and stouts in 2014.

The new equipment puts the company on target to reach 29,000 barrels to serve North Carolina and new markets in Virginia and South Carolina.

"It's an about 43 percent increase in production, so it's a pretty good jump for us," Christoffel says.

With this latest expansion, the company has now run out of space.

"We're really going to have to look for a new building here in the next 18 months to 24 months. We need to come up with a new plan because we'll max these tanks out in the next, probably, year," says Christoffel.

A new brewery could start out at 56,000 barrels, with room for more production.

"And then we will be able to add enough tanks without having to add any more building, to about 109 and then after that you go to 220," says Christoffel.

The company is scouting locations and figures a new, larger brewery would take an investment of up to $12 million.

Christoffel says for Natty Greene's to continue on an upward trajectory this is the logical next step.

"We've taken baby steps and will be really nice to go full blown, get a much larger brewery and see where we take that," he says.

02 January, 2015