USA, KY: Falls City Brewery relocating to larger facility

An iconic Louisville brewery is about to expand and, as it grows, Falls City Brewery hopes to help bring new life to an old neighbourhood, WDRB reported.

Falls City Brewery is relocating its headquarters from a small facility on S. 10th St. to a much larger building at the corner of 13th and Main Streets in the Portland neighborhood.

Falls City began brewing in Louisville in 1905 and quickly grew into a top regional beer brand. But it fell on hard times as mega-breweries took control, and it was forced to close in 1978.

The brand returned to Louisville in 2010, capitalizing on the craft beer craze.

“It was just on a real small capacity," said Brian U’Sellis, Falls City’s marketing manager. "But over the last few years, we’ve completely revitalized and offer a full-fledged product of craft beer now."

But most of the brewing and bottling is done by a contractor in Tennessee. With the purchase of the new building, Falls City will consolidate all its operations in Louisville.

“We'll have a large-scale brew system, a tap room in some capacity where the public can come try our beers, as well as canning or bottling line,” U’Sellis said.

And it will mean expanding the current seven-person operation.

“The quality consistency is going to be in my hands rather than somebody else's, and I'm looking forward to having that right here in our backyard,” Brewmaster Dylan Greenwood said.

Neace Ventures, the parent company of Falls City Brewing Company, has signed a letter of intent to acquire ownership in the building but will not disclose the purchase price. It will share the building with Heine Brothers Coffee.

“Actually, that location is right across from the Falls of the Ohio, which is where our name comes from anyway, way back in 1905. So, it's just perfect for us. And as the city grows, and Portland is revitalized, we want to be a big part of that,” U’Sellis said.

In a statement, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said:

“The brand Falls City is a symbol of early economic development in our community, one of our first local brewers. Today we raise our glass in celebration of their history and bold renaissance of this iconic homegrown brand.”

If all goes well, the deal should close in a couple of months, and Falls City should be up and running at its new location by spring of 2018.

26 January, 2017