USA, IA: Big Grove Brewery getting even bigger

Big Grove Brewery is getting even bigger, The Gazette reported on December 6.

After much anticipation, one of Iowa’s largest breweries is opening Iowa’s second largest city as it positions itself for more growth on the heels of a statewide craft brewing renaissance.

The brewery announced its Cedar Rapids location at 170 First St. SW will open on Dec. 14. The taproom will be Big Grove’s fourth, after Solon, Iowa City and Des Moines — making it one of the only breweries in Iowa with such a statewide presence.

This latest opening arrives to Kingston Village’s First and First West, an $81.5 million mixed-use development. The new site follows the brand’s expansion to Iowa City in 2017 and Des Moines in 2022.

The substantial growth with upcoming developments follows two years of peak production at Big Grove’s Iowa City brewery, where a capacity of more than 31,000 barrels has been working hard to supply a steady increase in demand.

Big Grove also is in the process of opening “The Hop Lot,” a new distribution center in Iowa City, by February. The conversion of a former Goodwill distribution center on Liberty Drive into a nearly 42,000-square-foot facility with a 68,000-barrel capacity will allow the brewery to can its core varieties like Easy Eddy, Citrus Surfer and Boomtown, freeing up its Iowa City taproom location to produce and serve other varieties on site.

07 December, 2023