E-Malt.com News article: USA, TN: Blackhorse Pub & Brewery to increase production by about 15%

Blackhorse Pub & Brewery is expanding its brewing capacity to enhance the amount of beer it is selling at other locations, The Leaf Chronicle reported on July 15.

The Blackhorse is installing a 20-barrel fermenter, which will produce about 600 gallons of beer at a time. That will increase the Blackhorse’s production about 15 percent.

“We have been brewing beer here at the Blackhorse since 1995, and for the most part all the beer we always brewed we have sold right here in the Blackhorse,” said owner Jeff Robinson. “About a year ago we opened another brew pub in Knoxville, and in that one we put some extra capacity to try and be able to do a little distribution and get beer out into the marketplace.

“That is going pretty well over there, we are in about 70 different accounts in the Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge area,” Robinson said, “so we started to a little bit more of same thing over here, going into a few accounts around Clarksville. What that means is that we have got to expand capacity to brew more beer, so we can get it out there.”

The Blackhorse started with four 10-barrel fermenters. It added an 18-barrel last year, and with the new 20-barrel, they have almost doubled their capacity.

“That will enable us to pick up some more accounts,” Robinson said. “We started with O’Connor’s Pub, and our most recent is the Liberty Park Grill that just opened.

“Most of the beer we are doing is draft and we are starting to go to a lot of special events, like Pickin’ on the Porch. We are selling a lot of beer at events like that.”

After initial resistance to selling beer locally, Robinson said demand necessitated branching out a bit.

“At first we weren’t warm to the idea of selling our beer out in Clarksville,” Robinson said. “We wanted to get most people to come here to get their beer if that is what they wanted. I had an officer at Fort Campbell say I wish I could get your beer closer to home, because I don’t always want to drive all the way downtown to get your beer.

“That’s when the light bulb went off. So we approached the guys at O’Connor’s and ... it has kind of spread out from there.”


16 July, 2014