E-Malt.com News article: USA, PA & MD: South County Brewing Co. undergoing major expansion

South County Brewing Co. is undergoing a major expansion that will more than triple its brewing capacity as the craft beer maker looks to expand throughout Pennsylvania and into Harford County and northern Baltimore County in Maryland, ydr.com reported on July 29.

The 3-year-old Fawn Grove brewer is adding $250,000 in new equipment imported from Italy that will enable it to increase output to more than 1,000 barrels a year. That's up from the 280 barrels it expects to produce in 2014.

"It's time to go big or go home," said J.R. Heaps, South County's founder, head brewer and one of the brewery's owners.

South County's expansion comes as craft beers continue to gain popularity.

Small, local breweries are becoming regional powerhouses and beers that once could be found only in one part of the country are going national. Craft beers, for example, are among the offerings at the in-store beer cafes Sunbury, Pa.-based Weis Market has opened in some of its Pennsylvania stores.

At Victor's in Spring Garden Township, South County's Black Cowgirl black double IPA, is among the more popular locally made beers on tap, said Zach St. John, the restaurant's front-of-house manager.

"I though it was really good. It was nice, and roasty and malty," St. John said. "Doing a black IPA is not an easy beer to accomplish and J.R. did a good job." The dark-hued, India Pale Ale is South County's biggest seller, Heaps said.

Heaps sees South County's expanded production capacity as the next step in turning a brewery nestled among the cornfields of southern York County into a regional craft brewer. He's planning on the company, which launched in 2011, to reach $1 million in revenue in the next five years.

"This should get us into some healthy profitability," said Heaps, 29, who recently added Kurt Kay, Craig Kay and Roger Kay as business partners. The three are owners of Hard Chrome Specialists, a Manchester Township electroplating company.

Heaps plans to roll out two new beer varieties in early 2015 — a Hefeweizen, or German wheat beer, and a beer that will be aged in oak, bourbon barrels. He's planning on naming the latter Virgil, in honor of his late grandfather.

Heaps also plans to make some changes to the way in which South County's beer is packaged. The beer is now sold at retail in 22 ounce bottles. Heaps will change to the more common 12 ounce size and reserve the 22 ounce size for South County's seasonal beers.


30 July, 2014