E-Malt.com News article: USA, FL: Swamp Head Brewery moves to a new location

Swamp Head Brewery in Gainesville has moved into its new building with triple the beer production capacity, triple the tasting room space, more than triple the parking with just under 70 spaces and — an important touch for tasting room guests — six times the restroom stalls, for a total of six instead of one, The Daily Commercial reported on February 8.

Scherer Construction is putting the finishing touches on the 13,500-square-foot facility after breaking ground last July, but the stainless steel fermentation tanks are in and gearing up for full production.

The Wetlands tasting room opened Jan. 30, with nearly 300 guests who have followed the brewery’s progress on Facebook showing up over the course of the night, according to Brandon Nappy, the brewery’s tactical marketing manager.

Swamp Head built the facility on 6 acres at 3650 SW 42nd Avenue, in the industrial park off Southwest 34th Street near the former Alley Katz bowling alley. A series of yard signs leads visitors to the back of the industrial park, where a right turn reveals two 36-foot-tall yellow silos that hold 60,000 pounds of grain each towering over the parking lot.

Swamp Head brought over its larger 30-barrel and 60-barrel tanks and added four 120-barrel tanks — each barrel being 31 gallons — which will increase its production capacity from 6,000 barrels of beer a year to 18,000 barrels.

Owner Luke Kemper said a big part of the increased production will go to meet demand at the Gainesville grocery stores and liquor stores that carry its cans. Swamp Head started offering its Stump Knocker beer in cans last year.

“Everyone’s constantly out of stock,” Kemper said.

The brewery plans to offer additional beers in cans over the next few months.

Swamp Head also plans to focus on further penetrating markets such as Orlando and Tampa, having hired an Orlando sales rep, for its bar and restaurant tap business. It has distribution throughout the state, covering all but the southern tip of Florida.

Kemper said the expansion is exciting but also scary.

“We obviously need to sell more beer,” he said. “We have a lot bigger loan commitment now.”

One acre to the west of the building adjacent to wetlands was put in permanent conservation, and the property has room to meet future plans to build another 60,000 square feet of warehouse space to the north with potential production of 50,000 barrels a year.

As part of the expansion, Swamp Head will add six employees for a total of 20, with hopes of creating more than 20 new jobs with future expansion.

The tasting room is open Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m. It currently includes 12 taps with eight Swamp Head beers that include its five year-round beers — Wild Night Honey Cream Ale, Cottonmo uth Belgian Witbier, Stump Knocker Pale Ale, Midnight Oil Oatmeal Coffee Stout and Big Nose IPA — its limited release beers and four guest taps featuring other Florida breweries, including Gainesville’s First Magnitude Brewing Company that opened last year. Plans call for 30 taps.

Once complete, a merchandise room will offer Swamp Head T-shirts, glasses, coozies, key chains, growlers and water bottles.

Solar Impact installed solar panels that will provide more than 15,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, offsetting a portion of the plant’s energy needs, and the tasting room includes reclaimed hardwood from the Goodwin Company of Micanopy.

The brewery is awaiting approval for an outdoor patio adjacent to the tasting room, but Kemper said state approval was put on hold after the Florida Independent Spirits Association filed a lawsuit seeking clarification on rules governing tasting rooms.

Swamp Head opened in 2008 and started selling beer in November 2009, coming along at a time when craft beer was taking off.

Swamp Head is planning to hold a grand opening party from 1 to 9 p.m. Feb. 21 with a ribbon cutting, tree planting, food trucks, music and beer.


11 February, 2015