E-Malt.com News article: USA, FL: The Barley Mow Brewing Company to expand production in Largo

The Barley Mow Brewing Company recently finished the first phase of a new production facility in Largo, allowing it to make 3,000 barrels of beer a year shipped to 150 breweries across the state – from Jacksonville to the Keys, Tampa Bay Newspapers reported on June 24.

By the end of August, owner Jay Dingham hopes to start canning its beer.

“We have tons of room to grow,” he said.

Dingham stood on the platform above the new 1,000-gallon brewing system, featuring giant boil kettles and two pairs of fermentation tanks that hold 38 and 60 barrels of beer, respectively. The system takes up only one corner of the large warehouse, which Dingham bought from Piper Fire Protection, Large, in February 2014. The facility has been brewing large batches of beer for about six months.

“Right now, we’re doing about half of what we need to be doing, where I want to be, by the end of this year. We’re expecting cans to be a big part of that,” Dingham said.

The new facility off Missouri Avenue in Largo is in line with the business plan Dingham and his wife Colleen envisioned at the onset. The couple couldn’t have anticipated the explosion in popularity the craft beer industry afforded their fledgling business when they opened the tavern in November 2011. The 75-gallon brewing system at the tavern still churns out about 75 different styles of beer a year.

“We couldn’t make enough beer to keep up. This was always part of the plan – to open up a production facility,” Dingham said.

Just as much work goes into producing a 75-gallon batch of beer as 1,000 gallons, making a larger volume production more cost effective and profitable, he said.

Despite the fact that Barley Mow Brewing has outgrown its space, the tavern itself is still “really successful,” Dingham said. In fact, so far, it pays for a lot of expansion of production at the new facility, as distribution ramps up to become a profitable element of the business.

“We’re selling a lot more beer across the state than we do in the tavern, but … we got a long way to go,” he explained. “It’s a whole new frontier for us.”

When canning begins, production can increase. With the addition of more fermentation tanks – and maybe even a silo or two to store grain – the brewing system can handle a lot more use, Barris said.

“We’re maybe brewing twice a week,” he said. “This thing could run 10 times a day.”

Barley Mow Brewing is set to celebrate its anniversary party on July 25.


26 June, 2015