E-Malt.com News article: USA, OH: Platform Beer Co. hoping to be brewing at its Gipsy Brewing facility by end of November

Platform Beer Co. is getting more space when Gypsy Brewing opens, Cleveland.com reported.

Platform's plans for Gypsy are moving ahead, said Justin Carson, one of Platform's owners. The brewhouse was delivered Wednesday, Nov. 11, with fermenters coming within the next two weeks, he said.

"By the end of November we'd better be brewing," said Carson, who owns JC BeerTech.

The operation will be in the old Leisy Brewing Co. at 3506 Vega Avenue, near Fulton Road and Interstate 90. Gypsy and Platform are less than a mile apart. The 120,000-square-foot space will serve a dual purpose: Platform will use 90 percent, with New Albion Brewing there as well. New Albion is a revitalization of what is known as the first microbrewery, established by Jack McAuliffe in 1976 in northern California.

But the remaining space is for brewers who need more room but who cannot afford or don't want to commit to their own, permanent location. This way, they can lease space at Gypsy.

It's akin to brewers who cannot afford the money or space for a permanent canning system who then turn to Buckeye Canning Systems. The Northeast Ohio-based company hauls its mobile operation to various breweries to can beers.

And in a nod to Leisy's past, the old King Gambrinus statute – which had been salvaged by the folks at nearby Market Garden Brewery – will be returned to its old stomping grounds, Carson said.

Leisy was a mainstay in Cleveland brewing for decades, until shutting down in the late 1950s. To this day, local breweriana collectors covet anything with the old brewery's name.

The Gypsy Brewing endeavor – with its eyes on the future and its roots in the past – culminates a lot of planning, said Paul Benner, one of Platform's owners.

"It's been about a year and half of work," he said. "We do have some people (who have expressed interest). New Albion will be brewing right out of the gate."

Early on, he said, the space will be used for Platform brews.

"In the short term, we need the capacity," said Benner, who expects to add tenants in the first and second quarters next year.

Gypsy is a brewing term for those who don't have a home, who "float around with their equipment," he said. It's also known as contract brewing, where one brewery produces beer for another.

"We're trying to extend the Platform brand, which is all about cooperation," Benner said.

Platform embraces an incubator business model, helping train and empower brewers to eventually craft beer on their own.

Its brewing tenants are not restricted to Northeast Ohio, Benner said. They can be local, regional or national brewers. There's another benefit: "We see it as a great way to do collaborations with brewers. It can be difficult to fit that into your production schedule."

The setting for the business is what Benner really likes.

"The most exciting thing is the building we're in," he added. "It was built in the late 1800s. We're very proud of the building itself."


13 November, 2015