E-Malt.com News article: USA, PA: Victory Brewing Company launches second facility

Victory Brewing Company is thrilled to announce the official premiere of their highly anticipated state-of-the-art brewery in Parkesburg, PA. The facility, which is more than 140,000 square feet set on 42 acres of rolling Chester County countryside, prepares the brewery for the next chapter in its history, Brewbound reported on February 27.

“In 2011, we faced the choice of either retracting markets or expanding our production, as demand outpaced our supply,” said Bill Covaleski, Victory’s president and co-founder/brewmaster. “I guess you know which way we landed! Now, after more than 18 months of planning and construction, we’re excited to finally show-off this beautiful new brewery.”

The location was chosen because of its similarities to Victory’s home in Downingtown. Just as the Downingtown brewery recycled an old Pepperidge Farm factory, the Parkesburg brewery is built within an existing building and both are situated less than 20 miles away from the headwaters of the east and west branches of the Brandywine Creek, respectively.

“Environmental impact and water quality were major considerations for this expansion. Nearly eight months of water-quality research found that the mineral composition of the west branch water is nearly identical to the east branch,” Covaleski continued. “Now the beer is flowing and we couldn’t be more pleased with the result.”

The production space is equipped with top-of-the-line brewing technology and tools, including a best-in-class German-built ROLEC brewhouse with production capacity of up to 200 barrels per batch, as well as a proprietary hop separator coined the HopVIC, and a hard-piped fermentation cellar featuring (16) 1,000 barrel fermenters. At full capacity, the brewery will able to brew 225,000 barrels annually – more than doubling the current capability in Downingtown.

“Another one of the really exciting new features in this brewery is the state-of–the-art biological acidification system, which will allow our brewers to naturally optimize pH values throughout the brewing process, yielding cleaner and fresher tasting beer,” explained Ron Barchet, Victory’s CEO and co-founder/brewmaster.

The facility also is designed to entertain and educate, bringing fans and beer enthusiasts closer to all aspects of the brewing process. Construction will continue on the 10,000 square feet of space where a full service brewpub and beer garden are planned, scheduled to near completion by the start of 2015. In the meantime, the facility will be available for private catered events and, beginning April 5, will be accessible to the public via chartered school bus tours from the Downingtown brewpub, which also just recently resumed offering tours on the weekends.

Victory Brewing Company is a privately held craft brewery headquartered in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Begun by Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet, childhood friends who met on a school bus in 1973, the brewery formally began operations in February of 1996. Victory, Pennsylvania’s widely acclaimed brewery and restaurant, now serves fans of fully flavored beers in 34 states with innovative beers melding European ingredients and technology with American creativity.


28 February, 2014