USA, MD: Full Tilt Brewing looking to open own brewery in Baltimore

Born in a garage and maturing in the confines of a contract brewery, Full Tilt Brewing has come a long way in its short time in business.

Now the Baltimore brewery is preparing to branch out on its own, Baltimore Business Journal reported on March 4.

Full Tilt brews out of Peabody Heights Brewery in Waverly, but the company is on the hunt for space to launch its own brewing facility in Baltimore City.

"That was the goal the whole time from the start," co-owner Nick Fertig said. "We didn't plan on doing contract forever, but it was a good way to get into the industry."

Fertig said Full Tilt is searching for a 20,000- to 25,000-square-foot warehouse with space for a tap room. He expects it to take about six months from the time Full Tilt signs a lease to get the new brewery up and running, but he hopes to have the tap room open earlier so customers can watch the brewhouse's construction.

Full Tilt sells a variety of Baltimore-themed beers. Its flagship Baltimore Pale Ale is the company's best seller, and other varieties include Berger Cookie Chocolate Stout, Patterson Pumpkin and Fleet Street Raspberry Wheat. Full Tilt's most recent addition is the Bay IPA, an India pale ale whose sales support the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

The brand has a presence from Erie, Pa., to Northern Virginia, and its production has grown about 30 percent since it launched out of Peabody Heights Brewery in 2012.

"I think that we could easily up that once we have our own location," Fertig said. "Right now we've kind of held back on exploring new territory because we don't want to overextend."

06 March, 2015