USA, FL: Brew Hub to expand its Lakeland brewery

Brew Hub has announced the expansion of their Lakeland, Florida, brewery and the formation of new partnerships with JDub's Brewing Company of Sarasota, Florida, and M.I.A. Brewing Company of Miami, Benzinga reported on December 17.

The brewery expansion will allow Brew Hub to increase its incremental capacity by 60 percent, and the partnerships with JDub's and M.I.A. will enable both craft brewers to immediately expand distribution and grow volume.

Brew Hub's 64,000 square-foot Lakeland brewery opened September 2014. The brewery had an initial brewing capacity of 60,000 barrels, or nearly 1 million cases, annually. The expansion will increase the brewery's capacity to 100,000 barrels, or 1.4 million cases, annually. In addition to its home brands, Brew Hub brews beer for partners Cigar City, BJ's Restaurants, Toppling Goliath, Green Man, Orange Blossom, GolfBeer and Brew Bus.

"We designed the brewery with expansion in mind. We hoped this day would come – it just arrived sooner than we could have ever imagined," said Tim Schoen, CEO of Brew Hub. "The expansion proves the model we built to help craft brewers grow is working. We're excited to continue helping our partners grow as we expand, and we welcome the opportunity to add quality brewers like JDub's and M.I.A. to our team."

During its first 12 months of operation, Brew Hub expanded its bottling line and installed a new, state-of-the-art canning line to handle increased demand. In January, the company will install new bright beer tanks, increasing packaging capacity by 64 percent. In February, the company will add eight new fermentation tanks, increasing fermentation and conditioning capacity by 60 percent.

"With these additions, Brew Hub can brew and package an additional 40,000 barrels of beer in 2016," said Brew Hub's chief of brewing operations, Jim Ottolini. "We're getting thirsty just thinking about it!"

Due to high demand, Brew Hub's brewing capacity has been sold out since July 2015. The expansion allows for an increase in production for all existing partners and the opportunity to add new partner brewers. The expansion also is needed to meet projected growth for 2016.

Founded in 2013, JDub's Brewing produced approximately 4,000 barrels (55,000 cases) of beer in 2015. The partnership with Brew Hub will allow JDub's to increase its volume to nearly 10,000 barrels (137,000 cases) annually.

"Partnering with Brew Hub is a dream come true," said Jeremy Joerger, founder and CEO of JDub's Brewing Company. "Their state-of-the-art brewery and the deep experience of the Brew Hub team give small brewers like JDub's access to an array of talent, tools and technologies found only in larger breweries."

Founded in 2014, M.I.A. Brewing Company produced approximately 2,000 barrels (27,000 cases) of beer in 2015. The partnership with Brew Hub will allow M.I.A. to increase its volume to nearly 8,000 barrels (110,000 cases) annually.

"The partnership with Brew Hub is a game-changer for us," said Eddie Leon, founder of M.I.A. Brewing Company. "This is an exciting chapter in our company's history, and I can't wait to see what the future holds."

Brew Hub will package the beer in cans, bottles and kegs for both brewers. Florida is the only state where JDub's and M.I.A. currently distribute their beer. The increase in production will allow both brewers to expand their distribution throughout the state and regionally.

About Brew Hub
Brew Hub was founded in 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri, by a team of beer-industry executives and craft-brewing experts led by Tim Schoen. "Where Craft Brewers Go to Grow," Brew Hub provides full brewing, packaging, distribution and selling services for craft brands that are constrained by capacity, geography or capital. The company's first brewery is located in Lakeland, Florida. The company's second brewery is scheduled to open in late 2016 or early 2017 in Chesterfield, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. The company plans to have five breweries located throughout the country that will cater to craft breweries. Each facility will allow craft brews to partner brew their beers on-site. Brew Hub's financial sponsor is a private investment firm, The Yucaipa Companies.

18 December, 2015