E-Malt.com News article: USA, LA: Parish Brewing Co. is expanding

The Broussard-based beer maker known across Lafayette Parish for its signature brews Canebrake and Biere Amber is expanding its production capabilities and will soon sell beer across Louisiana, Theadvertiser.com reported on August, 12.

Andrew Godley, owner of Parish Brewing Co., said he will break ground on a new brewery in Broussard next week. He said the brewery should be complete before year's end.

The new facility, which is "almost 10 times larger" than the current one, will allow Godley to not only bottle beer but also to expand into markets across the state and eventually throughout the Gulf South.

"We're going to brew more on the first day at the new brewery than we did during all of 2010 at the old one," Godley said.

By mid-2012, Parish Brewing Co. beers will be available "everywhere in Louisiana," Godley said. Currently, his beer is served only in Lafayette Parish and only on draft.

The new facility includes bottling capabilities, and he will sell both draft and bottled beer in each market he enters. He said the company will initially sell six-packs of beer but may move to 12-packs if demand calls for it.

Godley's current brewery is a 1,200-square-foot warehouse off East Second Street in Broussard. The new facility will be about 9,000 square feet and will be located near the intersection of Bayou Tortue Road and Jared Drive.

By the end of 2011, Godley will have produced about 150 barrels of beer. The new brewery, he said, can produce 5,000 barrels per year.

Godley said he began searching for a place to expand his business in September 2010.

He initially considered renting a building in Lafayette but ultimately decided to build from the ground up after encountering problems with high rents and lacking utilities.

"We've been looking for a long time trying to find the right spot," Godley said.

"As cool as it would have been to have a brewery in downtown Lafayette, I just couldn't make it work. I really, really tried."

When the new facility opens, the company will make three types of beer — Canebrake, Biere Amber and Envie Pale Ale —before expanding to other brews.

"If Canebrake fills up the market like it did in Lafayette, we may not have the capacity to brew too many other beers at first," Godley said.

Godley, who now operates the business mostly by himself, said he will have to hire three full-time employees to oversee the new brewery.

He plans to first expand the business across Louisiana and will then wade into markets across the Gulf South. The new brewery, he said, has room for expansion that he hopes to use in the future.

"The quality of our beer is going to be world-class because we're doing it right," Godley said. "We'll grow as needed."



17 August, 2011