E-Malt.com News article: USA, CO & NC: Oskar Blues Brewery announces 37% growth in 2013, expands

Oskar Blues Brewery, the first craft brewery in the country to brew and hand-can its beer, in November 2002, continued explosive growth in 2013 by posting a 37 percent increase in depletions and adding 32,000 barrels of production. This follows eight years of consecutive double digit growth (triple digit growth before that) which catapulted Oskar Blues to be named “Craft Brewer of the Year” by Beverage World Magazine in March, TheFullPint.com reported on January 30.

Oskar Blues Brewery packaged 59,000 barrels in 2011 and doubled that production, reaching over 119,000 barrels in 2013. The growth has been fueled by the addition of the second brewery and Tasty Weasel Taproom, both in Brevard, North Carolina. Brewing started in NC in December 2012. The Oskar Blues Brevard Brewery shipped more than 46,000 barrels in its first year of operation as East Coast distribution increased throughout the year.

Colorado’s funky little Lyons brew-pub has grown to become the largest American craft brewery to package beer exclusively in cans. The Colorado production was at 85,750 barrels of beer in 2012, which put Oskar Blues at 27th on the Brewers Association Top 50 Breweries list as of April 2013.

The majority of growth in 2013 came from existing markets, although the brewery added distribution in Michigan and Indiana. Oskar Blues also filled distribution voids in Central California, Eastern North Carolina and the balance of Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky last summer.

In addition to capacity increases, Oskar Blues added key player Lou Romano as National Sales Director in October and promoted Chris Russell to Business Development Director, in preparation for 2014. These two industry veterans lead a staunch group of regional managers and a sales force that has grown to over 45 strong.

Innovation continues to drive the brewery. Dale’s Pale Ale was released nationwide as the first American beer in the single-serve 19.2 ounce “Imperial Pint” can to kick off 2013. Mama’s Little Yella Pils followed in Ball Corporation’s 19.2 ounce can in April. Arizona spring training baseball stadiums and Asheville Tourists’ McCormick Field, Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater and Fillmore Auditorium, along with Chicago’s House of Blues, are top drivers for this new single serve package.

“Continuing to push the boundaries is what gets us up in the morning, it’s what drives us. The 19.2 ounce package is a product of that drive and passion. We continue to do what we love, toss a can in your backpack for the backcountry or a grab a stovepipe (19.2) at music and sport venues.” says Oskar Blues Soul-Founder Dale Katechis.

Oskar Blues also offered its “big three beers” in the new CANundrum Mix’d 12-pack of cans. The 12-pack includes four each of the multi-award-winning brews—Dale’s Pale Ale, Mama’s Little Yella Pils and Old Chub Scotch Ale.

The year 2013 also saw the creation of Oskar Blues CAN’d Aid Foundation, following the massive flooding in Oskar Blues home towns of Lyons and Longmont, CO. Although the CAN’d Aid Foundation will develop national partnerships in a variety of focus areas, the Foundation’s immediate impact was fundraising efforts for the communities of Lyons and Longmont after the devastating flooding.

About Oskar Blues Brewery

Founded by Dale Katechis in 1997 as a brewpub and grill, Oskar Blues Brewery launched its craft-brewed beer canning operations in 2002 in Lyons, Colorado. It was the first American craft brewery to brew and hand-can its beer. Today there are more than 200 craft breweries canning beer. The original crew used a hand-canning line on a tabletop machine that sealed one can at a time. Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont packaged 59,000 barrels in 2011 and grew to 85,750 in 2012, while opening an additional brewery in Brevard, NC, in late 2012.


31 January, 2014