E-Malt.com News article: USA, KS: Walnut River Brewing Co. embarking on major expansion

El Dorado’s Walnut River Brewing Co. is embarking on a major expansion that will allow the microbrewery to supply more bars and to begin selling cans in liquor stores, Wichita Business Journal reported on April 21.

Co-owner BJ Hunt says Walnut River is installing a 30-barrel (930 gallon) brewing system to replace its current 2-barrel (62 gallon) system. In other words, it’s multiplying its capacity 15 times. And, Hunt says, Walnut River will be brewing four times a week on the new system, vs. three times now, further adding to the amount of product it can produce.

Hunt and Rick Goehring, the head brewer, opened Walnut River in mid-2013 and twice added fermenters to keep up with growing demand. But Hunt says it’s still been hard to keep its five brews in stock.

“We routinely run out of beer,” he says.

The beer is available at the brewery’s facility at 111 W. Locust Ave in El Dorado and at five area bars.

Once the new system is installed, “we should be able to be in about as many bars as want us,” Hunt says.

The brewery is also installing a canning line, which eventually will allow Walnut River beer to be sold in liquor stores. Hunt says he expects high demand based on a trial run last week, where Walnut River quickly sold 200 growlers at area liquor stores.

Hunt says he expects the new system to be in place “by Christmas-time-ish — emphasis on the ‘ish.’” The project involves cutting out the brewery’s concrete floor and re-sloping it, among other things.

Canning will require additional steps, like getting can labels approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Hunt wouldn’t say how much the upgrade will cost, though he says it’s “the most money I’ve ever spent in my life.” Walnut River is financing the project in part with a Small Business Administration loan, and it took on an investor who now owns a small share of the business to provide the capital needed to secure the loan.

Walnut River has received financing from Emprise Bank and Intrust Bank.


23 April, 2014