E-Malt.com News article: USA, NM: Marble Brewery launches $1.5 million production expansion

One of the country’s most decorated small breweries is about to get bigger, Albuquerque Journal reported on July 1.

Albuquerque’s Marble Brewery on July 1 broke ground on a $1.5 million expansion project at its location in Albuquerque that will more than double its beer-making capacity. Owners say the extra 7,000 square feet of space will help Marble Brewery meet growing demand for a product that it can no longer make fast enough.

“Before we even think about making a drop of beer, everything is sold — which is a beautiful place to be, but it’s a challenging place to be,” said Ted Rice, Marble Brewery’s president and one of its owners. “My sales manager (jokes) he wasn’t actually a ‘sales manager,’ he was a ‘shortage specialist.'”

Marble Brewery — which has been stuck brewing between 12,500 and 13,000 barrels of beer annually for the last few years due to space constraints — will be able to produce about 30,000 barrels with the addition of the new space and equipment.

“It’s been a long time in the making (and) we’re pretty fired up,” Rice told a small crowd that gathered at Marble Brewery for the ceremony on July 1.

More than 95 percent of Marble Brewery’s current output is sold in New Mexico, and Rice said it’s possible that in-state thirst for its product could keep that ratio the same even after the major expansion. Though a small portion of its beer ends up in Colorado and Arizona, Marble Brewery’s co-owner Soren Peters noted that the company pulled out of certain parts of Colorado to focus on New Mexico.

“The first priority with this (new) space is to saturate the hometown market,” Rice said.

The production area expansion should conclude by December, while the plan is to complete the rooftop deck above the existing pub by the spring of 2016.

Marble Brewery’s current expansion follows a series of other major developments for the 7-year-old brewery. In the last year alone, Marble Brewey earned “Small Brewery of the Year” honours at the Great American Beer Festival.

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry spoke at July 1’s ground-breaking, lauding Marble Brewery for its role creating jobs and helping to put Albuquerque on the map. He called it a “really proud hometown moment.”

“They knew all about Marble Brewery, even out there,” Berry said.


03 July, 2015