E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA & VA: Stone Brewing Co. to build new brewery in Richmond, Virginia

After months of speculation, Stone Brewing Co. has formally announced its intent to build a new brewery in Richmond, Virginia, brewboubd.com reported on October, 9.

Pending local approvals, the country’s tenth largest craft brewer said it will build an east coast brewing facility in Richmond’s Greater Fulton Community.

The San Diego-area brewery has signed a formal letter of intent with the city and plans to invest $74 mln to construct a production brewery, packaging hall, restaurant and retail store.

The search for a location had been ongoing since the company announced its intentions to build a facility, east of the Mississippi River, earlier this year. A number of states throughout the eastern half of the country submitted requests for proposal and subsequently launched campaigns to lure the brewery to town.

“The search for our location east of the Mississippi River was no easy endeavor,” said Stone President and Co-founder Steve Wagner. “We received and reviewed hundreds of proposals, visited more than 40 sites, and received quite a bit of attention from communities and craft beer fans. The three finalist cities each provided diverse offerings, however, we decided to begin next-step negotiations with Richmond because of their ability to meet our extensive site requirements, subject to the city’s approval. We also feel that Richmond’s vibrant energy and impressive craft beer culture, along with the uniqueness of the property, will allow us to create a truly memorable Stone experience for our fans. We are honored by the amount of time and effort all the communities that submitted proposals put forth and we want to specifically thank Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones for welcoming us.”

Stone anticipates building a 200,000 square-foot production brewery and distribution facility on 14 acres of land. Equipped with a 250-barrel brewhouse, the brewery will produce year-round and special-release beers to be bottled, kegged and distributed, as well as enjoyed on-site.
This is the second expansion announcement Stone has made this year. In July, the company unveiled it will become the first American craft brewer to independently own and operate a brewery in Europe with the opening of Stone Brewing Co. – Berlin.


10 October, 2014