April 22
Shipyard seeks smoother sales
Maine's most successful brewer of craft beers is increasing capacity to better meet demand.
By J. Hemmerdinger
jhemmerdinger@pressherald.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND - Shipyard Brewing Co. took delivery of new equipment Thursday as part of a $1 million expansion of its plant on Newbury Street.
click image to enlarge
The new equipment will enable the company to brew 180,000 barrels of beer yearly, up from its current capacity of 140,000 barrels, said Alan Pugsley, Shipyard's master brewer.
He said Shipyard has been running at full capacity recently and scrambling to fill orders.
"We were unable to make any more beer . . . and we were not achieving all our orders on a timely basis," he said.
The new equipment includes stainless- steel storage tanks and three fermentation tanks -- two that can hold 300 barrels of beer and one that can hold 100 barrels. A barrel holds 31 gallons.
The expansion, which will also include a new malt silo, is expected to be completed by Memorial Day.
Pugsley said the equipment will let Shipyard brew five batches of beer every day, up from four. The added capacity will help meet demand during the busy summer and fall months, when Shipyard brews its popular Summer Ale and Pumpkinhead Ale....
Pugsley attributed that growth to the taste and consistency of Shipyard's beer and the effectiveness of the company's sales and marketing efforts. Continue reading at this link.
