Shipyard Brewing Company Expands Production

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.

The Shipyard Tavern Opens Tuesday in Mystic, CT!

Join us this Tuesday, April 11th at 4pm for the grand opening of the Shipyard Tavern at Latitude 41, next to the Mystic Seaport, in Mystic, Connecticut.

The grand opening celebration will feature $2.50 Shipyard pints, prizes and giveaways, live entertainment, and a live remote with WBMW.

The Shipyard Tavern will feature a new menu to compliment its beer selections. Draft lines include Mystic Seaport Pale Ale, Shipyard Export, Shipyard IPA, Shipyard Summer, Old Thumper, Double Old Thumper, Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat, and Shock Top Belgian Wheat Ale.

The Tavern is also offering Mystic's first Mug Club! Participants will receive a personalized beer mug, a Shipyard t-shirt, a birthday lunch, invitations to members only events, and half-price appetizers.

Visit Latitude 41 on Facebook for more information.

Summer Ale Party at Portland Pie!

Join us Thursday, April 14th from 5:00 - 8:00pm at any of the four Portland Pie locations throughout Southern Maine and New Hampshire.

Each location will be raffling off a pair of Red Sox tickets! Shipyard Summer and Export will be featured at $3 per pint.

In the event that you need a good incentive to indulge in the clean, mellow malted wheat flavor of Shipyard Summer Ale, know that you will be giving to a great organization - $1 from every pint sold will be donated to Portland Trails in Maine and Manchester PAL in New Hampshire.

51 York St., Portland, Maine
869 Main St., Westbrook, Maine
Cabelas Plaza, Scarborough, Maine
786 Elm St., Manchester, New Hampshire

Pumpkinhead Pummels Old Thumper in the Championship Round

The Pumpkinhead phenomenon was downright obvious as Shipyard fans watched the fall brew sweep the Sweet 16 brackets, outscoring its opponent by triple digits in each round.

Knocking out two big-bodied beers in early contests, including "big brother" Smashed Pumpkin, Pumpkinhead went in to the Championship performance facing the proclaimed "beast of a beer" - Old Thumper.

The ever popular English bitter succumbed to the intense popularity of the refreshing autumn seasonal early on. Regardless of how the Championship played out, Shipyard is proud that so many of their brews are fan favorites. Cheers!

A special thank you to our Facebook fan Tony P. for creating the Pumpkinhead Championship trophy!