Keweenaw Brewing Company expanding facilities to meet demand

The Keweenaw Brewing Company has made no qualms about keeping up with the demand that has been placed upon it by the beer-drinking public.

The company, which has a tap house in Houghton and cans beer at its brewing facility in South Range, has announced that it is in the process of expanding by adding a 4,500-square-foot building for dry storage, keg cleaning/storage and winter loading and unloading. Construction on the site has already started and is expected to help the company meet the need for increased supply thanks to its growing popularity.

Co-owner Richard Gray says the expansion is needed in the wholesale facility because it is where the growth factor is for KBC.

"It will provide additional room in the main brewery, so we can introduce another ale in a can," he says.

That news comes to the delight of KBC fans across Michigan, because the added room in their existing facility could also potentially mean additional tanks for brewing along with the introduction of a pale ale this spring to add to the lineup of five currently canned beers.

The addition will not only give them more space, but it will also allow Keweenaw Brewing Company, which has 19 employees, to load distribution trucks inside instead of having to haul their products outside and into the trucks--a big relief, especially when you consider the snowfall the area typically gets each winter.

The growth of their facilities is definitely warranted. KBC first began production in 2004 and made 406 barrels of beer. In 2011, the company produced 6,800 barrels of beer.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Richard Gray, Keweenaw Brewing Company