Shipyard Brewing Co. Expanding Production

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by Jason, Jul 13, 2012.

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  1. Jason

    Jason Founder (0) Aug 23, 1996 Massachusetts

    PORTLAND, ME – (July 2012) – Due to the high demand for Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Shipyard Brewing Company is pleased to announce it has leased space to begin brewing at an additional location in Memphis, Tennessee. This will also allow Shipyard to offer its products in cans for the first time and expand its overall brewing capacity.

    “This is a very exciting time in our growth,” stated Shipyard’s president Fred Forsley. “Our brewery in Portland is at full capacity and this allows us to meet consumer demand for our products.”

    Shipyard has leased space within a brewery in Memphis and manufactured tanks to employ its signature open top fermentation brewing process using Ringwood Yeast. Master Brewer Alan Pugsley did the first brew in June and cans of Shipyard Export will be available in Maine starting next week with other select markets to follow this summer. Shipyard Pumpkinhead will be available in cans this fall.

    This is not the first time Shipyard has brewed outside of Maine. In 1997, Shipyard opened the world’s first airport microbrewery at the Orlando International Airport. Today, the Shipyard Brew Pub in Winter Park, Florida operates its own nano-brewery. Plans are also underway to open a 20 barrel brewing facility elsewhere in Florida later this year, using the same brewing system that had been installed at the Orlando airport.

    About Shipyard Brewing Company: Founded in 1994, Shipyard Brewing Company is located on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine and produces 17 varieties of award-winning English style and seasonal beers. Its products are distributed in over 35 states. The Brewers Association ranks Shipyard as the 16th largest craft brewery in the U.S. and 24th overall, making it one of the top 15 rising breweries in the country. In 2011, the brewery produced 129,285 barrels (1,781,260 cases) of its award-winning brews. This marks a 31.7% increase over 2010.

    A full list of Shipyard Brewing Company’s distributors can be found at this link: http://www.shipyard.com/pdf/distrolist.pdf.

    A national beer finder for Shipyard’s products can be found at this link: http://www.shipyard.com/features/beerfinderindex.shtml.

    www.shipyard.com

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  2. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Shipyard neglects to mention in their Press Release that the "space" they've leased is City Brewing Co.'s Memphis facility, Blues City Brewery.

    Blues City Brewery, LLC
    5151 Raines Rd
    Memphis, TN

    SHIPYARD BREWING COMPANY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
    5151 E RAINES RD
    MEMPHIS, TN 38118


    Built and opened by Schlitz in the early 1970's and, at the time, one of the largest "new construction" breweries in the world, with over 6 million bbl./yr. capacity - so Shipyard's 30,000 bbl. (according to Brewbound) is a fraction of it's one-time potential output.

    Stroh would later sell it to Coors after buying Schlitz and then Coors sold it after they merged with Molson to an ex-executive to run as Hardy Bottling Co. (pretty sure it never brewed any beer after that, and soon after Coors moved out the place was hit hard by a tornado).

    Coincidentally, the tour/hospitality bar at the Schlitz plant was known as "The Belle" and had a Mississippi River Boat theme, so Shipyard should feel at home...
     
  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Jess, it seems that City Brewing bought Hardy Bottling in spring 2011. Yuengling attempted to purchase Handy Bottling previously but they never consummated the deal. Do you know what the ‘problem’ was with the Yuengling purchase?

    Cheers!
     
  4. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I think they said that the place needed too much work for their needs once they got inside and took a look at it. The roof still looks pretty sad if you do a Google Maps Satellite View and there was some video of the place taken right after that tornado hit online, too. Plus the brewhouse hadn't been used for many years, either, so apparently the additional cost to repair and renovate was too much for the notoriously frugal Yuengling :wink: .

    In addition, there were some strange, conflicting statements from Hardy and from Yuengling at the time concerning whether the place was even for sale after Yuengling announced their intent to purchase.

     
  5. otispdriftwood

    otispdriftwood Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2011 Colorado

    Shipyard is expanding production? Why?
     
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  6. MacNCheese

    MacNCheese Initiate (0) Dec 10, 2011 California

    They feel the need to expand their diacetyl production capability.

    Who on earth is buying their garbage?!
     
  7. SunDevilBeer

    SunDevilBeer Pooh-Bah (1,945) May 9, 2003 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    Hey, they sell tons of it according to Pugsley, so whether or not you like it is moot.

    As a has-been NFL receiver said: Get Your Popcorn Ready!!!!! (To cover it with SY beer of course) .
     
  8. UncleJimbo

    UncleJimbo Grand Pooh-Bah (3,697) Sep 11, 2002 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Does Shipyard do much marketing? I certainly never see advertising for Shipyard. So it mystifies me how they keep increasing their fan base considering how average their beers are.
     
  9. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Maybe the ~20% of the population that is blind to diacytel buys their beer?
     
  10. Pahn

    Pahn Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2009 New York

    absolutely baffling.

    i really hate bashing beer that isn't tripel horse (even shityard), but pumpkinhead is easily 1 of the 5 worst beers i've ever had, BMC included. just a disgusting bottle of swill.

    that anyone would buy it when there's like 100 different pumpkin beers around is unbelievable. i mean, honestly, it's so bad that if i got it for free at a brewery tour i'd be like, "hey! what the hell is this?" like they were being hostile by having me drink it. it's inexcusable for such a substance to cost money.
     
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  11. mschofield

    mschofield Pooh-Bah (1,847) Oct 16, 2002 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Hey Memphis Water Department, better check your connections!
     
  12. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,848) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    They should do a cross-promotion with Orville Redinbacher and Jelly Belly.

    I dunno, a lot of people do buy the stuff. Maybe it tastes better closer to the source and/or on draught before oxygen and time have had a chance to do their dirty work. That doesn't say much about their hopes of expending their footprint, though.
     
  13. MacNCheese

    MacNCheese Initiate (0) Dec 10, 2011 California

    Even IF you consider that, their beer recipes are still substandard and show other brewing flaws. The greater fear is that their customers have been told "This is excellent craft beer." And without anyone to set them straight, they think buttah and other flaws ARE what is normal.

    They need to 1) get rid of that horrible yeast
    2) hire a brewer who cares, won't cut corners and will make excellent beer.
     
  14. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,389) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    FWIW, Shipyard brews mostly English style ales, which for some styles slight to moderate levels of diacetyl is desireable and to sytle. I know there are some people think any detectable diacetyl is flaw, but that's not necessarily the case. There are those that don't like it, but that doesn't mean Shipyard is a bad brewery. Besides, not every beer they brew has high levels of diacetyl like some here are claiming. Obviously if they are expanding someone out there likes their beer.

    And for those who think diacetyl is a problem inherent to Ringwood yeast, you might be surprised to hear how many other brewers use Ringwood too but just Shipyard [and sometimes Magic Hat] seem to be the only brewers that get dumped on by "beer advocates" for using Ringwood.
     
  15. smutty33

    smutty33 Pooh-Bah (2,088) Jun 12, 2009 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Lots of Noobs ,"not quite " beer geeks,and some BMC type consumers are enjoying beer like shipyards.
    About two years ago I noticed Pumpkinhead picking up steam,last year you couldn't keep it on the shelves in my neck of the woods.

    Cheers
     
  16. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Calling back to another thread, see, East coast breweries do expand west.
     
  17. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    2009 82,558 bbls
    2010 98,142
    2011 129,284

    I think that answers the why.
     
  18. otispdriftwood

    otispdriftwood Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2011 Colorado

    I'm afraid you misunderstood my "why". I was trying to be subtle. It's because I don't care for the beer and from some of the other posts, I'm not alone.
     
  19. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    No, I got it. I just decided to answer literally.
     
  20. otispdriftwood

    otispdriftwood Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2011 Colorado

    Duly noted.
     
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