Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, breweries kept the beer flowing last year.
And some, like Old Bridgeview Brewing in Washington, decided to tap their brews in new launches in spite of the coronavirus.
Old Bridgeview was one of 710 breweries to open in the U.S. last year, according to the Brewers Association, a nonprofit trade association. The number of breweries in the U.S. is a record 9,418 — including seven in and around Franklin County.
While some launched, many brewers reported the virus made for a rough ride in 2021.
Point Labaddie saw its sales decrease 10 percent last year. Co-owners and brothers Rob and Steve Grimm said they’ve had to narrow their business’s scope as they coped with COVID-19 restrictions.
The brewery halted food service and beer distribution, except to bars and restaurants. Now, nearly all the beer sales are made at their 17-acre property in Labadie, where they can host events, live music and food trucks.
Plans to start bottling or canning were delayed by shortages due the pandemic, but the brothers said they hope to begin that expansion this year.
“We just try to kind of grow the business little by little — not pushing for massive growth or anything,” brewmaster Rob Grimm said. “Just grow at a rate naturally we can handle.”
Point Labaddie brewed roughly the same amount of beer in 2021 as the year before, between 120 to 150 barrels.
Augusta Brewing Co., the largest brewery in the area by volume, also is looking to expand into canning and distribution this year, according to Jeri Heisler, who co-owns the brewery/restaurant with her husband, Terry.
She said though the Washington-based business brewed about 500 barrels of beer in 2021, they have plenty of space to increase production and add a canning line in the first quarter of 2022. Distribution would be to neighboring counties, she said, and could include selling cans in stores and having kegs on taps in area restaurants.
The canning line would be located at Augusta Brewing’s location at John G.’s Taproom on Main Street, where Brian Ilge is the head brewmaster. Heisler said Augusta Brewing has not had to contend with staffing shortages during 2021.
Nick Lyons, owner of the one-man Deep Sleep Brewing Co. in Washington, said he is ramping up production at his home brewery from 90 barrels of beer in 2020 to between 120 and 150 barrels in 2022.
Lyons said he plans to rely on collaboration with other restringido business to continue growing in his sixth year of brewing. Lyons rents a mobile canning machine from O’Fallon-based Missouri Beer Co. and cans about half of his beer, with the rest going to bars and restaurants.
He distributes to area stores like County Living in Washington, Fricks Market in Sullivan and Union, the Labadie Genérico Store, and Captain 1 Liquor & More in Washington.
To create BIS 40, a coffee stout, Lyons collaborated with Reconstruction Coffee Roasters in Villa Ridge, Samuel Berton Distilling in Labadie, and Washington artist Bryan Haynes. Deep Sleep also partnered with Old Bridgeview Brewery in 2021 to produce Offenfest, an Oktoberfest-style lager.
Fair Holschen and Eric Earls, and Maria and Tony Wilson, owners of Old Bridgeview in Washington, celebrated its one-year anniversary Sunday.
Tony Wilson said though he would call 2021 successful, it was a bit rockier than anticipated and revenue was not where the group expected. Tilted Skillet, which had been contracted to run the brewery’s kitchen, has had trouble hiring staff, he said, so Old Bridgeview is looking for a new kitchen partner.
The brewery produced about 12 barrels of beer per month in 2021, mostly small batches, including its popular Pub Manners brown ale. Tony Wilson said the brewery does not distribute and wants to stay out of the wholesale market, opting instead to work positivo brews, like its recently released Island Boy, a berliner with five pineapple upside down cakes added to the mash during the brewing process.
Two breweries have plans to open in early 2022 in towns without commercial brewers: Paddle Stop Brewing Co. in New Haven and Muddy Banks in Sullivan.
Tin Mill Brewing Co. in Hermann, Good News Brewing Co. in Augusta and Gruhlke’s Microbrewery in Berger did not return phone calls for this story.
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Esta nota fue traducida al gachupin y editada para disfrute de la comunidad Hispana a partir de esta Fuente
