Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing Co. has narrowed its list of potential East Coast brewery sites to two: the Philadelphia area and Asheville, NC. Fort Collins-based New Belgium, which produces Fat Tire Ale, said the facility would create 100 to 120 jobs. It would produce up to 500,000 barrels a year, in kegs and bottles, and serve as an East Coast distribution center, New Belgium spokesman Bryan Simpson said.
The Fort Collins Coloradoan reported last November that New Belgium was considering four potential East Coast locations.
“Philadelphia is a great beer town, it has a great beer culture. People there are savvy about beer. We also think we could also learn from Philly,” Simpson told the Philadelphia Business Journal. He said Asheville, a foothills city in far western North Carolina, is also being considered.
Last month, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. of Chico, CA, said it picked Mills River, NC, (12 miles north of Asheville) for its East Coast brewery, where it will produce 300,000 barrels a year.
New Belgium, which is sold in 28 states but has limited availability on the East Coast, started by looking at “dozens” of areas before narrowing the list to 10 and then two, Simpson said. It is looking for a site to build from the ground up.
News reports from North Carolina and Colorado have indicated that a decision was imminent, but Simpson said the decision might not be made before June.
New Belgium is nearing capacity at its Fort Collins brewing operation, where it produces 700,000 barrels a year (with capacity for 900,000).
New Belgium was founded in 1991 by a basement brewer, Jeff Lebesch, who returned to Fort Collins after an epic mountain bike trip throughout Europe, where he sampled local brews. His wife Kim Jordan is now the company’s CEO.
Welcome to NC!!!!
I beg of you to Please!!! Come to NC!!! Asheville would be great, but how about Fayetteville NC/Ft Bragg. The craft brewers are selling a lot of beer here. Even have a couple brew houses and a few excellent craft brew stores. Military town with a huge beer budget! Contact the chamber of commerce. Still gonna keep drinking your beer, love it. 1554/hoptober golden ale/2 below ale/somersault/mighty arrow/fat tire..yes I drank them all.
Mills River is 12 miles South of Asheville (not North as stated above). I do not understand why so much emphasis on Philadelphia as a great beer town. Asheville has been voted “Beer City USA” 3 years running. We have more per capita craft breweries than anywhere. We have all the advantages for potential brewers without “big city” attitude. Beer culture is alive and thriving here, as droves of visitors who come for our festivals will attest. To simply say that Asheville “a foothills city in far western North Carolina, is also being considered” is underwhelming by comparison.
I’m also voting for North Carolina and I told them so by writing them. Asheville is more like Fort Collins than Philly is.
And I’m closer to Asheville – I don’t want to drive to Philadelphia.
My husband and I go to Asheville (from Cincinnati) at least once a year. PLEASE PICK BEER CITY USA!!
The Asheville brewing community is a group of wonderful people and I consider myself lucky that it’s just 6 hours away.