A microbrewery west of Philadelphia is close to hitting its beer-making capacity, so the next step is to expand its footprint.
Victory Brewing Co. is known throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and beyond for the 21 varieties made at its Downingtown brewery. That location has the capacity to brew 100,000 barrels per year. Last year it made 82,000 barrels and the company on track to hit its limit in 2012, spokeswoman Karen Noonan says. Since its current location, which also has a restaurant, has no more space, Victory needed to find a new place if it was going to expand. Plus, the brewery's founders were set on finding an existing building near a source of water fit for making specialty beers.
They found the right spot in Parkesburg, a town about 15 miles west of Victory's home base. In the summer of 2013, it expects to move into a warehouse near a branch of the Brandywine Creek, the same body of water that provides the water it currently brews with. Noonan notes that the Brandywine's water is of high quality and similar to what can be found in the Bavaria region of Germany. “The best option for a brewery is water that doesn't taste like anything,” she says. The new location will also be designed to conserve energy and water usage.
Once the second location is complete, Victory expects it to have an annual brewing capacity of 200,000 barrels. The company, which has about 150 employees now, expects to hire at least 50 more workers.
Source: Karen Noonan, Victory Brewing Co.
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen
