Bend-based craft beer pioneers Deschutes Brewery recently broke ground on 57,593 square feet of new warehouse space adjacent to its current warehouse at its production facility in the Old Mill. Over the last decade, the brewery has added new fermentation vessels and bottling line while the warehouse has remained the same size since 2004.
Five new fermentation tanks were installed in 2011 and five more in 2013. The German Krones AG bottling line, installed this year, increased overall line speed from 387 bottles per minute to 567 BPM. They also expanded their downtown Bend pub in 2012.
Solar-readiness, high-efficiency HVAC, insulation, lighting and other advanced sustainability features have been designed into the expanded building. R&H Construction will oversee the building process.
The new building will include an additional 5,000 square feet of cooler space for kegs. It will house the 3,000 oak barrels used to age its reserve series beers, currently being stored off site on Bend’s east side. Deschutes Brewery’s reserve beers will begin to roll out, beginning with their imperial, bourbon barrel-aged version of their flagship Black Butte Porter, the Black Butte XXVII. The Dissident, a Flanders-style sour brown ale, arrives in September, along with the popular Jubelale. Then in October, Deschutes Brewery celebrates hop-picking season with their Hop Trip: A Fresh Hop Pale Ale and Chasin’ Freshies: A Fresh Hop IPA.
Deschutes Brewery, named to OUTSIDE Magazine’s Best Places to Work list in 2013 and 2014, currently employs over 400 people. They sold 335,000 barrels of beer in 2014, up from 2013’s 285,000 barrels and expect to sell over 260,000 barrels this year.
“With all of the new distribution markets we are heading into, the warehouse expansion gives us the ability to maintain safety stock of our new brands, such as Fresh Squeezed,” says Deschutes Brewery Director of Logistics Margaret Reid.
Founded in 1988 as a brew pub in Bend, Deschutes Brewery is known for their variety of beers, including Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter. They opened a second pub in Portland’s Pearl District in 2008.
The brewery currently ships their beer to 28 states, the District of Columbia and around the world. In the last year they added Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington D.C. and Virginia to the places where you can buy their beer.
“Geographically, we are very controlled in our expansion,” says Reid. “It is very important to us that we have good partners and distributors.”
Deschutes Brewery donates $1 per barrel sold each year to nonprofit organizations. Last year, they donated more than $285,000 to more than 500 nonprofits. They focus on organizations providing services for the environment, children, families, animals, education and arts and cultural activities. Locally, their Community Pints program, where $1 from every pint sold on Tuesdays in both Bend and Portland goes to a selected charity, has already raised $19,306 for various nonprofits. In July, Deschutes Brewery will release their annual sustainability report, measuring their economic, environmental and social performance.
Deschutes Brewery
Warehouse – 901 SW Simpson Ave., Bend, OR 97702
Bend Pub – 1044 NW Bond Street, Bend, OR 97701
President: Gary Fish
Employees: 400
Established: 1988
Service: Craft beer sales, along with full menu at their pub
Hot News: Recently broke ground on a warehouse expansion as well as increase their distribution to 28 states and Washington D.C.
Outlook for Growth: As Bend’s craft beer industry continues to gain in popularity, Deschutes Brewery remains at the forefront of local beer distribution throughout the United States.
(Photo above: Bend Street Pub | Photo courtesy of Deschutes Brewery)
