Crane Brewing Co. just got six new fermentation tanks delivered, which will allow the Raytown craft brewery to nearly double its capacity and boost its distribution.
The brewery hopes to have the new fermentation tanks up and running by the end of March. The six new fermenters include two 30-barrel, two 10-barrel and two three-barrel tanks. The expansion will nearly double the brewery's capacity. Crane sold 1,100 barrels of beer in 2017. It started brewing beer in September 2015.
Co-founder Chris Meyers said the two 30-barrel tanks will be used to boost production of core beers. The three-barrel tanks will be used to propagate yeast to support the increase in brewing. The two 10-barrel tanks will be used to support the barrel-aging program and for creating special releases or collaboration beers with business partners.
The new taproom at Crane Brewing Co. is a reflection on its motto "tradition evolving," which is about taking rustic elements and putting a modern spin on it, just like the company's beers. Take a look inside.
The addition of more fermentation tanks comes after Crane Brewing installed a new bottling line last year, enabling it to start offering beers in traditional six-pack bottles. Previously, the brewery offered only kegs or the larger 750-ml bottles. Meyers said the six-packs have a lower margin than the 750-ml bottles, so the only way for it to work was to increase the brewery's sales volume.
"The six-packs are helping us get our beer into more Price Chopper (grocery stores)," Meyers said. "That was a bit tricky because they've got different owners, where Hy-Vee is just one entity. Also, many Price Choppers don't do a lot of sales of 750-ml bottles. So having six-packs will get us into more stores like that. It also will help us get into more bars and restaurants that either aren't set up to take quarter-barrels or only have a few tap handles and can't rotate us in as often. They're far more willing to accept small-format bottles they can keep in a beer cooler."
The ultimate goal of all the new investment in brewery equipment, he said, is to penetrate deeper into the Kansas City-area market, providing the brewery with sustainable growth.