From Destihl:
Normal, IL, 18 Feb 2016 – DESTIHL® Brewery has today announced plans to build a new $14 Million production brewery facility in Normal, IL.
The brewery complex, to be located on Greenbriar Road in the North-Land Commercial Subdivision (north of Menards®), will initially consist of a 47,000 sq. ft. production brewery facility situated on about 6 acres of land. The building will house a large production space, including an expanded brewhouse, fermentation and cellar areas, a two-story oak barrel and foudre room for beer aging, a packaging floor, cooler, warehouse & lab. The facility will also include a 6,300 sq. ft. taproom and event space, featuring the bold flavors of DESTIHL’s beer and food, an outdoor beer garden and brewery and corporate offices. The brewery has an option to purchase adjacent land for future expansion as well, which would likely involve a similar size of investment over time.
The planned expansion is being driven by heavy demand for DESTIHL’s unique portfolio of beers, both locally in Illinois and in the other 13 states where its beers are currently distributed as well as in many other markets presently wait-listed by the brewery for over a year. Since starting production less than three years ago in May 2013, DESTIHL Brewery has averaged over 100 percent year-over-year growth and this year is projecting up to 15,000 barrels of beer production as it rapidly outgrows its current brewery facility on General Electric Road in Bloomington.
The new brewery will feature a highly specialized ‘dual’ 60-barrel x 120-barrel brewhouse (comprised of two 60-barrel kettles and two 120-barrel kettles), which is being manufactured by W.M. Sprinkman Corp. of Wisconsin. This system will ultimately be capable of brewing more than 150,000 barrels of beer annually, although initial fermentation capacity will be 30,000 barrels annually and can be scaled up rapidly as needed to meet demand. This expansion will enable DESTIHL to vastly increase production of its wildly popular, award-winning Wild Sour SeriesTM beers, including Here Gose Nothin’®, and other growing brands like Dosvidanya® Russian Imperial Stout (winner of the Bronze Medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival®in the ‘Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout’ category and the Gold Medal Strong Porter/Stout & ‘Best in Show – Winner’ at the 2015 National Wood-Aged Beer Competition held in Chicago at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers, ‘FoBAB’), Vertex IPA®, Weissenheimer® Hefeweizen, Saint Dekkera® Reserve Sour Ales and its many other beers.
“Building this new production brewery has been part of our long-term business plan since we opened our first brewpub in Normal in November 2007, so to see it now becoming a reality is a dream come true for our dedicated team at DESTIHL and a great reward and milestone for the years of success for our company”, said DESTIHL’s Founder and CEO, Matt Potts. “Much like our brewpubs have become culinary destinations, this facility will be an exciting destination brewery for both our local community & for visitors alike, while providing a permanent home for years of growth.”
DESTIHL will break ground on the facility this spring utilizing the services of Central-Illinois based Vissering Construction Company, which also built Hancock Stadium for the Illinois State University Redbirds and the ISU Center for the Performing Artsin Normal, and Shive-Hattery, a Midwest-based architecture and engineering firm. The project is being funded by a combination of company equity & financing from First Midwest Bankand the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) via SomerCor 504, Inc., a non-profit development company of Chicago which is certified by the SBA to originate SBA 504 loans in Illinois. First Midwest Bank has been extremely supportive of DESTIHL Brewery for the past few years by helping to fund the initial brewery project in Bloomington and its recent expansion in early 2015. There are still a few matters pending for the current project, such as a proposed extension of the Enterprise Zone for the property.
Locally, the brewery is anticipated to initially bring about 70 new jobs to the community, with plans to double that number within 5-10 years. DESTIHL currently employs over 180 people between its existing two brewpubs in Normal and Champaign, Illinois, and its current production brewery in Bloomington. The site in Normal was chosen for its great visibility, size and accessibility. Referring to the impact of the new brewery project for the local community, Normal’s Mayor Chris Koos said, "We are thrilled that an innovative and award-winning business such as DESTIHL has chosen the Town of Normal as the location to grow their business.”
The brewery is slated to open in early 2017. Further details about the facility, including taproom offerings, hours and tour availability, will be announced at a later date on the company’s website.
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