E-Malt.com News article: USA, MO: Brew Hub to open Chesterfield brewery by 2016

A new brewery is coming to the west St. Louis County suburb of Chesterfield, stltoday.com reported on September, 8.

Brew Hub plans to break ground this year on a $20 mln regional craft brewery, with an opening date in early 2016.

An address has not yet been identified, but it will be located near the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, said the company’s founder and CEO, Tim Schoen.

The new facility will be the second location for Chesterfield-based Brew Hub, a company led by Schoen, a former vice president of new product development at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis and global head of its entertainment and marketing business. Schoen worked at A-B for 28 years and left in 2009 after the sale of the company to InBev.

“There are a lot of guys in this region that need quality capacity,” Schoen said. “We’ve been in touch with virtually all of the craft brewers in this region.”

In addition to contracting with local craft brewers to grow their capacity, Brew Hub also will seek to expand production here for out-of-state brewers who want to grow their reach in the Midwest. Brew Hub’s business model includes offering sales, marketing, logistics, legal and government affairs services.

The Chesterfield Brew Hub facility will have an initial brewing capacity of 75,000 barrels, or one million cases. The brewery will ultimately be able to expand to 200,000 barrels annually, Schoen said.

By comparison, the region’s largest craft brewery, The St. Louis Brewery, maker of Schlafly beer, produced more than 56,000 barrels at two facilities in 2013, and is searching the area for a third production facility.

In addition to a tasting room, biergarten and brewery tours, the new Brew Hub brewery will house the company’s corporate headquarters.

Schoen projected the cost of the new facility will total about $20 mln. Paul Farnsworth is Brew Hub’s chief brewer, and the company will appoint a head brewer and plant manager at the Chesterfield brewery.

The company said the project is contingent on approval for state and local incentives, including a partial break on local and personal property taxes, based on the amount invested.

The region’s central location, vibrant craft brewery industry and its deep pool of experienced brewery workers prompted Brew Hub to open a local facility, Schoen said.

“The St. Louis region is pretty well stocked with access to talent,” he said.

Denny Coleman, CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, called Brew Hub’s decision to open its second craft brewery locally an economic win for the region.

Aimee Nassif, planning and development services director for Chesterfield, said Brew Hub hasn’t yet submitted design plans, but said a brewing facility with tours and a tasting room would be a good addition to the area.

“This would be a one-of-a-kind and offer something unique and different,” she said. “Craft beer is picking up steam and becoming more popular, and we look forward to working with them.”


10 September, 2014