E-Malt.com News article: USA, WA: Central District’s Standard Brewing plans to expand

It’s been 24 months since the Central District nano brewery Standard Brewing opened its doors at 25th and Jackson St., Seattle, CHS Capitol Hill Seattle reported on May 18.

This week, the brew crew at Standard Brewing announced plans for an expansion that will increase their beer output. Co-owner Justin Gerardy said the most important aspect as they planned the expansion was remaining in the Central District. “In our case, space is the constraint, but so are our ideals,” the Standard announcement reads. “Not wanting to leave the neighbourhood leaves our options slim, but the choice to keep the brewery relatively small also affords us diversity and an experimental attitude.”

Gerardy said the expansion will play out over the summer with a project to overhaul the brewing facility coming first followed by Standard’s expansion into the neighbouring Halal Mart, Seattle.

For the last year or so, it has often felt like Standard Brewing was headed downhill on a freeway onramp, stuck in first gear. It all started with 1100 square feet, 3 fermenters and a brewing system that produced 31 gallons at a time. Now at 2000 square feet, 7 fermenters, a brite tank, and tripling the cold room, they’re squeezing every last drop of beer out of that space, constantly struggling to maintain 12 taps. The nano life couldn’t last much longer. So they started considering every option that would keep the brewery in the Central District. They looked at every vacancy on Jackson St in Seattle. After finding rents in the area to be totally unworkable for this type of business, a deal was reached to stay in their current building and expand.

Every brewery has a unique model to make ends meet. Some are set up to sell entirely at wholesale to distributors and produce huge volumes. Others add a tasting room and sell a bit of retail as well. Some focus on nothing but on-premise consumption, including food and spirits, where total output can be a bit more restrained. Most of the time, the formula is based on the available space. In Central District’s Standard Brewing’s case, space is the constraint. Not wanting to leave the neighbourhood leaves them slim options. However, the choice to keep the brewery relatively small also affords them diversity and an experimental attitude.

In October, they will expand to the space next door, currently occupied by the Halal Mart, Seattle. In the end, the same low key atmosphere and style will be maintained along an ever changing, consistently high quality, variety of beery options.


20 May, 2015