Most beer buffs already know that Pennsylvania is home to Yuengling, the oldest brewery in the United States.
What they might not know is that Boston Beer Co. also is making strides in the state — by expanding both its footprint and workforce at its Samuel Adams Pennsylvania Brewery in the Breinigsville area of Upper Macungie Township.
Over the past two years, Boston Beer installed several new aging and fermentation tanks at the facility near Interstate 78 west of Route 100. In April last year, it purchased a nearby 88,000-square-foot warehouse to accommodate increased production.
As a result, the Breinigsville brewery now has more than 500 employees, up from more than 300 in 2013, with plans to draft more workers this year, said director of brewery operations Sal Tortora.
“Our brewing team continues to work hard and is excited about the additional capabilities,” he said. “We’re proud to be an employer in Pennsylvania and that our growth has enabled us to continue to hire.”
To put the prosperity into perspective, the brewery had just 220 workers, or about 50 percent fewer, following Boston Beer’s purchase of the former F&M Schaefer Brewery in 2008.
The 850,000-square-foot red-brick building was bought for $55 million from Diageo PLC, a British company that produced the flavored malt drink Smirnoff Ice at the site since 2001.
All of this has allowed the craft beer-maker, which also has breweries in Boston and Cincinnati, to sell 4.1 million barrels last year, up from 3.4 million in 2013, as well as to report 2014 net revenue of $903 million — an increase of $163.9 million, or 22 percent, from the comparable 52-week period in 2013.
“Our drinkers still get excited by our beers, and our growth is attributable to great beer innovations, coupled with strong sales execution and support from our distributors and retailers,” said Jim Koch, chairman and founder of Boston Beer. “I am especially proud of our employees for growing Samuel Adams in a very competitive environment and learning to brew, manage and sell a more complicated portfolio.”
Part of that more complicated portfolio is a pair of just-released entries in the Samuel Adams Rebel IPA family: Rebel Rouser Double IPA, brewed with more than 5 pounds of hops per barrel and showcasing flavors of pine, citrus, floral and spice; and Rebel Rider Session IPA, showcasing “the hop character of a classic West Coast-style IPA, but with a lighter body at 45 IBUs and 4.5 percent ABV.”
Tortora wouldn’t comment on creations that may be on tap for this year or next, saying only that the company is “always working on new recipes.”
The “competitive environment” Koch speaks of includes Pottsville’s D.G. Yuengling & Son, which began distributing its brews in Boston Beer’s home state of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island and Connecticut last year.
According to Tortora, the rival’s arrival in New England is welcome as craft brewing is competitive, but “still very collegial.”
“There are plenty of thirsty beer lovers out there; there’s room for all of us,” he said. “Through our Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program, we work with a number of small businesses, including many craft breweries, who are trying to start, strengthen and grow their businesses … Jim Koch, our founder and brewer, has always said, ‘Why wouldn’t we help a brewer starting out avoid some of the mistakes that I made?’
Boston Beer, whose other brands include Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard and Traveler, expects to grow in volume this year, but Tortola couldn’t comment on specific production numbers for the Samuel Adams Brewery in Breinigsville.
In 2012, it was reported that Boston Beer was making two-thirds of all its beer — or roughly 5,000 barrels per day — at the Lehigh Valley facility, its largest brewery.
Details surrounding possible future expansion and new equipment are also unclear because the company does not disclose specifics regarding capital investment projects on an individual brewery basis.
In the latest earnings release, however, 2015 capital spending, which includes future investments in the company’s breweries, was estimated to be between $80 million and $100 million.
Additionally, more than 70 job openings are posted on samueladams.com, including more than a dozen for the Breinigsville brewery.
“We remain confident about the long-term outlook for the craft category and our Samuel Adams brand,” Koch said.
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