Stevens Point Brewery Begins 1.5M Expansion

(STEVENS POINT, WI) – Following another year of solid growth in 2014, in 2015 the Stevens Point Brewery will create more new jobs and invest $1.5 million in brewery renovations and upgrades to improve quality and help production keep up with consumer demand.

The improvements include a new can filler, new brewing and quality control equipment such as a 300-barrel bright beer tank used for conditioning beer, and renovations to the brewery’s popular gift shop. The brewery also plans to hire two more salespeople and another quality control technician, according to Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner.

“We enjoyed another successful year in 2014 as our production volume was up double digits, with particularly strong sales of our Ciderboys hard ciders,” Martino reported. “Investing in our people and infrastructure to ensure our production capacity keeps up with consumer demand is a key ingredient in our recipe for continued growth. We are looking forward to another exciting year for our brewery”

Work on the gift shop renovation as well as improvements in other areas of the brewery will begin in January. The projects will conclude in May with the installation and startup of the new can filler just in time for summer, the beer industry’s peak season for sales. The can filler will greatly expand Point’s can-packaging capabilities, especially for 16-ounce cans, which represent one of the hottest packaging trends in the craft beer market. The brewery’s current 16-ounce can packages include Point Special Lager’s popular “Big Charlie” 16-ounce can and the summer seasonal, Nude Beach 16-ounce can.

“We expect more and more craft beer lovers to embrace can packages and we want to be able to offer the widest possible range of packaging choices for our loyal fans,” Martino said. “The new can filler is the right piece of new equipment at the right time.”

This year marks the sixth consecutive year of major expansions at the Point Brewery. Between 2010 and 2014 the brewery invested more than $7 million, including $1.5 million last year for electrical and cooling systems upgrades, bottle filler upgrades and more new unitanks for fermenting and aging beer. And 2015 is the second year in a row the brewery has created jobs: last year it added 10 new positions, including six in its busy packaging department.

The Stevens Point Brewery
Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew its handcrafted beers, including flagship Point Special Lager, which won the gold medal in the American Premium Lager category at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival. The brewery’s year-round lineup features Point Onyx Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager; and Point Beyond the Pale IPA, a robust, hoppy India Pale Ale. Point also brews four year-round IPAs available only in the IPA variety 12-pack: Point Spruce Tip IPA, Point Peach Mango IPA, Point White IPA and Point One Shot IPA.

The brewery’s seasonal products include Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a rich, dark beer available from November through February; Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall; Point Coast Radler, a thirst-quenching mix of beer and natural citrus flavors for the summer; and Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, a refreshing, award-winning unfiltered wheat ale.
Whole Hog Limited Edition of “big beers” include Whole Hog Espresso Stout, Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale and Whole Hog Scotch Ale. Whole Hog seasonal portfolio includes Whole Hog Barley Wine, Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, and Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale.

Point also brews four unique James Page specialty beers sold only in convenient 12-ounce cans: A Cappella Gluten-free Pale Ale, Casper White Stout, Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter and Ould Sod Irish Red Ale.

Ciderboys hard ciders blend unexpected fresh fruit flavors with apple cider. Ciderboys’ year-round products are First Press, a traditional hard cider; Strawberry Magic, a blend of fresh strawberries and apple cider. Ciderboys seasonal portfolio includes Raspberry Smash, alive with the tartness of raspberries; Peach County, which combines pure peach flavor with apple; Pineapple Hula, made with fresh Hawaiian pineapple; Cranberry Road, a pairing of apple cider and cranberries; Grand Mimosa, which unites the tart crispness of ruby red apples with the fresh sweetness of succulent oranges; and Mad Bark, made with natural cinnamon for the winter.

Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream, Point Kitty Cocktail and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda.

For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, please visit pointbeer.com or call 1-800-369-4911. Tours of the brewery are available; schedules are listed on the website.