Brewing capacity expands
SLIPPERY ROCK — The brewing capacity of the North Country Brewing Co. soon will be expanded.
A new brewing system located in a warehouse should be operational in the next couple of weeks.
Owner Bob McCafferty said the system can be modified for growth and expansion.
“That brew house will last us,” McCafferty said.
The cost of the project is about $1.5 million. McCafferty said the company plans on testing the system with water this week. Beer should be in the tanks by next week.
McCafferty initially was hoping to have the system operational in August 2012, but several complications delayed operations.
“I think we're on a good timeline now,” he said.
He hopes to be able to start brewing 5,000 barrels per year at the new location.
Last year, the company brewed 1,651 barrels of beer, the most it has ever brewed.
“We maxed out our system,” McCafferty said.
The new system will be used to brew the most popular beers, while the brewing space in the restaurant will be used to brew less popular and seasonal beers.
The warehouse, on Arrowhead Drive in Slippery Rock Township, includes 8,000 square feet of warehouse space and 1,300 square feet of office space.
McCafferty said he also plans to rent the warehouse unit next to the current one. This unit will be used as a cooler and for floor space.
The new brewing system also will allow the company to can beers for sale. McCafferty said he hopes cans will be in stores by mid-October.
Four beers will be canned. These include the top-selling Station 33 Firehouse Red, Paleo IPA and the very popular Bucksnort Stout. The Slimy Pebble Pils, which the company has not been able to brew for several years due to lack of brewing space, also will be canned.
He said cans will not break, prevent light from harming the beer and are more environmentally friendly to recycle.“As far as beer packaging, it's the best,” McCafferty said.The company also had a plan to expand seating capacity, enlarge the kitchen, add retail space and add a banquet hall to its original building.McCafferty bought the original 11,000-square-foot building in 1998 and opened the business in 2005. The restaurant averages 20,000 customers per month.However, he said the expansion plan has been placed on the back burner.“It has to be,” McCafferty said, noting he wants to wrap up work on the Harmony Inn and a new coffee house.This summer, McCafferty bought the historic Harmony Inn from Gary Barnes. He said he is hoping to be able to close the inn down for about two weeks for training and have it reopened in October.He said a slightly different menu, focusing on German and Irish food, is planned, with Mexican food no longer being offered.McCafferty said several more beers, some from North Country and some from other state breweries, will be offered.Additionally, older, prohibition-era cocktails will be featured.He said the inn's owners were “trendsetters” in terms of offering many imported and craft beers.McCafferty hopes that Rooster's Coffee Bar in Slippery Rock will be open in the next couple of months. The store, located across the street from North Country, will serve gourmet coffee and baked goods.
