Against the Grain expanding with new brewery in West Louisville

Expansion to include warehouse, tasting room and retail space

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 22, 2014)– Against the Grain Brewery (AtG) plans to increase production by more than 400 percent with the expansion of a new production and packaging facility in Louisville.

“This is a very exciting expansion,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “Not only is Against the Grain expanding its national and global footprint, but it’s also establishing operations in a part of Louisville where economic development is greatly needed. I look forward to seeing this operation come to life and the distribution of another Kentucky-made product around the world.”

Against the Grain acquired the old Fischer SIPS building at 1800 Northwestern Parkway in the Portland neighborhood. The addition of this 25,000-s.f. brewing facility will include a new barrel brewhouse and an unspecified number of barrel fermenters/brite beer tanks, allowing for an initial annual production of 6,500 barrels of beer per year.

In addition to an upgrade of brewing operations, AtG also will create space to increase the capacity of its barrel aging program and eventually develop an area to include a tasting room and retail space. The company expects to create 20 new jobs as a result of the expansion.

“The new space will allow us to increase our barrel aging program capacity by 10 times,” said Sam J. Cruz, co-owner of AtG. “We are excited for the opportunity to service our existing customer base more consistently, as well as establish AtG nationally with the potential additions of more global markets in the future.”

AtG’s current location at Slugger Field on East Main Street produces around 1,500 barrels annually, primarily servicing the pub located in the stadium. Distribution allows for access to wholesale in 38 states and a number of countries in Western Europe. The new facility will increase production to service draft and bottle sales in Louisville and all of Kentucky by 150 percent, as well as improve national and global sales by 250 percent.

Against the Grain is Louisville’s premier craft brewery, boasting production of a countless number of innovative and unique brews along with an array of amazing smoked meats, all served at the adjoined restaurant and pub at Slugger Field. The company was established by brewers Cruz, Jerry Gnagy and Adam Watson, and restaurateur Andrew Ott in 2011.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $200,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

“This is another example of a great local product that’s gone international,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “From beer to bourbon, Louisville is quickly becoming the spirits capital of the globe. This is also a major vote of confidence in western Louisville by local investors.”