(Petaluma, CA) – Following the gamechanger announcement from Lagunitas Brewing founder, Tony Magee, on Thursday night, the brewery had more info to spread on Friday.
On the equipment front, more tanks are on the way. Ten in total are on order for Petaluma, two of which will arrive in the next few weeks. The other eight will come in over the next couple months. The brewery tweeted earlier this month that it added two new 750-barrel tanks already (and the new ones appear to be as well).
On the beer front, the original (not .alt version) Lucky 13 recipe will return along with a big version of Waldo’s Special Ale (released on draft each year on 4/20).
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News about our lineup,we go back to the Original recipe 4 Lucky 13(not .alt),and in summer we go Daytime appropriate! pic.twitter.com/jfXQrc7dFq
— Brewhouse Lagunitas (@lagunitasbruhws) March 21, 2013
R new 750's are up, runnin n'being filled,named Harry(4 HarryKlaussnerRIP)n'Jackson(a wellSpiritedfrontofficeDogRIP) pic.twitter.com/mBvMTGGq26
— Brewhouse Lagunitas (@lagunitasbruhws) March 29, 2013
We'll have 2 more by 4/20, 4 more by time the Beer Circus comes to town and the following 4 in June! pic.twitter.com/1hcVYccSbn
— Brewhouse Lagunitas (@lagunitasbruhws) March 29, 2013
also coming 4/20 (sitting in a tank getting all dankified as we speak), Waldos' Special Ale,it's a big one this year! pic.twitter.com/DLxGQG6snm
— Brewhouse Lagunitas (@lagunitasbruhws) March 29, 2013
I’m at a real loss to understand the game plan. To increase production, relatively overnight, by approximately 600 to 800%, take on the logistics of a second production facility and figure a way around the world-wide hop shortage. Either we’re dealing with voodoo economics or we’re off our meds.
These folks are not alone. Sierra Nevada and New Belgium are doubling facilities and output. Dogfish Head and Anchor are getting similar press, to name only a few.
It’s a finite market. In order to successfully sell the increased output, either the megas (I don’t see this happening), or the 2400 or so true “craft” size breweries have to loose market share. Is this a shakeout?
As I said, in previous comments, these folks are becoming more like the enemy (The megas) they originally set out to fight.
When this expansion is done, Lagunitas will be pumping out over 90,000 bottles of beer every hour of every day of the year. Does that conjure up an image of “craft”? or “mega”?
They will conservatively be adding over 400 million gallons of wastewater to the local environment. Multiply that by the other breweries mentioned above and the “warm fuzzy” about this whole thing starts to dissolve.
Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll continue to support my local artisan brewer, whose beer may never make it more than 50 miles away.