(Placentia, CA) – The Bruery founder, Patrick Rue, joined All About Beer on Wednesday for its third Google+ Hangout of the week.

The big reveal is that the brewery now has 3,200 barrels filled and plans to reach 4,000 (filled) by year’s end. Rue estimates that Goose Island has around 4,200 barrels filled as the nation’s leader. He quipped that others are quickly catching up with The Bruery’s barrel program and may even pass them before long.

Production capacity is at 12,000 barrels and they’re “using every drop,” says Rue. “We are at a breaking point where expanding further will require significant investment.” With production growing 100% annually and the company reaching its fifth anniversary this month, it is time to start thinking about the future.

Rue says The Bruery is in a good spot to consider a new facility where the company can put everything under one roof. Operating with three different warehouses poses some logistical challenges.

50-60% of sales take place right in California with one-third of sales in the Southern California (taproom sales not included). Elsewhere in the 20-state footprint, business is in booming in the DC/MD/VA market, its top market outside of Southern California, as well as New York, Illinois (Chicago) and Massachusetts. Colorado has proven to be a surprise.

Barrel-aging continues to be the focus with 50% of production going into oak, says Rue. Total production time averages 6-7 months for their beers with the barrel-aged beers averaging closer to 12 months.

They have sourced wine barrels in-state. 4-5 year-old oak barrels have lost most of their oak flavor by that time. When aging sour beers for upwards of a year, you don’t want much oak flavor in the barrel. They have sourced bourbon barrels from a broker in Kentucky and scotch & rum barrels from a broker in Denver. They’re working with an importer in Portugal to get some more esoteric barrels.

Over the next few years, they’ll continue to add some new beers into the mix.