Citing expanding production needs, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery has purchased a 25,000 square foot building on 8.5-acres of land just down the street from its current brewery in South Charlotte’s Warehouse District. OMB will relocate all brewing operations and its Brauhaus to the new location during the first quarter of 2014.
OMB will quadruple its brewing capacity by installing a new 60-barrel brewhouse in the new facility, and build out an authentic German biergarten surrounded by green space and old growth tree cover.
“The big difference is the land,” said OMB founder and brewmaster John Marrino. “It’s got sufficient land that we’ll have enough parking, and it’s pretty green and we’re going to keep it that way. It’s a park-like setting so it will be a nicer place for the brewery in the long run, especially since we have the Brauhaus restaurant and tap room. It will be more appropriate for that.”
With the increased brewing capacity, OMB also hopes to provide more year round options on tap in the new location and produce a wider variety of beers for its wholesale customers.
Since opening its doors in 2009, OMB has brewed on a 15-barrel system. The company says rapidly expanding demand in the Charlotte area made a new system necessary. “We’re nowhere close to a saturation point for fresh, local beer here in Charlotte,” Marrino said. “Even as more and more craft breweries open, we have all continued to expand and increase awareness in our hometown. All local breweries combined still account for only about 1% of the Charlotte beer market.”
OMB’s production has grown from about 1,000 barrels in its first year to just over 7,000 barrels in 2012, and the company says it expects to eclipse the 10,000 barrel mark in 2013, its fourth full year in business.
The new building, the former American Crankshaft Company factory, was built in the early 1950’s.
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