90+ Craft Facilities (Beer, Spirits, Wine, Cider, and Mead) Visited in 2019!

2019 has been an awesome design year for OPA as our growth has extended nationally to 3 new states (Florida, Colorado, and New York) and construction wrapped up on Rally Cap Brewing in Baton Rouge. 2020 is already looking good as the diversity in craft production facilities in architecture projects continues to broaden. We are working on multiple new distilleries, cider, and meaderies. The brewery projects have been both big and small both in size and location. As always, the growth in our craft experience has been fueled by the strong relationships we forge with our clients.

During the next few months, the blog will become more active as stories on such topics as the importance of branding, the value of memorable tasting room design, and what to look for in permitting requirements. Also, look for the ramping up to the 2nd annual Brewery Road Trip (http://thebreweryroadtrip.com/) where we will once again take on the tall order of heading out in an RV to tour what’s new in the craft world, and share those owners stories and experiences with you. Seeing more breweries through the lens of an Architect helps us understand how to translate that into all of our projects.

Meanwhile, as we look back on the year I thought it would be fun to share my list of craft facilities (brewery, winery, distillery, cider, meadery) I visited for the first time as well as a bunch I couldn’t help but find way back to. It’s been a fun and insightful year! Thank you all for the memories and sharing your knowledge with us!

Stephen Oliver | The Brewery Architect
Principal | OPA Design Studio

FIRST VISITS IN 2019

1.     New Republic Brewing (College Station, TX)

2.     Brazos Valley Brewing Company (Brenham, TX)

3.     Lone Pint Brewery (Mangnolia, TX)

4.     No Label Brewing Co (Katy, TX)

5.     11 Below Brewing Company (Houston, TX)

6.     Eureka Heights Brewing Company (Houston, TX)

7.     Buffalo Bayou Brewing (Houston, TX)

8.     Great Heights Brewing (Houston, TX)

9.     Brash Brewing (Houston, TX)

10.   Baileson Brewing (Houston, TX)

11.   Vallensons Brewing (Pearland, TX)

12.   BAKFISH Brewing (Pearland, TX)

13.   8th Wonder Brewing (Houston, TX)

14.   Sigma Brewing (Houston, TX)

15.   Saint Arnold Brewing (Houston, TX)

16.   Holler Brewing (Houston, TX)

17.   Spindletap Brewery (Houston, TX)

18.   B-52 Brewing (Conroe, TX)

19.   Copperhead Brewery (Conroe, TX)

20.   Southern Star Brewing (Conroe, TX)

21.   True Vine Brewing (Tyler, TX)

22.   Oak Highlands Brewery (Dallas, TX)

23.   Lakewood Brewing (Garland, TX)

24.   3 Nations Brewing (Carrollton, TX)

25.   Bitter Sisters Brewing (Addison, TX)

26.   Unlawful Assembly (Plano, TX)

27.   Hop and Sting Brewing (Grapevine, TX)

28.   Panther Island Brewing (Ft. Worth, TX)

29.   Cowtown Brewing (Ft. Worth, TX)

30.   Deep Ellum Funkatorium (Ft. Worth, TX)

31.   The Collective Brewing Project (Ft. Worth, TX)

32.   Rahr and Sons Brewing (Ft. Worth, TX)

33.   Martin House Brewing (Ft. Worth, TX)

34.   Hopfusion Ale Works (Ft. Worth, TX)

35.   Turning Point (Bedford, TX)

36.   Legal Draft Beer (Arlington, TX)

37.   Division Brewing (Arlington, TX)

38.   Peticolas Brewing (Dallas, TX)

39.   Celestial Beerworks (Dallas, TX)

40.   Steam Theory (Dallas, TX)

41.   Trinity Cider (Dallas, TX)

42.   Braindead Brewing (Dallas, TX)

43.   Four Corners Brewing (Dallas, TX)

44.   Pegasus City Brewery

45.   Outfit Brewing (Dallas, TX)

46.   Oak Cliff Brewing (Dallas, TX)

47.   Barrow Brewing (Salado, TX)

48.   Paradox Brewing (Divide, CO)

49.   Manitou Brewing (Manitou Springs, CO)

50.   Fossil Craft Beer (Colorado Springs, CO)

51.   Metric Brewing (Colorado Springs, CO)

52.   Local Relic (Colorado Springs, CO)

53.   Phantom Canyon Brewing (Colorado Springs, CO)

54.   BURLY Brewing (Castle Rock, CO)

55.   105 West Brewing (Castle Rock, CO)

56.   Epic Brewing Company (Denver, CO)

57.   Woods Boss (Denver, CO)

58.   Great Divide Brewing (Denver, CO)

59.   New Belgium at the Source (Denver, CO)

60.   Our Mutual Friend Brewing (Denver, CO)

61.   Ratio Beerworks (Denver, CO)

62.   Declaration Brewing (Denver, CO)

63.   Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO)

64.   Pumphouse Brewery (Longmont, CO)

65.   Westlake Brewing (Dallas, TX)

66.   Roughhouse Brewing (San Marcos, TX)

67.   Pretentious Beer (Knoxville, TN)

68.   Altstadt Brewery (Fredericksburg, TX)

69.   Nomadic Beerworks (Austin, TX)

70.   Pinthouse Pizza (Round Rock, TX)

71.   The Brewtorium (Austin, TX)

72.   Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company (Orlando, FL)

73.   Sideward Brewing (Orlando, FL)

74.   Hourglass Brewing (Orlando, FL)

75.   Crooked Can Brewing (Winter Park, FL)

76.   Clermont Brewing (Clermont, FL)

77.   Suncreek Brewery (Clermont, FL)

78.   Southern Heights Brewing (Austin, TX)

79.   The Brewer’s Table (Austin, TX)

80.   12 Fox Beer (Dripping Springs, TX)

81.   Urban Orchard Cider (Asheville, NC)

82.   Infinite Monkey Theorem (Austin, TX)

83.   Southern Roots Brewing (Waco, TX)

84.   Fairweather Cider (Austin, TX)

85.   Meridian Hive Meadery (Austin, TX)

86.   The Austin Winery (Austin, TX)

87.   Skull Mechanix Brewing (Austin, TX)

88.   Blackhorse Brewery (Knoxville, TN)

89.   Narrow Gauge Brewing (St. Louis, MO)

90.   Side Project Brewing (St. Louis, MO)

RETURN VISITS IN 2019

Colorado Mountain Brewery

Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery

New Belgium Brewing Company

Burial Beer Co

Green Man Brewery

Circle Brewing

4th Tap Brewing Cooperative

Oskar Blues Austin

Southerleigh Brewing

Blue Owl

Black Star Coop

Adelbert’s

Live Oak Brewing

ABGB

Friends and Allies

Texas Beer Company

Austin Beerworks

St. Elmo Brewing Company

Lazarus Brewing Co.

Oddwood Ales

Zilker Brewing Co

Hops and Grain Brewing

Pinthouse Pizza South Lamar

Pinthouse Pizza Burnet

NXNW Restaurant & Brewery

Vista Brewing

Whitestone Brewing

Oasis Texas Brewing Company

Family Business Brewing

Last Stand Brewing Company

Jester King Brewery

Celis Brewery

Texas Ale Project

Community Beer

Deep Ellum Brewing

Brewery Branding: An Emphasis on Design

I've had the pleasure of being involved in the design conversations of at least 15 breweries, distilleries and destinations focusing on craft beer.  My opinion on what works well for integrating a brand through design has greatly evolved through attending conventions and working with multiple breweries clients.

Austin’s brewery scene is growing quickly.  The exact shape and character it will take isn’t clear yet.  It may be difficult to replicate the dense clustering of breweries that made places like Asheville or Portland so successful.  Regionally, breweries start to take on a collective brand and unintentionally create a craft destination.  During this growth spurt there will be winners and losers just like in any industry.  Some will overbuild, some will overreach or poorly locate while others may assume that opening their doors and having an IPA on tap for patrons is success enough.  

I offer this for consideration.  The brewery and brew pub markets will become increasingly more competitive.  Competition is a good thing.  A multitude of quality breweries creates a thriving craft economy.  I witnessed this in Ashville, NC where the success of many has led to even more success.  It's THE destination for 100's of miles, if not nationally, for those wanting to experience the best of craft beer.  It was great to hear the thoughts of the locals, brewers, tourists or anyone just plain happy to be in an area with so much great beer.  Locals had their favorite props while tourists often favored another.  Some breweries allowed their image to be transformed by their growth while others clung tightly to the image of an old gritty industrial building, not wanting to become too polished.  Others encouraged a more contemporary tasting room with refined production facilities.  Every place seemed to be packed but they all took on varying characters.  For some growth meant a whole new facility and was celebrated (next door or across town).  For others growth was carefully hidden in order to maintain the initial brewery experience that the locals fell in love with.  Keep in mind that I’m speaking of breweries and brewpubs that have been around for at least 5 years. 

Meanwhile, there has been at least one, probably two, cycles of new breweries that have opened in this hot bed of craft beer.  The newer breweries have to compete against the established brands.  So far this competition is yielding more success and notoriety for Asheville, but know that Asheville's breweries are for the most part all within walking distance from one another.  Imagine every brewery in Austin relocated to an area the size of East Austin and you get a similar environment.  They also have a fantastic depth in their building stock of old brick warehouses just waiting for some brewery love and stainless steel.  It's a bit easier there than it is in Austin to add some character to your tasting room when setting up shop in buildings with such inherent personality.  Austin has never had the catalogue of historic warehouse buildings that even our neighbor to the south, San Antonio, can claim.  Our metal buildings are often our common denominator of a convenient and a less expensive way of getting a brewery up and running.  So how do you create a memorable and enjoyable experience?

Austin is experiencing a similar level of success, but I think at a much earlier stage of evolution.  We will grow and become our own unique brand of craft beer culture based on our local distinctive influences and styles.  Since our buildings may not cry “memorable” brewery space, and the cost of development isn’t going anywhere but up, cost effective but creative measures will need to be seriously weighed when putting together a construction budget.  If everyone else has a metal building, is it worth it to try and be different?  If yes, metal buildings have limitations.  Thy don’t typically have durable walls for a wet production environment.  Their aesthetic qualities are obviously pretty minimal.  However, they do often offer the best chances for spaces with height and clear spans.  Dressing this kind of space usually will have fairly strict budget limitations.  Making beer is the first priority.  Creating good work flow, storage, proper drainage and maximizing production are critical investments when modifications are needed to use a building.  Creating a memorable brand experience for your fans is often last on that list.  If your brewery has been around for a while and you’re a known establishment in Austin, you have some added leeway in keeping tasting rooms costs to a minimum.  As the market becomes more crowded, and (good) competition increases, the need for a wide range of tasting room experiences will increase.  Whether it be the design of the tap wall, lighting, artwork, unique material choices, well placed graphics, alternative and creative use of spaces, outdoor gardens….the list of what makes your tasting room special should be carefully considered.  Be distinctive.  Be memorable. Tie the feel of your space to what your brand represents.  It doesn’t have to be copper lined duct work, but make it special.  The next brewery opening up is doing the same thing.  Remember, when there are multiple places to go for great beer in your town, your tasting room and the overall brewery experience is just as important as your beer.

Stephen O.