Saint Archer expansion means 45 percent more production monthly

San Diego’s Saint Archer Brewing Co. just celebrated its first birthday in May and is already undergoing a significant expansion at their state-of-the-art brewing facility. The summer 2014 improvements will increase production by 45-percent monthly — meaning Saint Archer beers will be easier to find for craft beer fans in the West.

Prior to this recent expansion, Saint Archer was making roughly 1,400 barrels (bbls) of fine beer monthly. With more fermentation tanks, a centrifuge, two new grain silos and a new spent grain silo, brewers Yiga Miyashiro and Kim Lutz will brew around 2,500 bbls monthly.

“Craft brewing is about always balancing efficiency with quality,” says Head Brewer Kim Lutz. “This new equipment puts us on-par with some pretty heavy hitters in the beer world and allows us to keep doing what we do best: making great beer. Plus, the new expansion should buy us even more time for experimental brews, collaborations and one-offs.”

The first of the new releases will be a special collaboration beer with Girl Skateboards that will launch in September. Other special releases are still being decided, but the Coffee Brown Ale, an Imperial Porter and Black Lager are all on the table.

“We felt confident the market would respond to our beers and the California lifestyle we represent,” says Josh Landan, president and founder of Saint Archer. “Of course we thought we’d eventually expand our brewery, but to expand this fast was not in the original plan, and we couldn’t be happier. This new equipment will help us keep up with demand and put us in a better position for sustainable growth over the next few years.”