MONROE - Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe announced the completion of its new silo and malt delivery system, the capstone of a massive $6 million capital investment program.
The two outdoor vertical malt storage silos were made for the brewery in Louisiana, and each holds about 4,000 bushels.
Local suppliers and contractors, including Schultz's Inter-State Ag and PDC Electrical Contractors, were hired for the installation project.
With the increased capacity and other improvements, Minhas Craft Brewery moved production from 40,000 to about 200,000 barrels annually.
The brewery expects to break its all-time production record in its 164-year history this year, which means producing more beer than their previous high in the 1980s when the well-known Augsburger beer was produced.
The increase in production also means the brewery was in full production throughout last winter for the first time in decades. The staff doubled to about 55 employees, and a second shift was added two years ago.
"It's proving we're a viable regional brewery, here for the long-haul," Minhas President Gary Olson said.
The brewery is working to sustain its employment numbers, he said.
The investment has increased the community's confidence, grown the facility's size and jumped its production to 12th in the nation, he said.
"People recognize we're here to stay. We see no end in sight - and that's a good position to be in these days," Olson said.
The two-year investment program emphasizes flexibility in many areas of production.
Besides the silo and malt delivery system, Minhas Craft Brewery has a new 50,000-square-foot warehouse, a 12/16-ounce and a 24-ounce can filling and packaging line, a new 36-can packaging machine, additional fermentation tanks, a guest house, a state of the art clear malt system and refurbished its Tour Centre, as well as many other operational improvements.
The 12-ounce can filling line is convertible to 16-ounce line, and the packaging machine can create 12-pack refrigerator containers, 12-pack cubes, and 30-pack and 36-pack double stack packages.
Abandoned aging cellars were also renovated this spring for fermentation.
The brewery is a month away from completing its free museum, which has three rooms set aside for memorabilia donated by Herb and Helen Haydock from Wisconsin Rapids.
The collection is comprised of classic advertising, from beer taps to electric trains, Olson said.
The brewery was producing about 45,000 barrels a year in 2003, when Ravinder Minhas called the officials of the then named Joseph Huber Brewery to start brewing and packaging Mountain Crest Classic Lager for export to Canada.
Ravinder and his sister, Manjit, eventually bought the brewery - second oldest in the Midwest - in October 2006, and renamed it Minhas Craft Brewery. They also acquired all of the brands - except Berghoff, which is made on contract. Eighty percent of the beer produced at Minhas was exported to Canada, and in 2004, the beer line was introduced in Wisconsin and Northern Indiana.
The brewery's brands include Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale, Swiss Amber Ale, Mountain Creek Classic Lager and Minhas Light. New beverages packaged on the line include Lakeshore Creek, Axehead, Kick Axe and iEnergy.
The two outdoor vertical malt storage silos were made for the brewery in Louisiana, and each holds about 4,000 bushels.
Local suppliers and contractors, including Schultz's Inter-State Ag and PDC Electrical Contractors, were hired for the installation project.
With the increased capacity and other improvements, Minhas Craft Brewery moved production from 40,000 to about 200,000 barrels annually.
The brewery expects to break its all-time production record in its 164-year history this year, which means producing more beer than their previous high in the 1980s when the well-known Augsburger beer was produced.
The increase in production also means the brewery was in full production throughout last winter for the first time in decades. The staff doubled to about 55 employees, and a second shift was added two years ago.
"It's proving we're a viable regional brewery, here for the long-haul," Minhas President Gary Olson said.
The brewery is working to sustain its employment numbers, he said.
The investment has increased the community's confidence, grown the facility's size and jumped its production to 12th in the nation, he said.
"People recognize we're here to stay. We see no end in sight - and that's a good position to be in these days," Olson said.
The two-year investment program emphasizes flexibility in many areas of production.
Besides the silo and malt delivery system, Minhas Craft Brewery has a new 50,000-square-foot warehouse, a 12/16-ounce and a 24-ounce can filling and packaging line, a new 36-can packaging machine, additional fermentation tanks, a guest house, a state of the art clear malt system and refurbished its Tour Centre, as well as many other operational improvements.
The 12-ounce can filling line is convertible to 16-ounce line, and the packaging machine can create 12-pack refrigerator containers, 12-pack cubes, and 30-pack and 36-pack double stack packages.
Abandoned aging cellars were also renovated this spring for fermentation.
The brewery is a month away from completing its free museum, which has three rooms set aside for memorabilia donated by Herb and Helen Haydock from Wisconsin Rapids.
The collection is comprised of classic advertising, from beer taps to electric trains, Olson said.
The brewery was producing about 45,000 barrels a year in 2003, when Ravinder Minhas called the officials of the then named Joseph Huber Brewery to start brewing and packaging Mountain Crest Classic Lager for export to Canada.
Ravinder and his sister, Manjit, eventually bought the brewery - second oldest in the Midwest - in October 2006, and renamed it Minhas Craft Brewery. They also acquired all of the brands - except Berghoff, which is made on contract. Eighty percent of the beer produced at Minhas was exported to Canada, and in 2004, the beer line was introduced in Wisconsin and Northern Indiana.
The brewery's brands include Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale, Swiss Amber Ale, Mountain Creek Classic Lager and Minhas Light. New beverages packaged on the line include Lakeshore Creek, Axehead, Kick Axe and iEnergy.