Mere hours ago, Mitch Steele exited a plane in Germany en route to attend the industry debut of Stone Brewing Berlin, a project he had a big hand in bringing to life. The first large-scale American-owned and operated craft brewery in Europe, it has to be up there on Steele’s list of accomplishments while serving as brewmaster for the tenth-largest U.S. craft brewing company. But it will not be the last big thing he helps breathe life into. This morning, Steele provided the first tidbits of information on the new opportunity that prompted him to leave Stone in June.
Steele is teaming with beer-industry professionals Carey Falcone and Bob Powers (the chief executive officer and chief sales and marketing officer, respectively, for American Beerworks) to construct a brewpub at 820 Ralph McGill Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. Located in the Beltline area, a former railway corridor that is rapidly taking on a second mixed-use life, the facility is scheduled to open in 2017.
Said Steele via a press-release, “I’ve enjoyed a wonderful career in craft brewing and I am excited for this next chapter in Atlanta. I had an amazing time at Stone and I am very thankful for my experience there. Now, I am looking forward to the opportunity to become part of the growing craft beer movement in Atlanta and the Southeast.”
The team foretells of a “unique brewpub concept”, promising more details down the line. Multiple sources have shared that the brewery within the Atlanta brewpub will be rather large, and capable of producing enough beer to supply multiple offshoots of this yet-to-be-named concept. According to those sources, those satellite locations will be strategically located along the East Coast. Confirmed details about the flagship Atlanta brewpub are that it will have a rooftop bar and outdoor beer-garden. Brewery tours and home-brewing classes will be offered to the public, as well.
