Burgeon Beer Co. enjoys healthy patronage behind a rapid beer-release schedule leaning largely to the hoppy and hazy recesses of the style spectrum. Space can be scarce at its Carlsbad tasting room, but the lack of square-footage isn’t limited to its public areas. For much of its two-plus years in operation, Burgeon has lacked sufficient space on the production side, as well. This comes as a result of growing faster than its founders could have imagined when developing their business plan. With two months left before the company’s third anniversary, Burgeon has already surpassed its seven-year targets.
“We are completely out of room to store the volume of beer that we are producing,” says co-founder Matt Zirpolo, who has relied on nearby Latitude 33 Brewing in Vista for rented cold-storage space. It’s a good problem to have and a decent temporary solution, but isn’t feasible long-term and will only become costlier as production continues to rise. And what space Burgeon does have is quickly being gobbled up. “In the coming weeks, we will be adding two 60-barrel fermenters to our tank arsenal as well as a new whirlpool and cold-liquor tank. We need more space to help us produce more beer, from operations, administrative and storage perspectives.”
Fortunately, Zirpolo and company have solved Burgeon’s burgeoning situation by acquiring a 7,500-square-foot suite on the north end of the building it currently occupies. Located two doors from the brewery and tasting room, Suite A will not only allow for installation of a 2,500-square-foot cold box capable of holding more than 7,000 kegs, but also construction of 2,000 square feet of offices and a 1,200-square-foot space to house corporate gatherings, private meetings, rehearsals and events put on by the company.
“Suite A is 7,500 square feet of raw potential, and acquiring this additional space means so many things for Burgeon,” says Zirpolo. “More room for dry storage means that we have immediate access to a higher volume of the beautiful ingredients to brew more beer. We are steadfast in our drive to preserve the quality of our beer from the moment it’s packaged, so a new and completely custom cold-box will allow us to refrigerate our beer from the moment it’s packaged until it’s consumed.”
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