Creature Comforts Brewing Co. will open a second brewery and taproom in its homebase of Athens, Georgia, the company said Tuesday.
The announcement followed approval by Athens-Clarke County commissioners, who greenlit the company’s plans to build in a former 1900s cotton mill.
Creature Comforts said it plans to invest $8 million to convert the 36,000 sq. ft. historic building into a brewery with triple the capacity of its current facility.
“Since we opened in April 2014, we’ve experienced rapid growth to the point that we have maxed out our current facility producing 28,000 barrels annually,” Creature Comforts spokeswoman Emily Gettmann wrote in an email to Brewbound.
The new facility, part of a broader mixed-use development, will feature a fully automated 85 barrel 4-vessel Steinecker brewhouse and 50,000 barrels of annual fermentation capacity when it opens in the Fall.
“We are building in plenty of room to grow as well with significantly more cellar space and room for an additional 85-bbl 4-vessel brewhouse,” the company wrote on its blog. “We will be investing a quarter of a million dollars into our laboratory, installing a 240 can-per-minute 24-head Krones canning line, a reverse osmosis skid, advanced milling system, and many other advanced pieces of equipment to ensure that we can continue to make the highest quality beer for our customers.”
The Athens-Clarke County Industrial Development Authority also agreed to provide Creature Comforts with $475,000 in public funding to equip the new brewery, according to the Athens Banner Herald. As part of the deal, the brewery will reportedly lease the equipment from the county for $5 annually for five years.
As part of the expansion, Creature Comforts plans to add 25 new jobs in Athens over the next five years. The company is expected to break ground in May for an October 2017 opening.
Meanwhile, Creature Comforts plans to keep its existing brewery and tasting room on West Hancock Avenue to maintain a presence in downtown Athens.
“It’s a space we love, and maintaining it lets us remain a part of the vibrant downtown Athens scene,” the company wrote on its website.