Seattle-based Ghostfish Brewing Company is expanding to the East Coast. The dedicated gluten-free brewery is in the process of opening a production facility in Westfield, New York, about 60 miles west of Buffalo, to supply markets east of the Mississippi River.
Ghostfish co-owner Brian Thiel said three members of the business’ ownership group live near the proposed facility, and the company was able to find an “economical space” off Interstate 90.
“The biggest challenge is we just don’t have enough beer right now,” Thiel said.
In 2021, Ghostfish produced just shy of 5,000 barrels, Thiel said, adding that 98% of the company’s output last year was sold in aluminum cans and 2% on draft.
“Our growth increased year-over-year all in packaged product,” he said, noting the pandemic’s effect on the on-premise channel. “You add that on-premise aspect to it, it changes the equation pretty drastically, which is why we’re continuously expanding just to try to keep up with demand.”
The New York facility will have an initial capacity of 3,500 barrels , with production focused on four of the company’s core offerings sold in 12 oz. cans, including its two most popular offerings, Grapefruit IPA and Kick Step IPA. Beer produced at the new facility is expected to reach store shelves in August, he added.
Once online, the New York brewery will take the pressure off Ghostfish’s Seattle brewery and allow the company to expand within Seattle and “deeper and wider into places like California.”
“We have to divvy up the beer that we have because we’re in almost 20 states right now,” Thiel said.
About 20%-30% of Ghostfish’s distribution business, not including taproom sales, is concentrated in its home state of Washington, Thiel said. He added that Massachusetts is poised to surpass Oregon as Ghostfish’s second largest market this year.
“We have a huge following in the Northeast,” Thiel said. “Right now, we’re just about ready to start distributing to Maine.”
Ghostfish’s products are distributed in Massachusetts by the Sheehan Family Companies, which picked up the company’s offerings following Night Shift shuttering its distribution arm last fall. Sheehan also carries Ghostfish in western New York, and now in Maine.
In Seattle, Ghostfish has nearly maxed out its existing space. Thiel said the company is considering moving production outside of the city to a warehouse space where it can run a larger brewing operation while maintaining its existing taproom and restaurant, which are both gluten-free. It’s all part of Thiel’s goal to make Ghostfish the top gluten-free beer producer in North America.
“It’s always been about getting our beer into the hands of people that want our beer,” he said.
Ghostfish Releases Collab with Odell
Ghostfish recently partnered with Fort Collins, Colorado-headquartered Odell Brewing on Seduced By Fun hazy IPA (5.9% ABV), a limited-edition collaboration beer.
Thiel believes this is the first time a dedicated gluten-free brewery has partnered with a “gluten-based” brewery with the “stature of Odell” on a commercially available gluten-free beer. Seduced By Fun was made with gluten-free malt, strawberries, mangos, and Strata, Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops.
The result is a 15-barrel batch of Seduced By Fun that is available on draft and in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans in Ghostfish’s taproom, as well as at retailers and draft accounts in Colorado via Crooked Stave Artisans Distributing. Thiel expects the beer to be available through mid-June.
Thiel told Brewbound that conversations about the collaboration beer started during a visit to Odell’s Fort Collins brewery in 2019. Those conversations continued during the pandemic, although formal plans didn’t materialize to brew the beer at Ghostfish’s facility until the end of 2021.
This may not be the end of Ghostfish’s partnership with Odell. “There’s definitely a desire on both sides to keep the collaborative spirit going,” Thiel said.
Although Ghostfish makes beers for people who are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, Thiel added that the goal is to make great craft beers. This collaboration will introduce both brands to the other’s respective fan bases. As such, now Ghostfish drinkers who have never had a beer from Odell “can check that box.“
“Our fans can try a beer that has some Odell influence,” Thiel said. “They’ve likely heard about Odell, they have friends that drink Odell, and because of either having celiac disease or just gluten intolerance, they’re not able to enjoy an Odell beer made with barley and gluten raw materials.”
The partnership also opens up Odell consumers who have never tried a gluten-free beer to the Ghostfish brand.
“I feel like we’ve expanded the audience,” he said.