Deschutes Brewery is expanding from Oregon to the east coast.
The brewery, which was founded in 1988, had reportedly explored hundreds of potential locations before settling on one: Roanoke, Virginia.
The company selected Roanoke based on several criteria including a culture and community that “fit well with Deschutes’ decades-deep roots.” the company reports.
“We started Deschutes Brewery when craft beer wasn’t burgeoning and led with a beer style that wasn’t popular at the time – Black Butte Porter,” said Gary Fish, CEO and founder of the brewery. “This pioneering approach was a key driver behind our decision to go with Roanoke, as that same spirit exists in this community and its fast-growing beer culture.”
The future Roanoke facility is being dubbed “Brew 4” as it takes its place in line after the original Bend, Oregon public house (Brew 1), the brewery’s production facility in Bend (Brew 2) and the Portland, Oregon public house (Brew 3).
Brew 4 will be located at the eastern edge of Roanoke with construction on the site beginning in 2019. Eventually, 100-plus new jobs will be created for the region, and the new brewery will produce approximately 150,000 barrels to start, the company says, with a design to increase capacity as needed.
Deschutes expects to start shipping beer from the Roanoke location in about five years.
“Roanoke is honored to be chosen as Deschutes Brewery’s East Coast location after a very thorough review of several communities in the Southeast,” said Roanoke City Manager Chris Morrill. “It is a company with a strong culture of community engagement, recognized for its craftsmanship and will be a perfect fit for Roanoke’s vibrant outdoor lifestyle. We are thrilled to welcome Deschutes as we continue to build a diverse, resilient economy.”
Deschutes Brewery chose to add an east coast location after the company’s distribution footprint (which currently includes 28 states and the District of Columbia) reached the coast. By having a production facility on the eastern seaboard, the brewery will be able to deliver beers to states east of the Mississippi quickly and more sustainably.
