New Belgium Brewing announced today that it has nearly completed deconstruction at the site of its future Asheville facility and will continue site development and building construction later in 2014.The adjusted construction timeline is the result of increased capacity coming online in Fort Collins this year. With 70,000 barrels of capacity recently added, the Fort Collins brewery can produce up to 920,000 barrels, which will take New Belgium through 2015 sales projections.
“We’re in a good situation as far as capacity in Fort Collins right now,” said New Belgium spokesman, Bryan Simpson. “With deconstruction in Asheville wrapping up, our plan is to operate at maximum efficiency in Fort Collins and bring Asheville online at just the right moment. Along with our construction partners and the City of Asheville, we look forward to using the additional time to balance the many elements of such a dynamic project.”
Current estimates are for about an eight-month adjustment to the construction timeline. Once underway, the construction phase will take place over 22 months as originally projected. The scope and physical attributes of the project remain the same. In the meantime, New Belgium will continue to work with the community to develop bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the area. All recovered materials slated for repurposing have been down-streamed to contractors or put into storage for future use. Once construction is complete, the brewery is expected to create more than 150 jobs in the area.
