Brew Hub looks to build corporate headquarters and second brewery near St. Louis

Fighter jets may not always be doing flybys, but we sure hope they are.

Brew Hub, a company led by a team of beer industry executives and craft-brewing experts, has announced plans to build a new craft brewery in Chesterfield, Mo, in St. Louis County. The brewery will be Brew Hub’s corporate headquarters and the second in a network of five new, state-of-the-art craft breweries the company is planning to build that will offer craft brewers the opportunity to partner brew their beers on site. Brew Hub’s first brewery opened last month in Lakeland, Fla.

Partner brewing is a process that allows craft breweries to brew their beer to exact specifications under the supervision of their own brewmaster, and to package and distribute from Brew Hub. Brew Hub also offers its partners services including sales, marketing, logistics, legal and government affairs. Partner brewing allows craft brewers to expand their distribution without the overhead costs of building a new brewery or the complexity of contract brewing at third-party facilities.

“The announcement of our second craft brewery is a huge milestone for Brew Hub, and it’s a reflection of the incredible growth of craft beer over the past several years,” said Tim Schoen, founder and CEO of Brew Hub. “Our objective from the beginning was simply to help craft brewers grow by offering the facilities, brewing and beer industry expertise they need. Our St. Louis brewery is going to allow many more craft brewers to benefit from our model.”

The St. Louis brewery will be located off I-64 in Chesterfield and will have an initial brewing capacity of 75,000 barrels (one million cases) and the potential to expand its capacity to 200,000 barrels annually. Brew Hub plans to begin construction of the St. Louis brewery by the end of the year and open the brewery in early 2016. The site’s central location will allow the company to efficiently distribute beer to wholesalers in key craft beer markets throughout the Midwest. The agreement to build Brew Hub’s St. Louis brewery is contingent upon the approval of state and local tax incentives.

“Brew Hub’s decision to build their second craft brewery in Chesterfield is a huge economic win for the entire St. Louis region,” said Denny Coleman, CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. “St. Louis has an amazing brewing tradition dating back to the early 1800s. Today’s growing craft beer movement continues that tradition and has resulted in dozens of new craft breweries and related businesses in our area, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Brew Hub.”

The brewery will feature a 3,000-square-foot tasting room and biergarten. The brewery also will offer merchandise and free brewery tours. Brew Hub will employ approximately 55 people at its St. Louis brewery in brewing, operations, front office and its tasting room.

“We have had meetings and are negotiating partnerships with some of the top craft breweries in the Midwest,” said Schoen. “Our St. Louis brewery is going to allow these brewers to expand to new states and grow their brands like never before, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Brew Hub currently has partnerships with several award-winning craft brewers, including Cigar City Brewing, Orange Blossom Pilsner, Green Man Brewing and BJ’s Restaurants. Brew Hub partner brews beer for all four companies at its brewery in Lakeland and is in discussions to begin brewing their beer at the St. Louis brewery when it opens.

Brew Hub was founded by a team of beer industry executives led by CEO Tim Schoen and Brew Hub President Jerry Mullane. Brew Hub’s financial sponsor is a private investment firm, The Yucaipa Companies. Brew Hub plans to open three more breweries during the next five years. Specific markets will be determined based on demand, but the company is considering strategic locations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Texas and West Coast. This network of Brew Hub facilities will allow craft brewers from across the country to enter new markets.