Half Acre Expanding Brewery, Increasing Output

We give a lot of love to our Indiana and Michigan craft brethren, but I wanted to drop a note about a neighbor to the west - Chicago, IL based, and locally owned, Half Acre Beer Company.

Located at 4257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, this relatively small outfit is comparable to Indianapolis' Sun King Brewing when in its infancy, currently putting out around 7,500 barrels per year from their 10,000 square foot facility. Sun King made 5,200 barrels in their first full year of production from their similar sized 13,000 square foot facility. (They've since expanded into an additional 13,000 square feet.) Contrast Half Acre's footprint with, say, Bell's Brewery, at an estimated 75,000 square feet by the end of their expansion, and you've got an idea of what they're working with.

Founded in 2007, Half Acre's lineup includes many well received brews, such as year-rounders Daisy Cutter (5.2% pale ale), Over Ale (6% brown ale), and Gossamer (4.2% blonde ale), along with specialties and one-offs such as the recently frenzied over Galactic Double Daisy Cutter (8% double/imperial IPA). Their year round wares are sold in 16oz cans, with the specialties and one-offs in bottled packaging.

As reported in the Chicago Tribune, Half Acre is now expanding. Though they're only growing by 1,300 square feet, the additional space is expected to contribute to doubling production - Up to about 15,000 barrels per year. Through more efficient use of their space, co-owner Matt Gallagher says the result will be "less inventory outages and more specialty beers...by mid-2012." Great news!

Right?

Well, yes, fantastic news for Chicagoans. Unfortunately for Hoosiers, it doesn't appear Half Acre is going to increase distribution beyond Chicago for the foreseeable future. Us here in South Bend have the good fortune of being relatively close, but the majority of Indiana is likely missing out.

If you haven't picked up any Half Acre on trips to, or passing through, Chicago yet, I highly recommend you give them a shot. In turn, we might encourage their continued growth and one day see them enter the Indiana market. Hopefully soon, Half Acre will be what's "In Your Guts"!

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Semi-breaking news: As I was wrapping up this post and about to publish, I happened to receive word that the indispensable Binny's Beverage Depot - another place you should definitely visit in Chicago - is hosting a Half Acre Galactic Double Daisy Cutter tapping a week from today, 10/26, at the South Loop Binny's location from 6-8PM CST (reservations required). I've been told by reliable sources that GDDC is a sublime brew, so stop by if you live, or happen to be, in the area!