Member Article

Brewery increases capacity to meet demand

Demand for craft beer made by a North East brewery has resulted in it moving premises so it can dramatically increase production.

Steam Machine Brewing Company was only set up in 2015 and just over 12 months later, its owners Nick and Gulen Smith are now preparing for the official opening (on Sunday 30th October) of their second brewery.

Whilst the new premises are four times size the size of their first brewery, they haven’t moved far, in fact you could roll a barrel between the two buildings!

They are now occupying Unit 14 of the IES Centre in Horndale Avenue, Newton Aycliffe.

Nick and Gulen will now be able to increase, by more than five times, the amount of beer they brew, taking them from 1,600 bottles to 9,100 bottles each week.

After the success of their first brew room, they have also included a new, larger room on the premises, enabling people to drink the beers in the same place they are made.

Nick, a former chemistry teacher, said: “The main reason for moving was to increase capacity as we had been running at maximum since early this year and we had simply not been able to keep up with demand for our beer from our trade customers.

“Our beer is now being bought and sold across the UK, so by having bigger premises, not only will we be able to satisfy the demand for our current range of beers, it will also enable us to introduce newer beers.”

Nick and Gulen were adamant that when they moved premises, they wanted to retain a brew room, which has become a popular destination for drinkers each weekend.

Nick added: “The brewery is situated on a private industrial estate so people have to call us from the entrance gate to gain access.

“Despite the fact people need to make an effort to come to us, the brew room is always full, so we are delighted to have been able to retain it and actually make it even bigger.”

The Steam Machine Brewing Company’s current core range of beers are an IPA, Double IPA, Earl Grey-infused IPA, Red IPA, Treacle Toffee Stout, Saison Blonde and a Lapsang Souchong Smoked Porter.

With more capacity, Nick and Gulen will now be able to expand the range further and add more seasonable beers.

For further information, call 07415 75 99 45, email info@steammachinebrew.com or visit www.steammachinebrew.com

The official opening of the second Steam Machine Brewery will take place on Sunday 30th October, between noon and 7pm. People will be able to try and buy the full range of beers and there will also be live music and local gourmet food.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .