USA, NY: Ghostfish Brewing’s new brewery to focus on meeting on growing demand for Ghostfish beers east of the Mississippi River

To help meet the demand for its beers on the opposite coast, Ghostfish Brewing recently announced its plans to open a brewery in New York, about 60 miles west of Buffalo. The new brewery will focus on meeting the growing demand for Ghostfish beers east of the Mississippi River, the Washington Beer Blog reported on June 1.

In Seattle, Ghostfish Brewing currently produces beer at near max capacity, doing all it can to meet demand. That’s a problem unto itself, one the company hopes to remedy in the near future. Another problem, if you consider this a problem at all, the company’s beers have gained popularity with beer drinkers 3,000 miles away in places like New York and Massachusetts.

The vast majority of Washington-brewed beers never find their way beyond the state’s borders. Ghostfish Brewing is uncommon in that regard. Its gluten-free beers are available in nearly 20 states across the country. Away from the taproom in Seattle, only about 20%-30% of its beer stays in Washington. In fact, Massachusetts is poised to overtake Oregon as the second-largest consumer of Ghostfish beers.

Some breweries may consider contract brewing a solution to such a logistical problem, finding another brewery to produce beers on its behalf and to its specifications. However, for Ghostfish Brewing that isn’t an option. The nature of its beer dictates that it is produced in an entirely gluten-free facility.

As for the new facility in New York, it will initially have the capacity to produce 3,500 barrels per year. It will focus on supplying the company’s core beers. In addition to logistical advantages, the facility in New York presents an economical edge for a production brewery, one that should facilitate future growth at that location.

In 2021, Ghostfish Brewing produced just under 5,000 barrels at its brewery in Seattle. In addition to the new brewery in New York, the company is currently considering moving production to a warehouse space located outside the city, somewhere in the Seattle area, where it can build a larger brewery.

The move would not impact the brewery and taproom in Seattle, where both the beer and the food are absolutely gluten-free. It would, however, free up the Seattle location to focus on products beyond its core offerings, spawning more new, innovative beers.

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