FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – One of Fort Wayne’s brewery’s just had a major growth spurt. Summit City Brewerks unveiled their 6500 foot expansion Saturday and Mayor Tom Henry was even on hand to help get it started.
The brewery’s owners Will Long and David Tomaszewski chose to celebrate with a new brew of barleywine called “Here’s to Tomorrow.” Henry tapped the Keg for all to enjoy.
The entrepreneurs were sharing their factory space, what’s commonly known as “The Old Bun Candy Factory” at 1501 East Berry Street, with a tenant that just moved out. They took over the vacant space to double the size of their business.
“It’s kind of a rebirth,” Long said. “It gives us a chance to really dive into doing great beer the way we’ve sort of built up to. Up until this point we’ve been super experimental. That’s sort of the fun we’ve had with it and now we get to be more calculated and we’ve got a lot of experience under our belt to really hone the craft of craft beer.”
Summit City Brewerks opened in October 2014. Their new 5,000 square foot production space is ten times bigger than the original, which will help them increase brewing capacity and improve quality controls.
Long and Tomaszewski had already released more than 450 brews. Now they’re experimental creativity has no limit.
“You can start with any ingredient,” Long explained. “Sometimes it’s just fun to pick an ingredient and try it that you’ve never tried before.”
Summit City Brewerk’s expansion also gives them the opportunity to open up to families. They’ve designed a seating area for all ages.
Long and Tomaszewski said the new spaces and equipment are driving their young business to the next level.
“I feel great,” Tomaszewski said. “It’s an exciting time, a long time coming. We want to just continue to elevate and innovate with what we do in beer and keep moving forward and trying to stay fresh.”
Summit City Brewerks plans to bottle and sell their beers in stores by the end of the year. People will be able to purchase the bottles at the brewery to-go by this summer.
