Falls City Brewery Expansion, Louisville

Falls City Brewing Company (Falls City) completed the expansion of its brewery in Louisville, Kentucky, US, in June 2020.

Named Liberty Street brewery and taproom complex, the facility was opened in March 2018. The brewery was expanded to allow Falls City to brew and package all of its products under the same roof.

In addition, the expansion allows it to increase production capacity and further its innovation in creating new products and packaging options.

Falls City’s brewery location and expansion details

The brewery is located at 901 E Liberty Street in downtown Louisville in the Phonenix Hill/NuLu neighbourhood.

It features a small batch seven-barrel brewing system along with a taproom. The latest expansion added a 20bbl brewhouse with 60bbl tanks, tripling the brewery’s full-scale brewing capacity.

A state-of-the-art canning line was installed and cold storage was increased. The new brewing system is faster than the existing system and consumes 40% lesser water and 20% lesser grain during the brew cycle.

Falls City brewery design and features

The brewing facility is situated in a complex, which spans 35,000ft² and houses Bandido Taqueria restaurant, 78 Coffee Co, Katie Marie Photographie, and Old 502 Winery.

The Old 502 Winery shifted its wine production to the Liberty Street location in Fall 2019 and plans to open a new tasting room next year. Falls City Brewing and Old 502 Winery partnered in 2014 to create a wine and craft beer destination in downtown Louisville.

The brewery includes a taproom, an outdoor beer garden and a 5,100ft² seven-barrel brewhouse. The outdoor beer garden and the taproom occupy 3,000ft² and 4,000ft², respectively.

The taproom features a bar with seating for 12 guests, a community table, additional high-and low-top tables, and a lounge area. The exposed-brick taproom area has the capacity to accommodate up to 100 guests. The brewery also houses a Fun Zone with games such as shuffleboard and darts.

An auxiliary indoor area called Ben’s Beer Hall with 50 seats in the brewery hosts private events. The event space, with German-style picnic tables, is also used for meetings.

Falls City Brewing’s product portfolio

Falls City offers core products such as Hipster Repellant IPA, Pale Ale, Streetlamp Porter, and Kentucky Common. Seasonal beer product offerings include Lou City Kolsch and Backyard Getaway.

In 2017, the company launched a new summer seasonal named Calliope Hoppy Pils. The product range in the small-batch series includes Subtle Beast Imperial Stout and King Louis XVI. The brewery also offers wine, select bourbon, and limited-edition speciality beers.

Coffee Stout, a bold, robust stout, with a flavour filled with chocolate, roasted malt and toffee, was released in October 2019. The company announced its seasonal release Slam Dunkel, a smooth, dark lager, in November 2019.

Marketing commentary on Falls City Brewing Company

Falls City Brewing Company was established by Ben Schrader and a group of grocers and tavern owners in 1905, in Louisville, Kentucky. It celebrated its 114^th anniversary in April 2019 and released two new beers, namely Birthday Bash Belgian Stout and Dank IPA.

The company’s distribution footprint was expanded to seven states between the 1940s and 1950s. The company closed its operations in Louisville due to growing competition and falling sales.

It, however, resumed the operations in 2010 as a regional craft brewery. Falls City Brewing expanded its product line in 2016, increasing the offerings from two bottled beer varieties to seven. The products offered by the company are available in select markets in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.