Big Ditch Brewing Company held a press conference yesterday, announcing that it was planning on opening a second brewing/brewhouse facility that will be located in Cheektowaga on Transit Road adjacent to the north side of I-90.
According to Matt Kahn, president and co-founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company, the second facility will help to address demand for their product – their downtown brewery currently produces 15,000 barrel annually.
The new 105,000 square foot facility will feature a tap room, dining room, office spaces, a larger canning line, and an annual production capacity of 50,000 barrels, says Kahn. The Transit Road facility will also accommodate more of their larger brews, while the downtown location will have “a renewed focus on research, innovation, and development of new craft beer recipes and varieties.”
“The planning for this new facility has been extremely exciting and is a big step for our company,” stated Matt Kahn, president and co-founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company. “Demand for our beer continues to grow and more opportunities exist for expanded sales and distribution. That’s why this site expansion is so timely and necessary, as it will allow us to really ramp-up production.”
The new brewery will be initially equipped for 50,000 barrels of annual production capacity, to help alleviate the downtown location, which is operating with three shifts, 24 hours per day.
“The Transit Road project site is exceptional real estate”, stated Paul B. Iskalo, president & chief executive officer of Iskalo Development Corp. and fellow co-founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company. “We acted quickly to secure the property when it first became available, as we could see beyond its current appearance to envision its outstanding potential.”
“One of the hallmarks of the craft beer industry is product innovation,” stated Kahn. “The new facility will free up capacity at the downtown brewery and allow us to focus on research, innovation, and the development of new craft beers.”
The two-story front portion of the new building will:
- Feature dining areas on both floors.
- The tap room and beer hall areas will be located on the first floor together
- Private dining room and retail store where beer and branded merchandise will be sold
The second floor will:
- House additional tap room seating and the Brewer’s Lounge
- Three additional private dining/meeting rooms
- A private event venue capable of entertaining over 200 guests
- A Tasting and Education Room, leading to viewing areas above the brewing operation for group tours
“The new tap room would serve as the suburban complement to our highly successful Huron Street tap room, and the event venues that will be in the new building will allow us to host larger events than we’re currently able to accommodate at our downtown facility,” concluded Kahn.
Similar to the downtown location, the interior design of the building will continue to pay homage to the brewery’s namesake, the iconic Erie Canal.
Iskalo Development has filed applications for the proper permits. When those permits are approved, Iskalo will move forward with the demolition of existing buildings that are currently located at the site. Completion date for the new brewery is anticipated in late 2021.