BA Announces CBC Travel Grants
Aimed at those who might otherwise have little chance to attend the Craft Brewers Conference, the Brewers Association says it will award 25 people with travel grants of up to $1,500 to attend the next CBC in Nashville, scheduled for May 7 to 10, 2023. Conceived by the BA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, the applications are open to BA members who are planning breweries or who work at breweries that produce 15,000 barrels per year or less. Preference goes to applicants who would be first-time attendees, who have been approved to present a seminar, and to those who’ve faced cultural barriers or other social obstacles to attending the conference. The DEI Committee also invites established breweries to contribute to the Travel Grants fund via a “Pay It Forward” option that will be available when they register for CBC.
Lost Abbey Slims Down for the Longer Term
The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, plans to scale down its production capacity and footprint to cut costs, cofounder Tomme Arthur says. “Growing down isn’t about less beer,” Arthur tells the San Diego Beer News. “It’s functionally about less space, mitigating overhead and gaining control of costs.” That includes selling its 30-barrel brewhouse to replace it with a smaller kit that will provide more flexibility. The move occurs amid the current headwinds of higher costs and lower beer-sales volumes. “We still believe in the craft-beer industry and in what we do and produce,” Arthur says. “This is about making the right amount of beer so our artistry stays true, not pursuing things we’ve never done before or deviating from what we’re known for.”
Octopi Expands and Adds Solar
In Waunakee, Wisconsin, Octopi Brewing—a specialist in contract brewing—is completing a $72 million expansion that includes a 200,000-square-foot redistribution center plus 120,000 more square feet to its current production facility. The expansion also includes a rooftop solar installation and energy-storage project partially funded by grants. The brewery says it expects the expansion to be complete and in use in November.