Whitefish microbrewery expands capacity
<p>Great Northern Brewing Co. in downtown Whitefish.</p>
Great Northern Brewing Company hoisted a new holding tank into its downtown facility Friday as part of the microbrewery’s second expansion project in two years.
A crane was used to lift the custom-made 100 barrel fermentation and conditioning tank. At 23 feet tall, it spans the height of the brewery’s ceiling and stands next to other 100 barrel tanks installed in 2014. A hole was cut in the brewery’s roof in order to facilitate the installation.
“The plan for it is to better facilitate production as we grow and expand our distribution footprint,” said Great Northern’s Director of Operations, Thomas Sierra. “This tank will be used to brew our flagship beers primarily, as well as open production for more seasonal options.”
With the expansion, Great Northern boosts its capacity to more 8,000 barrels of annual beer production, or 1.9 million pints. The brewery distributes to five states in the West.