New Glarus Brewing Co. breaks ground on $55M expansion

NEW GLARUS, Wis. (WMTV) - New Glarus Brewing Company broke ground Tuesday on what will eventually be an additional 65,000 square feet of brewing, distilling and hospitality space to their “Hilltop” facility.

The planning and design of the addition has been in the works for nearly two years.

Brewery Founder Deb Carey said the addition does not mean they are planning to expand distribution beyond Wisconsin, but rather to keep up with demand in the state.

“When we originally built our Hilltop brewery in 2007, I never imagined we’d outgrow it in my lifetime, but here we are doing our tenth addition after already quadrupling our original square footage,” Carey said. “This addition will ensure that current and future employee-owners will be able to accommodate guests and keep up with beer demand for generations to come.”

The expansion will include four more copper kettles, a new ten-hectoliter brew hall with coolship, a distillery for spirits and quadruple the amount of parking at the facility.

Dan and Deb Carey’s daughter, Katherine May, is a licensed architect whose vision led the design of the addition. May said the history of expansion has a special meaning for the family.

“My hand prints are in the concrete at our original brewery and my dad hand-sketched the design of that brewhouse,” she said. “Now my son Teddy’s hand prints are in the concrete of our previous expansion, so it just really hits home for me how much history has already been created at this place and how this brewery reflects the involvement of our family over the years.”

The company plans to repurpose its existing customer drive into a bike path that connects to the Sugar River Trail, add electric car charging stations and use an environmentally friendly heating and cooling system.

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