Homebrew supply shop expanding

<!–Saxotech Paragraph Count: 17
–>

By David Young

The Old Town homebrew supply shop Hops Berries is looking to expand due to the continued rise in demand for home brewing products and equipment.

Colin Westcott, co-owner of Equinox Brewing and Hops Berries homebrew shop, 125 Remington St., said he signed a lease on a new building Wednesday at 1833 E. Harmony Road, which he plans to turn into a second Hops Berries location.

The 4,000-square-foot building, behind the Cinemark theaters on South Timberline Road and East Harmony Road, will primarily be a warehouse with some office space and a storefront. Westcott said one of the main goals of the new facility will be for storage and inventory space.

“Hops Berries is so crowded on Saturday, it is very difficult for people to maneuver,” he said. “It will be the same selection … just more room for people to maneuver.”

The current shop’s capacity is about 20 people.

Signing the lease Wednesday, Westcott will get into the building in January and plans to build the new store before opening it next spring.

The store will include a bulk grain section and customers will be able to select equipment directly from the warehouse. There also could be a permanent brewing structure on site for educational purposes and classes.

Taylor Caron, Hops Berries manager, said the second store was inevitable with the rising popularity of homebrewing.

“We try to keep something from everything in the homebrew universe here in this little shotgun building,” Caron said. “This will help bleed off some high traffic.”

With the new shop, Caron said they already have hired an assistant manager and likely will hire another position sooner than later.

Westcott also said the warehouse will enable them to reduce shipping costs and help maintain, or in some cases, drop prices for customers.

Homebrewing in Fort Collins and the country as a whole is gaining momentum.

An estimated 1 million Americans brew beer at home, according to the Homebrewers Association.

Gary Glass, director of the Boulder-based American Homebrewers Association, said according to a national survey of home brewing shops, the industry saw a gross revenue increase of 16 percent in 2009 and 2010.

He attributed the increase to a number of factors, including the ability to buy materials and products locally.

“The growth of craft brewing is part of that. They go hand-in-hand; many new breweries are started by homebrewers,” Glass said.