Press Release: In response to demand for their canned beer in areas outside of their current markets, Swamp Head Brewery announced today that they will begin distributing cans of Wild Night Honey Cream Ale, Stump Knocker Pale Ale and Big Nose IPA to new areas starting in the first weeks of August.
St. Augustine will be the first market to receive the cans, with the roll out starting during the second week of August. Six packs will be available at select grocery stores and independent bottle shops. Their canned beer will not be available at bars and restaurants at this time.
Jacksonville will be the next location to receive Swamp Head cans. Orlando will follow. Exact release dates will be announced on the brewery’s website and social media in the coming weeks.
“It’s been a long time coming, and we are really excited for some of our favorite places around Florida to begin enjoying our beers in a can on their outdoor adventures,” said Luke Kemper, owner.
The brewery currently distributes their cans in the Gainesville, Ocala, and Tallahassee markets, and is looking forward to supplying beer to markets that have been requesting the cans for some time.
“It will be very nice to have a different answer to the standing question: ‘When are we getting cans?” said Kemper.
The brewery, which feels strongly about protecting Florida’s natural treasures and spending time in the state’s outdoor beauty, feels that their canned beer is a natural fit for a day outside.
“Our main goal is to be ‘Florida’s brewery,’ and we have always had the vision of our beer being an integral part of Floridians spending a day on the water or a hike through the woods,” said Brandon Nappy, marketing director. “Now we get to share that with even more folks.”
Swamp Head Brewery continues to distribute draft beer of all five of their year round beers and select limited offerings throughout all counties in Florida other than Palm Beach, Broward and Dade counties. An expansion to South Florida will be the final expansion for the brewery, which does not plan to distribute their beer outside of Florida.
Swamp Head lists quality control and decreased carbon footprint as reasons for Florida-only distribution.
“We want to be ‘Florida’s Brewery.’ Florida is our home, and we want to stay here and provide Floridians and visitors to our state with our beer. We don’t need to be a gigantic brewery with national distribution,” Nappy said. “On top of that, the farther our beer goes, the more energy it takes to get it there. We feel like that goes against everything we stand for.”
Swamp Head’s brewery expansion
In an effort to stay ahead of rising demand for their packaged product as well as an eventual expansion into the South Florida market, Swamp Head Brewery constructed a new, larger brewery in Gainesville, expanding their production capabilities and bringing to life a new, larger tasting room and expandable solar power grid.
The project, which consisted of a new 13,500 sq. ft. single-story production building, more than tripled the brewery’s production capabilities upon completion in 2015, bringing their estimated yearly volume to 18,000 barrels (558,000 gallons) from their previous brewery’s capacity of under 6,000 barrels.
Less than a year and a half later, the brewery underwent another expansion in June 2016, increasing their production capacity by 70 percent. The recent expansion added 480 barrels (14,880 gallons) of fermentation capacity. The increase gives the brewery the necessary breathing room to expand their distribution of packaged product to new markets.
“We have always been very careful to not expand too far too fast,” said Kemper. “The last thing we want to do is give someone beer and then take it away. Nobody likes that. We are now ready to get to new places and stay there.”
As the brewery grows and expands, they have been able to begin sustainability practices that they have long had their eyes on. Working with Solar Impact of Gainesville, Swamp Head became the first brewery in Florida to have a portion of their operations powered by solar energy. Swamp Head has plans to greatly expand the solar power grid at their brewery in the future.
Swamp Head, founded in 2008, brews craft beer for the citizens and visitors of Florida. The brewery’s year round beers include Wild Night Honey Cream Ale, Cottonmouth Belgian Witbier, Stump Knocker Pale Ale, Midnight Oil Oatmeal Coffee Stout and Big Nose IPA. The brewery also produces Spasmodic, Migrational and Elusive Reclusive releases, which are available on a limited basis.
