pFriem Family Brewers Announces Major Cascade Locks and Hood River Expansion Plans

pFriem Family Brewers has announced a much-needed expansion that will see the company building a new Cascade Locks facility and adding a larger brewhouse to the existing location in its Halyard Building in Hood River. Demand for pFriem's award-winning beer is off the charts, and around 75% of the brewery's production is being sold in Oregon alone. Pfriem has been in a constant state of growth since opening in 2012, increasing  its space to the point of maxing out the entire original facility on the Columbia riverfront. The recent announcement of the addition of two year-round beers in 12oz can will surely only greatly increase the demand. Based on consumer demand and the new packaging, pFriem plans to increase production by as much as three times its current capacity.More from a press announcement:pFriem is working with the Port of Cascade Locks to construct anew secondary production and warehousing facility in Cascade Locks to make room for significant capacity expansion at the Hood River headquarters.The two facilities will work in tandem. In Hood River, pFriem will continue to brew all of its beer, and ferment and package all of its non-barrel aged beers. In Cascade Locks, the brewery will age and package all of its barrel aged beers. Cascade Locks will also be the company’s main logistics hub, and will warehouse all of its raw materials and finished beer.Josh Pfriem, pFriem Brewmaster/Co-Founder, said, “We are excited to announce that we have partnered with the Ports of Cascade Locks and Hood River to expand pFriem's production footprint in the Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge has always been our home, and we have worked hard with the folks at these ports and cities to develop a long-term plan for pFriem to thrive in this beautiful area.“The Cascade Locks project will allow us to significantly expand our barrel aging program while consolidating our warehousing and cold storage operations in a beautiful new facility. It will also free up space in our current Hood River brewery for a new state-of-the-art brewhouse, increased fermentation capacity, and sophisticated canning line. The goal has been to increase our offerings, continue to boost quality and innovation and to create opportunities for our employees to further their careers and personal lives in the special communities that we are lucky to be a part of. We feel that we are on an exciting path to accomplishing these goals throughout these two interconnected expansion projects.”Hood River ExpansionOver the next two years at its Hood River facility, pFriem will install new fermentation capacity, as well as a second larger brewhouse and a canning line. This will allow the company to brew more than 60,000 barrels in this facility.The brewery will be upgrading its infrastructure and will be placing some equipment to the South of the current building footprint to make way for the capacity increase. The Port of Hood River has been instrumental in helping pFriem create a long-term expansion strategy in this facility which is owned by the Port.“When the Port of Hood River built the Halyard Building in 2012, the goal was to construct a LEED Silver spec building that could provide flexible, scalable space for new light industrial businesses to create jobs and foster new markets,” said Port Development Manager Anne Medenbach. “pFriem’s remarkable success has confirmed the soundness of that strategy as they have grown to be not only the sole tenant of the building,but are expanding in Cascade Locks. We couldn’t be more proud to be part of their success.”Cascade Locks ConstructionpFriem has been working hard to identify suitable new building sites in the Gorge for years. In the 4th quarter of 2018, pFriem signed an agreement to construct a secondary production and warehousing facility in the Port of Cascade Locks’Business Park, on the east side of the city. Inside this building, pFriem will re-locate its growing wood barrel-aged and sour beer production processes, as well as its cold and dry storage warehouses. pFriem expects this 22,000-square-foot facility to be available for move-in by Q1 2020.Jess Groves, Port of Cascade Locks Commission President, said, “The Port of Cascade Locks and the City of Cascade Locks are excited to be working with a premiere and award-winning family brewery that recognizes Cascade Locks as a community with enthusiasm and the ambition to grow local Gorge businesses. We look forward to a long-term partnership with pFriem Family Brewers and the opportunities the brewery brings to the community with new family wage jobs and a positive business attitude!”About pFriem Family BrewerspFriem Family Brewers (pronounced “freem”) is a Northwest, German, and Belgian inspired 15-barrel brewery and tasting room in Hood River, OR. Founded in 2012 by Josh Pfriem, Ken Whiteman and Rudy Kellner, pFriem has experienced incredible growth in its short six years and has earned prestigious awards, including being named GABF®2018 Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year and numerous medals in national and international brewing competitions. Best known for artisanal beers influenced by the great brewers of Europe while staying true to homegrown roots in the Pacific Northwest, pFriem craft beers are unmistakably unique in both flavor and balance. Visit pFriem online at www.pfriembeer.com, or onsite daily at 707 Portway Ave., Suite 101, Hood River, OR 97031.