Prison City Brewing’s New Facility, Auburn

Prison City Brewing is developing its second brewery in Auburn, New York, US. The new brewery location will support the growth of the company, while expanding production.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the new location was held in October 2019 and brewing operations are expected to start in late July 2020. Estimated to involve an investment of $4.25m, the project will create 25 jobs.

Prison City Brewing was assisted by Cayuga Economic Development Agency (CEDA) in submitting Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) loan applications through the City of Auburn and Cayuga County. CEDA is also supported by the New York State Consolidated Funding Application and the identification of the new brewery location. The project received ESD / AIDA tax benefits worth $900,000.

Prison City Brewing’s new facility location

The brewery site is located at 251 North Street in Auburn, Cayuga County. Spread across an area of 14,000ft², the brewery will include a production facility, a tasting room and a restaurant.

Design and features of Prison City Brewing’s new facility

The project site is spread across an area of 22,257ft² (5.5 acres) and also includes an 8,000ft² barn with a solid rock foundation. The facility will have an appearance similar to that of a modern industrial farmhouse, along with a black sliding.

The new facility will expand Prison City Brewing’s production from 900 barrels to 10,000 barrels a year. The brewery garden will include a walk-in cooler and plants. The brewery building will be made of steel with a dark grey finish, while one of its sections will have a stone-white look and another will have a wooden look.

The building has a front section, a central section and the lower floor. The front section is located near the street and will be used for production purposes, while the central section located on the second level will serve administrative functions.

The lower floor will include a tasting room, a dining area and a service kitchen. In addition to the outdoor dining area and event space, the facility will have a canning line and food trucks.

Construction

The construction activities related to the foundation took place in December 2019. The foundation walls of the brewery were constructed in January 2020.

The frame and roof of the facility were erected in February 2020, while the interior under-slab plumbing was completed in March. Work carried out in June 2020 included painting, flooring, doors, windows, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).

Contractors involved

Chrisanntha Construction and C&M are involved in the construction of the company’s new Auburn brewery.

Product portfolio of Prison City Brewing

The company’s product portfolio includes beers, white wine, red wine and canned craft cocktails. The product offerings at the brewery are categorised as guest beers on tap and house beers.

The guest beers product range includes Allagash White, Bell’s Light Hearted Ale, Abita Purple Haze, Cider Creek Farmhouse Cider, and Skewed Brewing Peach Milkshake Ipa. Meanwhile, the brewery offers house beers such as Laser-Brain, Lockdown Brown, Mass Riot, Nitro Hitman Stout and Prison City Riot in Vermont.

Marketing commentary on Prison City Brewing

Prison City Brewing Company is an independent craft brewery founded by Marc and Dawn Schulz. The brewing company opened its first brewpub in December 2014 at 28 State Street in Auburn, New York.

The brewery’s Belgian Pale Ale and Bleek Worden won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015. In 2019, the company’s Mass Riot was awarded a gold medal in the Hazy / NE IPA category at the TAP New York Beer Festival.

The brewing company also won bronze, silver and gold awards in the New York State Craft Beer Competition in 2019.