You’ve probably scratched your head more than once wondering how in the name of hops Propeller does all that it does out of it’s current home in north end Halifax—I certainly have. So, it wasn’t a surprise when this morning brought news that beloved local beer master Propeller Brewing Company (2015 Gottingen Street, 422-7767) will see a big expansion this spring that’ll bring the bulk of its brewing to 617 Windmill Road, just across from Sleeman.
“The biggest thing about the new location is that all of our warehousing will be under one roof,” says Propeller’s Andrew Cooper. Currently, the brewery’s storage of dry goods, like clean glass, is spread out over three separate locations. Though Propeller had long since outgrown its home on Gottingen, Cooper says the search or a second space began last spring. The new building on Windmill is a big score on the logistical side of things, with a new 30 barrel brewhouse and two incredibly large (we’re talking 120 hectolitres) fermentation vessels. Bonus for you Dartmouthians: it’ll operate as a retail shop too, which will help to create five to 10 new jobs. While all this news means a lot for the future growth of Propeller, Cooper says the focus remains close to home. “Our core value is that we are a local brewery, we’re focused on the Nova Scotia market,” says Cooper. “Theres still a lot of room to do a lot more in this province. It sounds really nice to say, but it makes more sense from a business standpoint too.”
And, if your happiness for this ballooning local business is slightly clouded by “But what about Gottingen Street,” thoughts: Windmill Road is in fact a second location. The trusty cold beer store will live on as we know it and will still serve as a functioning brewery, concentrating mainly on one-off flavours. (Sigh of relief.) Cooper says the new Propeller will hopefully start producing beer by mid-spring.
Too bad 617 Windmill Road is the middle of nowhere…