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New Realm founders Carey Falcone, Bob Powers, Mitch Steele
Last March Green Flash abruptly shuttered their Virginia Beach brewery leaving the future of the state-of-the-art brewing facility in question. But in less than a month New Realm announced that they’d be moving into the 58,000-square-foot space…a deal that suggested to some that the Atlanta-based brewery might be making a more national play…
But it appears that New Realm is wisely foregoing Green Flash’s failed national strategy, an approach that may have made more sense a decade ago, but with beer sales slowing and more than 6,300 breweries currently online in the states, would be sheer insanity in today’s climate.
Carey Falcone, who co-founded New Realm along with Bob Powers and the legendary Stone Brewing alumni Mitch Steele, explained their decision this way…
“As we looked at ways to serve our growing base of New Realm fans, it was important to us that we remain a local brewer in the Southeast, expand capacity, increase innovation and stay true to our core values.
“When the opportunity came up to partner with The Miller Group to lease the Virginia Beach facility, purchase newer, high-quality brewing equipment at a great value and create jobs in Virginia Beach, we knew we needed to seize it.”
Speaking to the Virginia Pilot Mitch Steele reaffirmed that “New Realm is not following the same business model that foiled Green Flash’s national aspirations,” and trying “to expand nationally at a time when the industry is slowing.”
Brewer at New Realm’s Atlanta location works works tanks
New Realm’s goal is to keep its Southeastern geographic footprint tight and “the brewery is only planning to sell its beers in the states where it’s located.”
Stylistically New Realm’s Virginia operation with its 40,000 barrel capability will mirror what has made them so buzz-worthy in Atlanta, a wide array of classic styles punctuated by more exploratory and cutting edge directions.
New Realm was “the first in Georgia to brew an emerging style called Brut IPA, characterized by its extreme dryness” and Steele “thinks Virginia Beach offers the chance to expand New Realm’s creative endeavors…serving both locals and tourists in Virginia Beach, as they do in Atlanta.”
All image credits: New Realm Brewing
