Short’s Brewing Weathers COVID-19 With Rapid Expansion

Covid-19 profoundly shifted beer’s economic landscape. With bars and restaurants shuttered, draft beer sales hit a wall and emphasis shifted to retail sales as sheltering-in-place beer lovers stocked their pantries at home.

But while breweries saw their keg sales come to a halt, those that were agile (especially those with substantial canning capability) experienced unprecedented retail growth.

And Elk Rapids, Michigan-based Short’s Brewing is one of those breweries…

June saw a 30% increase in sales for the brewery, followed by their busiest July 4th holiday ever. Summer sales trends continued resulting in 14% growth over summer 2019.

“We’ve literally been working around the clock to try to keep our products stocked for our distribution and retail partners, and we are so grateful for their patience and grace.,” said Scott Newman-Bale, Short’s Chief Executive Officer. ““We definitely experienced some bumps and setbacks along the way due to COVID. The demand has been insane.”

But thanks to new construction, which the brewery initiated in 2019, Short’s has been able to weather the impact of the pandemic better than others and is poised for an even healthier 2021.

A new kettle system has just come  online, allowing the brewery to produce multiple products at the same time, which has been great for the multi-dimensional producer whose brands include Starcut Hard Cider, Beaches Hard Seltzer, and the recently acquired Arcadia Brewing Company.

Short’s is also about to install a massive new packaging line—which has been under construction in California for the past four months—that will double the rate in which beer can be packaged. It will also eliminate the need for plastic rings, a sustainability issue Short’s has been working on for some time.

And understanding that on-premise venues will eventually open to full capacity, Short’s has almost finished the expansion of their Elk Rapids tasting room. Its Pull Barn tasting room expansion will turn the outdoor, three-season tourist destination into an indoor, year-round location complete with a beautiful custom bar and bathrooms.

And depending on COVID-19 trends, the brewery hopes to have its tasting room which will feature 20 draft lines, open for inside service by the beginning of November.

The cost of these projects?

A cool $1.5 million. But Short’s isn’t stopping there. The brewery has an additional $2 million in improvements scheduled for 2021 that will continue to increase capacity and efficiency.

“We plan to implement one of the fastest expansions we have ever undertaken and continually increase capacity throughout 2021.” Stated Newman-Bale. “We’re ready for 2021 to be our biggest year yet.”