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With New Belgium and Sierra Nevada well into the process of building large-scale East Coast breweries, and with Oskar Blues having already opened their new North Carolina operation, it’s not surprising to learn that the nation’s 10th largest craft brewer is looking eastward as well.
After months of rumors and speculation that Stone Brewing might actually be in the hunt for a place to build an East Coast-based brewery, things hit critical mass. Adam Nason tipped us to the fact that the company had issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on their website, announcing that they are open to invitations to build a new brewery somewhere in the East.
Nason added that “Stone is open to building or buying an existing building. The estimated square footage needed is between 130,000 and 220,000” and speculated that the company might be open to warmer climates so they can continue to expand upon their “World Bistro and Gardens” concept.
Stone has been taking applications and will continue to through March 15th and has issued general guidelines requesting that the site be “within, or in close proximity to, major metropolitan areas and/or areas favored by sophisticated and discerning travelers and craft beer enthusiasts.”
A number of states are expressing real interest and some are jumping through hoops to show that they’re all about it. The News-Record is reporting that Greensboro Partnership Economic Development is making a serious pitch for a Greensboro, North Carolina location. And “Alabama legislators are working through a pair of bills that could help recruit that business to this state,” according to AL.com. Tennessee’s Blount County, which fought hard for but was unable to close Sierra Nevada, are aggressively courting Stone and WATE is reporting that they’ve launched a huge social media campaign and “even wrote and produced two songs designed to tell the company why it should pick Blount County…”
