GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Brewery Vivant will start sending beer to Chicago this fall after doubling their brewing capacity with a $300,000 expansion this summer.

In late May, early June, the Belgian-style microbrewery will squeeze four new 60-barrel fermentation tanks into their operation at 925 Cherry Street SE, effectively doubling their annual brewing capacity to 5,000 barrels.

Vivant is planning to brew 3,000 barrels this year after opening in late 2010. Co-owner Jason Spaulding said the brewery will cap their volume after the expansion.

The expansion comes about a year ahead of schedule, Spaulding said. The move into the Chicago market will be the company's first out-of-state distribution.

“We’re getting enough positive response,” he said, “We're already running into capacity issues.”

It may take a couple years to bring the total beer volume up to the new maximum capacity, Spaulding said. But the company isn’t planning to get any bigger after that.

“We set out to be a neighborhood brewery and that’s what we want to stick with,” he said, “With the limited distribution area, it helps attract more people into Grand Rapids.”

Related: Old Grand Rapids funeral chapel now home to Brewery Vivant

The brewery is seeking an 8-year industrial facilities tax abatement on the expansion.

Vivant’s Triomphe Belgian IPA, Farm Hand French ale and Solitude abbey-style ale will be included in the expanded distribution, as well as specialty beers like the Kludde, a Belgian-style dark ale.

On April 2, the brewery's anticipated Zaison "Imperial Sasion" will be tapped at the brewpub on Cherry Street and cans of Saison will start hitting local shelves as a seasonal selection.

The brewery was certified as the first LEED Silver commercial brewery in the United States this year and will be honored as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies at an award ceremony sponsored by Davenport University in April.

Email Garret Ellison or follow him on Twitter.