Bailey Loosemore

Louisville Courier Journal

In 2015, Kentucky's craft beer industry added six new breweries and produced more than 87,000 barrels of beer.

But despite another year of growth, the state remains near the bottom of the country's list in terms of breweries per capita and barrel production, according to the Brewers Association - with Kentucky ranked 46th for the number of breweries per 100,000 adults and 32nd for the amount of production.

Local brewery owners said the rankings are disheartening, but they're also somewhat positive: The low numbers means there's still room for breweries to open and expand.

Already this year, Deer Park brewery Great Flood has announced plans for a production facility and Germantown's Monnik - which opened in November - has more than doubled its fermentation capacity.

Now, at least three more breweries and one additional expansion are on their way. Here's where the projects stand:

BRAXTON BREWING COMPANY

27 W. Seventh St., Covington | braxtonbrewing.com | Expanding June 6

Covington-based Braxton Brewing Company has more than quadrupled its capacity within about a year but has not yet gained a strong following in Kentucky's largest market.

That will change Monday, June 6, when the brewery launches its beers in Louisville, with several events planned over the next few weeks.

"We're not able to participate in any of the Kentucky things because we weren't in Louisville and we weren't in Lexington," co-founder Jake Rouse said.

He said the brewery is often more associated with Cincinnati because of its close proximity to and distribution in the city.

"For us, we decided that was going to be our first priority," Rouse said.

Rouse attributed Braxton's quick growth to the company's commitment to its community. He said the brewery hopes to bring that same engagement to Louisville. The brewery has already agreed to take part in the upcoming ReSurfaced initiative and plans to organize future events where company representatives will be present.

"We really want to focus on where we're from, where we can distribute our beer where it's freshest and where we can travel to be a part of it," Rouse said.

Find a full schedule of the launch events at braxtondrive.com.

OLD LOUISVILLE BREWERY

625 W. Magnolia Ave., Louisville | facebook.com/oldlouisvillebrewing | Anticipated opening: late June

Old Louisville residents have been asking brewery co-owner Wade Mattingly when he'll be opening since he and his brother, Ken, began construction on a shotgun house at the edge of the neighborhood in summer 2014.

Recently, Mattingly has been able to provide them a better answer: Give him about a month, and beer will be flowing.

"We've gotten our brewers license, so ... now we're in a mad, mad scramble," Mattingly said, rattling off a to-do list that includes installing a chilling system and mounting tables made of recycled materials.

Old Louisville Brewery's five-barrel system has already been delivered, and Mattingly has completed most of the house's extensive renovation himself, tearing up the floors and installing a patio window that will allow customers to order from outside.

Now, he's excited for the labor to be finished, but is nervous about moving onto the next task - actually producing the beer.

Mattingly said the brewery will start small - with reduced hours - and will likely never enter large distribution like Braxton or Great Flood.

"We definitely want to be the neighborhood spot," Mattingly said. "... What most residents in Old Louisville want to do is see more people come in and embrace it. We hope to help facilitate that with our space here."

JARFLY BREWING COMPANY

103 W. Mount Vernon St., Somerset | facebook.com/jarflybrewing | Anticipated opening: mid-summer

Jarfly Brewing owners Daniel Stroud and Delaney Stephens celebrated American Craft Beer Week earlier this month by installing tanks in a former furniture shop on the town's fountain square.

According to a press release, Stroud and Stephens have been renovating the building since the fall and will soon open the first brewery in Somerset since residents voted to legalize alcohol sales three years ago.

The pair plans to initially introduce three beers on draft in the brewery's taproom before expanding its selection to include seasonal brews and packaged crowlers - or 32-ounce recyclable aluminum cans that will also be sold at Louisville's Mile Wide Beer Co.

“This is an area that has shown the need and capacity to take in a business like Jarfly,” Stroud said in the release. “Our town is supporting its own. There’s a major trend here in supporting local items and independent commerce, which goes along well with our business model.”

MILE WIDE BEER CO.

636 Barret Ave., Louisville | facebook.com/milewidebeer | Anticipated opening: Late summer

Customers who haven't been in the former Jillian's space beneath Diamond Pub & Billiard's on Barret Avenue since it closed years ago likely won't recognize the spot once it opens as Mile Wide Beer Co.

"The room is bigger than even I remember," brewery co-founder Scott Shreffler said, who painted a coming vision of a center bar, living room set and 15-barrel brewing system fitting within the previous nightclub space.

Mile Wide - named for the width of the Ohio River near downtown Louisville - was originally a dream of Patrick Smith and Matt Landon, who met in Smith's Bardstown Road bar, River City Drafthouse. After conducting initial research, the pair teamed up with Shreffler and brewer Kyle Tavares of St. Louis' Schlafly Beer to pursue the project.

Shreffler said the owners signed a lease for the former Jillian's space on Dec. 1 and soon after learned that nearby Paristown Pointe would undergo a $28 million renovation - which will include the building of a new Goodwood taproom. Now, Shreffler said the area previously without any breweries could soon "create our own little brewing district."

Mile Wide is expected to open near the end of the summer and will begin its production with one staple beer - a Belgian wheat - and several experimental brews.

Later, the brewery plans to introduce a Scavenger Series made with any hops the company can get its hands on along with 32-ounce aluminum crowlers, which were first made popular by Colorado-based Oskar Blues, Shreffler said.

"You'll have fresh beer just like a growler but it's not exposed to light, there's not as much exposure to oxygen," Shreffler said.

Remember to drink smart, drink safe. Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at 502-582-4646 or bloosemore@courier-journal.com.