Two local breweries – one in the suburbs and one in Lakeside – recently invested in upgrades at their respective facilities.

Final Gravity Brewing Co. this month doubled its brewing capacity by bringing in two five-barrel fermenters.

The expansion comes about nine months after the 7-year-old brewery moved its homebrew shop, Original Gravity, next door to make way for more seating at its tasting room at 6118 Lakeside Ave.

“We’ve increased our capacity by 50 percent,” said Tony Ammendolia, owner and head brewer. “We’re brewing six batches per week and keep about 12 beers on tap.”

Final Gravity isn’t signed to a distribution deal, so its beer is available only through its taproom, and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Ammendolia said that even with the new hardware, they’d still have a hard time brewing enough to meet the demand that comes with distribution.

“We’re definitely committed to the Lakeside community. We’ve built a pretty committed following here,” he said.

In Midlothian, Steam Bell Beer Works recently purchased a canning line for its taproom at 1717 E. Oak Lake Blvd.

The line is being used for beer by both Steam Bell and Canon & Draw Brewing Co., a sister brewery it opened in the Fan in March. Sister-and-brother duo Brittany and Brad Cooper own both breweries.

The Coopers have put the canning line to quick use with releases last week from both their breweries: Runaway Tank-thing Gose and Rainbow Serpent IPA from Canon & Draw, and Steam Bell’s summer saison, Grissette.

The new canning line comes a few months after Steam Bell added more tanks and space to its facility as it prepares to expand its wholesale business through Brown Distributing. Canon & Draw is not signed with a distributor.

Last month, both Final Gravity and Steam Bell brought home awards from the Virginia Craft Brewer’s Guild’s annual awards.