Brew Hub Announces Partnership with Green Man Brewing Company

Brew Hub will partner brew several beers with Green Man, including Green Man IPA, ESB, Porter and Green Man seasonal beers. The beers will be brewed at Brew Hub’s new, state-of-the-art craft brewery in Lakeland, Fla. beginning in late 2014. With this partnership in place, Green Man will immediately expand distribution throughout Florida and plans to expand to other Southeastern states in 2015.

"Green Man Brewing is exactly the kind of high-quality craft brewery Brew Hub is designed to serve,” said Tim Schoen, founder and chief executive officer of Brew Hub. “They’ve established themselves in Asheville, NC as one of the emerging premier craft brewers in the country. They brew amazing craft beer and the Green Man team understands every aspect of the beer industry. Our partnership will allow Green Man to grow quickly, and it will allow craft beer drinkers in several states to discover their award-winning beers.”

Green Man was founded in downtown Asheville in 1997. The company was then purchased by Dennis Thies who expanded the brewery in 2010. The expansion allowed Green Man to distribute its beer to bars, restaurants, grocery and independent liquor stores throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“Our partnership with Brew Hub is a major milestone for us,” said Jon Spath, hoperations manager, Green Man Brewing Company. “Brew Hub has built a state-of-the-art craft brewery and has a brewing staff led by Dr. Paul Farnsworth that’s second to none in the craft beer industry. Later this year, craft beer drinkers in Florida will begin enjoying our beers for the first time, and we believe this is only the beginning of this partnership.”

Green Man’s brewing operations are led by head brewer, John Stuart. After starting as a home brewer, Stuart began brewing for several craft breweries in the early 1990s. He joined Green Man in 2007. Stuart holds a masters of brewing from the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago.

In December 2013, Brew Hub announced partnerships with Cigar City Brewing, Orange Blossom Pilsner, and BJ’s Restaurants. With the new Green Man partnership, Brew Hub will expand brewing capacity at its Lakeland brewery to 75,000 barrels, or one million cases. Brew Hub will partner brew approximately 10,000 barrels of beer annually for Green Man.

Partner brewing is a process that allows craft brewers not only to brew their beer to exact specifications under the supervision of their own brewmaster, but also to package and distribute from the Brew Hub brewery and make their beer available for export to international markets. Partner brewing allows craft breweries to expand their distribution without the overhead cost of building a new brewery or transporting beer across the country. Brew Hub also offers services, including sales, marketing, public relations, logistics, compliance and government affairs.

The Lakeland brewery is located in Interstate Commerce Park off the I-4 Corridor. The brewery will feature a 3,000-square-foot tasting room where consumers can enjoy beers brewed by any of Brew Hub’s partners. The tasting room and brewery will be fully operational and open to the public by August. The Florida brewery is the first of five large, state-of-the-art craft breweries Brew Hub plans to open across the country.

Earlier this year Brew Hub completed hiring of all key brewery personnel for its Lakeland brewery, including its brewing staff; quality control and lab technicians; and operations, warehouse and tasting room staff.

Brew Hub brewing operations is led by Chief Brewmaster, Dr. Paul Farnsworth. Farnsworth has spent more than 30 years in the craft beer industry. He earned a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of London and has been instrumental in the startup or operation of more than 100 breweries in 10 countries.

Brew Hub was founded by a team of beer industry executives led by Tim Schoen, chief executive officer, and President Jerry Mullane. Brew Hub’s financial sponsor is The Yucaipa Companies, a private investment firm.