CSM Group's Julie Haraburda (left) and Bell's Brewery Production Manager John Mallet discuss design plans for the microbrewer's new 5,500-square-foot, $800,000 fermentation area to be completed this summer.

New Construction Projects Keep Things Hopping at Bell's Brewery

Project Overview

Name: Bell's Brewery
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Project Type: New Construction, Expansion
Square Footage: 47,500
CSM Project Director: Curt Petersen
CSM Project Manager: Julie Haraburda
Owner’s Rep.: John Mallet,
Production Manager
Architect: Byce & Associates, Marv Thomas, Vice President
Completion Date: Summer, 2006

When Larry Bell started his little home-brewing supply operation with a 15-gallon soup kettle in the rented back room of a former plumbing supply warehouse in 1983, not even he could predict that 20 years later, he'd reach a production capacity of almost 60,000 barrels of beer annually, with two plants and 44 wholesalers distributing his products over a 10-state area, stretching from Pennsylvania to North Dakota.

Today, Bell's Brewery, the oldest regional craft brewer east of Boulder, Colorado, is a bustling company that produces 19 different kinds of beer; ale, porter, and stout. What's more, this microbrewer is a major player in the changing "beerscape" of our nation as consumers continue to move away from mass-produced beers in favor of niche brews that cater to specialized, regional tastes.

2001 is first of three major projects

"We first became involved with Bell's Brewery in 2001; it was still called the Kalamazoo Brewing Company then," says Curt Petersen, Project Director for CSM Group. "They were outgrowing their 12,000-square-foot site in Kalamazoo, where they were producing about 30,000 barrels of beer annually. We were the Construction Management firm for the new 32,000-square-foot facility they were planning in Comstock Business Park, which is a few miles east of Kalamazoo in Comstock, Michigan."

According to John Mallet, Production Manager at Bell's Brewery, the new facility, or "Krum Avenue plant," as it's referred to internally, features a stainless steel, 50-barrel Steinecker brewhouse that was purchased from Anheuser-Busch. Several fermenters and an integrated bottling hall that includes a new Krones filler complement the brewhouse.

Increased production calls for storage addition

Petersen notes that in 2004, three years after the Krum Avenue plant was built, annual beer production was approaching 60,000 barrels, so expansion plans were once again in development at Bell's Brewery. "They wanted to add a 10,000-square-foot cooler area for storing kegs and cases of bottled beer."

With CSM Group acting as construction manager for this project, Petersen says the constant-temperature cooler, which was completed in fall of 2005, is a pre-engineered metal structure with 4-inch thick wall panels and 6-inch thick roof panels. The panels are specially insulated with a polyurethane foam core sandwiched between 24-gauge steel.

Petersen explains, "Beer is very sensitive to heat and cold. Even moderate temperature swings during storage can adversely affect taste, freshness, quality, and even shelf life. The new storage facility is specifically designed to help keep beer at optimum temperature year-round."

This project also involved converting a portion of the existing cooler area into a new maintenance room, maintenance office, and dry storage. Plans also included the relocation of two shipping/receiving docks, and the construction of two new ones. A new small keg filler area was added and extra space for the maintenance shop was created as well.

Building's built-in "pop-top" offers easy access to interior

Petersen adds, "A unique feature of the original project involved the construction of a 12' x 12' roof hatch with removable top over the existing brewhouse. When the brewery's newly purchased kettle arrives this February, installers will simply remove the top and lower the kettle inside the building. The removable top will also make it easier for the company to install additional brewing equipment as they continue upgrading in the future."

New fermentation area fast-tracking toward completion in 2006

In fall of 2005, Bell's Brewery broke ground on a 5500-square-foot fermentation area that will house the company's 12 new 400-barrel beer fermenters which, when complete, will double their production capacity to almost 120,000 barrels of beer annually.

Julie Haraburda, Project Manager for CSM Group, says structural steel beams will be added to the building to support the new "legless" fermenters. She states this design will provide greater support for the tanks. "What's more, legless tanks cost less," says Haraburda. "Plus, it'll be easier to clean up spills and messes around the legless tanks. That means there'll be less chance for mold and fungus growth. This, in turn, will cut product loss and related expenses."

Petersen says footings are already in place for this fast-track project, but the drawings aren't yet complete. CSM Group is overlapping the design and building stages in order to shorten overall construction time. The new 40-foot-tall structure will match the rest of the facility, except for insulated sidewall panels that are designed for easy removal to accommodate future expansion.

After working closely with CSM Group on these various projects over the past five years, John Mallet has found them to be highly reliable and professional. He says, "I know that as some businesses grow, they can develop systems that are resistant to precisely the type of flexibility that Bell's Brewery requires. I'm happy to say that CSM Group isn't like that. They are still very adaptive and remain nimble in their approach and practices. If a problem or challenge arises, they take care of it. They get things done right. And they get them done now!".