(Portland, ME) – After a year and a half of brewing on a tiny one-barrel system, Rising Tide Brewing Company today welcomed the arrival of its new custom-built fifteen-barrel brew house. The equipment, which Rising Tide ordered more than six months ago, will be installed at the brewery’s new 5,000 square foot facility on Fox Street in Portland. It will increase the brewery’s output from about 15 barrels a month to about 120 barrels a month.

“We desperately need the new equipment and we’re thrilled it’s finally here,” said co-owner and brewer Nathan Sanborn. “Brewing at a small scale to start was great. It allowed us to refine our recipes and make sure that people liked our beer. But the process is incredibly labor-intensive, and we just can’t keep up with demand.”

The additional production capacity will enable Rising Tide to continue to expand availability in Maine and to extend distribution into Massachusetts by late summer through a partnership with the Massachusetts Beverage Alliance.

“We’ve already had a lot of interest in our beers from customers outside of Maine,” noted co-owner and marketing director Heather Sanborn. “We’re looking forward to working with the folks at the Mass Bev Alliance to give us statewide distribution in Massachusetts as soon as we can make enough beer.”

Rising Tide Brewing Company is a family-owned brewery that specializes in artisanal, handcrafted ales influenced by brewing traditions from around the world. Rising Tide’s beers are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and bottle conditioned. They are available in 22 oz. bottles and on draft at a growing number of locations throughout the state of Maine.

Rising Tide’s tasting room will officially open on June 21 with tours, tastings, and growler fills. Hours and tour times will be posted on the brewery’s website at www.risingtidebrewing.com.