Deschutes to Expand Distribution to Michigan

Deschutes Brewery is continuing its eastward expansion.

The Bend, Ore.-based company today announced plans to broaden its distribution in three Michigan cities — Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Lansing — this October.

Its foray into Michigan with wholesaler partner West Side Beer Distributing will be the last “major” market expansion the brewery takes on in 2014, per a company statement.

“We’ve been preparing for expanding our distribution area over the past few years, but we always want to make sure we can provide adequate supply to our entire footprint,” said Stacy Denbow, the brewery’s expansion manager, in the news release. “We are keeping a close eye on capacity, and that’s why we are focusing only on the western portion of Michigan at this point.”

Throughout the first eight months of 2014, Deschutes has expanded its distribution footprint in the eastern half of the country with launches in Ohio, Kentucky, central and western Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The company will launch its Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA and winter seasonal Jubelale in 6-packs and on draft beginning Oct. 6.

Deschutes, founded in 1988, was ranked by the Brewers Association as the sixth largest U.S. craft beer manufacturer. The company produced more than 287,000 barrels in 2013.