Otter Creek Brewery Renovations

Otter Creek Brewery, a craft brewery in Middlebury, Vermont, experienced rapid growth in the mid-1990s due to its expanding product line and rising popularity. In response, the company selected Bread Loaf to deliver full Design-Build services for a new production facility, including navigating complex state and local code regulations related to brewing, bottling, and cold storage operations.

The original facility, completed in 1995, includes six external fermentation tanks, an internal fermentation cellar, cold storage, and a fully automated bottling, filling, and packaging line—visible through a glass façade that fills the plant with natural light and frames views of the Green Mountains. In addition to production spaces, the building also houses corporate offices, a retail store, and a public tasting room.

As demand continued to grow, Bread Loaf was again selected for two major expansion projects. The first involved extending an existing mezzanine to create additional high-value storage space without increasing the building footprint. Later that year, Bread Loaf launched an ambitious 8,000-square-foot brewhouse expansion. This phase introduced state-of-the-art brewing and bottling equipment, designed and manufactured in Germany, boosting production capacity from 60,000 to 200,000 barrels annually—positioning Otter Creek as one of the largest craft breweries in the country.

Both expansions were carefully planned and executed to ensure uninterrupted brewing operations throughout construction.