Brewery Expansion and Locality

Late last week, Stone finally confirmed its plans to expand to the East Coast - it looks as though they'll be putting down roots in Richmond, VA.

With this expansion it's pretty clear Stone's going to be able to provide fresh beer all over the country without having the delay of shipping to worry about. And they're not the first California-based brewery to add a facility on the other coast - earlier this year Sierra Nevada opened a new brewery in North Carolina, and Lagunitas did the same in Chicago later in the year.

 

All this makes me wonder - when will the definition of a craft brewery as a 'local' enterprise become meaningless? Sure, Stone, Sierra Nevada, and the like aren't ceasing operations at their original locations, but the very act of opening a second (and in Stone's case, a third - with their planned expansion to Berlin) brewery sort of undermines the very idea of 'local'.

Perhaps this is just a necessary sacrifice to be made as craft brands other than Sam Adams expand to become national enterprises. I just hope something intangible and vital isn't lost in the transition. 

Time will tell.