Truckee’s FiftyFifty Brewing celebrates global production expansion

TRUCKEE, Calif. — It’s been more than a decade since FiftyFifty Brewing first started serving up suds in the Truckee-Tahoe area, and as demand for their wide range of beers has grown over the years, the brewery began implementing plans to increase production.

Late last year, FiftyFifty began operating Truckee’s first global production facility at 10434 River Park Place in Truckee, and now that the 30-barrel brewing system is churning out beer and fulfilling orders across the world.

On Sept. 15, FiftyFifty was slated to celebrate a grand opening of the facility by way of a community celebration featuring beer, food trucks, a bounce house and games for youngsters, along with tours and a chance to meet the company’s brewers.

“Its all about celebrating the fact that we’ve got this up and running and it’s in Truckee,” said FiftyFifty Co-owner Alicia Barr in a Sierra Sun interview prior to the celebration. “We’re excited to represent Truckee in the world craft market.”

With the installation of the production facility, FiftyFifty is now able to ship a variety of its beers across the nation and globe. The brewery sells beer in 22 states, according to its Facebook page, and is in 13 different countries.

Most recently, Barr said the company has shipped beer to New York, China and Japan. The system also allows the brewery to have up to eight different beers at different stages of fermentation at one time.

Before the new production facility began operating, FiftyFifty was limited to shipping only its award-winning Eclipse imperial stout out to distant purveyors.

And while the three-time defending European Beer Star Awards gold medal winning beer has long been the brewery’s flagship product, Barr said there has been growing demand for FiftyFifty’s other styles of beer.

With greater production capabilities, the brewery is now able to give those outside the region a chance to get their hands on local favorites like the 5.4 percent alcohol by volume California Pale Ale (CAPA), the 6.7 percent alcohol by volume Rockslide IPA, or a beer inspired by the Truckee-Tahoe lifestyle, the 267 Session IPA.

Aside from the 30-barrel system the brewery is using for production, FiftyFifty also retained its 8.5-barrel brewing system at its pub location in Truckee, which, according to Barr, will allow the company’s brewers to experiment in creating different styles of beer.

The pub currently has more than a dozen beers on tap, according to the brewery’s website.