Executive Summary
Phoenix Equipment acquired the production assets from the former Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and managed a large-scale brewery decommissioning, asset recovery, equipment removal, and facility cleanout project.
The facility contained an extensive inventory of fermentation and brite tanks, packaging systems, filtration equipment, centrifuges, laboratory equipment, utility systems, and supporting brewery infrastructure. Phoenix evaluated the equipment, identified assets with value in the secondary market, marketed and sold reusable machinery, coordinated dismantlement and transportation, and removed the remaining equipment included within the project scope.
The work extended well beyond the primary production areas. Phoenix completed the cleanout of fermentation, packaging, filtration, laboratory, utility, office, storage, and support areas. Upon completion, debris was removed and the facility was left broom clean and ready for turnover to the incoming tenant.
The Challenge
The former Redhook Brewery was a large production facility with a significant quantity of installed brewing and beverage-processing equipment.
A major component of the project was the removal and disposition of the brewery's stainless-steel vessels manufactured by Mueller.
The facility contained 49 fermentation tanks, including:
- (34) 16,600-gallon / 400 BBL fermentation tanks
- (12) 8,300-gallon / 200 BBL fermentation tanks
- (3) 4,150-gallon / 100 BBL fermentation tanks
The brewery also included eight brite tanks:
- (3) 16,600-gallon / 400 BBL brite tanks
- (3) 8,300-gallon / 200 BBL brite tanks
- (1) 4,150-gallon / 100 BBL brite tank
- (1) 23,000-gallon / approximately 780 BBL brite tank
Additional tankage included two 4,125-gallon stainless-steel DA tanks manufactured by Mueller. In total, the facility contained 59 major stainless-steel brewing vessels.
The brewery also contained substantial packaging and process equipment, including a complete 265-can-per-minute Krones canning line, a complete 12 oz bottle filling line, a keg line, a 450 hl/hr Schenk Niro 1000/85 plate-and-frame filter press, Alfa Laval BREW 350 and BREW 300 centrifuges, and supporting brewing, filtration, laboratory, packaging, and utility equipment.
The scale of the facility required careful coordination of equipment sales, dismantlement, rigging, transportation, recycling, and final facility cleanup.
The Opportunity
Phoenix determined that a significant portion of the brewery equipment had substantially greater value as reusable production machinery than as scrap.
The Mueller fermentation and brite tanks, packaging systems, filtration equipment, centrifuges, carbonation equipment, and supporting assets could be redeployed to breweries, beverage producers, and food-processing companies in the United States and internationally.
Rather than approaching the shutdown as a conventional demolition project, Phoenix developed an asset-recovery strategy focused on preserving marketable equipment wherever economically practical. This approach extended the useful life of quality industrial assets, reduced unnecessary scrapping, and helped offset the overall cost of dismantlement and facility cleanout.
Phoenix Equipment's Solution
Phoenix managed the project from asset acquisition through final facility turnover.
The complete scope included cataloging and evaluating brewery assets, identifying and marketing equipment for resale, coordinating inspections and sales, disconnecting and preparing equipment for removal, dismantling packaging, filtration, laboratory, utility, and supporting systems, coordinating transportation and storage, recycling or scrapping non-reusable equipment, clearing remaining production and support areas, removing project debris, and returning the facility in broom-clean condition.
One of the most challenging aspects of the project was removing the large fermentation and brite tanks. The existing doors and normal access points were too small for many of the vessels.
Equipment Recovery and Removal
The quantity and size of the stainless-steel tankage required carefully sequenced removal operations.
Phoenix coordinated the dismantlement and removal of dozens of fermentation and brite tanks while maintaining the condition of marketable vessels. Equipment sold during the project was prepared and shipped directly to buyers, while selected unsold assets were relocated for storage and future remarketing.
Phoenix also recovered major packaging and processing systems, including the Krones canning line, bottle filling line, keg line, filtration equipment, and Alfa Laval centrifuges.
The disconnection, removal, transportation, and disposition of these systems were coordinated alongside the tank removal program.
Complete Facility Cleanout
The project extended beyond the primary brewing equipment. Phoenix completed equipment removal and cleanup throughout the fermentation, packaging, filtration, laboratory, utility, office, storage, and production-support areas.
Remaining process equipment, piping, platforms, miscellaneous machinery, furnishings, and other items included within the agreed project scope were removed. Following completion of the equipment work, Phoenix coordinated final debris removal and site cleanup.
The facility was ultimately left broom clean and ready for the incoming tenant.
Maximizing Equipment Recovery
A traditional demolition approach could have resulted in much of the brewery equipment being reduced to scrap value.
Instead, Phoenix evaluated assets based on their potential value in the secondary equipment market. Reusable tanks, packaging lines, filtration systems, centrifuges, and supporting process equipment were preserved and marketed whenever practical.
Some assets were sold directly from the facility, while others were relocated for future sale. Equipment that could not be economically reused or remarketed was directed to recycling or scrap.
Results
The project enabled the brewery owner to complete the required equipment-removal scope, clear the production and support areas, recover value from reusable assets, and turn over the facility in broom-clean condition.
Equipment buyers gained access to immediately available, high-quality brewery equipment at lower capital cost and without the long manufacturing lead times associated with new machinery.
For the property itself, Phoenix completed the removal and disposition of 59 major stainless-steel vessels, cleared the fermentation, packaging, filtration, laboratory, utility, office, and support areas, removed debris and miscellaneous materials, and returned the facility in condition for future occupancy.
Project Highlights
- Facility: Former Redhook Brewery
- Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Phoenix Scope: Asset Acquisition, Equipment Marketing and Sales, Dismantlement, Heavy Rigging, Transportation, Storage, Recycling and Complete Facility Cleanout
- Major Stainless Steel Vessels: 59 (See Liquidation)
- Fermentation Tanks: 49 Mueller Stainless Steel Tanks (See Liquidation)
- Largest Vessel: 23,000-Gallon / Approximately 780 BBL Brite Tank
- Major Packaging Equipment: 265-Can-Per-Minute Krones Canning Line, 12 oz Bottle Filling Line and Keg Line
- Process Equipment Recovered: Schenk Niro Plate-and-Frame Filter Press, and Alfa Laval BREW 350 and BREW 300 Centrifuges (See Liquidation)
- Tank Removal Method: Large Vessels Lifted Vertically Through Roof Hatches Using Heavy Cranes
- Asset Recovery: Reusable Brewery Equipment Sold Directly From the Facility or Relocated for Future Remarketing
- Areas Cleared: Fermentation, Packaging, Filtration, Laboratory, Utility, Office, Storage and Production-Support Areas
- Final Condition: Broom Clean and Ready for Incoming Tenant
Conclusion
The former Redhook Brewery project demonstrates Phoenix Equipment's ability to manage large-scale industrial facility closures while recovering maximum value from reusable production assets.
By combining equipment acquisition, marketing, dismantlement, heavy rigging, transportation, storage, recycling, and complete facility cleanup, Phoenix successfully transformed a complex brewery shutdown into a coordinated asset-recovery and facility-turnover project.