Tellurian Brewing grows into new facility

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

After months of planning and work, Tellurian Brewing is running at full steam in its new dedicated brewing facility.

The project has been an ongoing endeavor for owners Lanie and Cort Sanvig, who over the last six years have gone from playing with a homebrew kit to today employing three people full-time to produce craft beers, sours, ales and more. Moving production from their Main Street tap house to a dedicated facility has been their most ambitious expansion yet.

“It’s been just over a year now since we started,” said Lanie Sanvig.

Moving production from the tap house to a larger dedicated facility has allowed Tellurian Brewing to more than quadruple the company’s production capability. Where once they were brewing up to 35 barrels at a time, they now put out 120 barrels in a batch, amounting to more than 3,700 gallons of beverages.

The increase in production has not only allowed the brewery to expand its offerings, such as its new line of ciders, but also increase the market area where its drinks can be found.

“We are as far south now as Des Moines,” said Sanvig. “We’re looking to get into Iowa City soon.”

For local customers, the brewing expansion means pending changes to the tap house. The Sanvigs’ vision is to utilize the freed-up space to put in a kitchen, though that project has been put on the back burner while they get used to the extra work that the expanded production requires.

“This was a bigger beast than we thought it would be,” said Sanvig. “We wanted to get a good hold on this before we moved on to something else.”

Eventually though, the plan is to put in a kitchen for smash burgers and flatbread sandwiches for customers to enjoy with their drinks. This will mean a reduction in the regular visits of food trucks at the brewery, though Sanvig says that they’re considering keeping a food truck day once a month.

In the meantime, the Sanvigs hope that their larger production and expanded market area will serve to attract more people from out-of-town, bringing them in for exclusive events at the tap house.

“We’re hoping it gives Charles City exposure,” said Sanvig.