Three Floyds Plans Massive Brewery Expansion in Indiana

While Three Floyds Brewing Co. may never opening a Chicago taproom thanks to state brewing laws, the uber-popular brewery has big plans to grow its Munster, Indiana headquarters. Known for brews including Zombie Dust, Alpha King, and the decadent and rare Dark Lord, Three Floyds has a proposal to expand its 57,000-square-foot brewery — including its brewpub — to more than 136,000 square feet with a terraced garden.

The 22-year-old Indiana brewery has been embraced by Chicago and the city’s beer drinkers have made Three Floyds a vital part of its beer scene. Munster is less than an hour drive southeast of Chicago. The earliest it could open is 2019, but the renovated brewery could open in 2020, according to the paper. The plan also calls for a 16,706-square-foot beer garden and a kitchen upgrade. That could allow for more menu items. The proposal showcases a variety of trees and flowers designers may use to beautify the drab office park.

Town of Munster/HKS Architects

Brewery officials first unveiled their plans to Munster officials in September, according to the proposal. Three Floyds also wants to expand its retail area. Currently, it can get a little crammed when picking up bottles to go.

The scope of the project has drawn comparisons to Stone Brewing’s flagship brewery in Escondido, California, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana, which reported the story first. A Munster official compared Three Floyd’s project to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the $1.2 billion project that will feature artifacts from movie director George Lucas’s films, including Star Wars. That comparison may not be music for some Chicago fans as the museum, once pegged for Chicago’s lakefront, has instead been approved for LA. The plan needs town approvals, and the next meeting is February 27, according to the Tribune.

Take a look at the full plan and more renderings in the PDF posted below.

• Three Floyds Expansion Plan (PDF) [Town of Munster]
• 3 Floyds files plans for major expansion that would more than double its size [TNWI]
• Three Floyds to triple space at Munster brewery -- ‘Holy cow,’ says town manager [Tribune]
• Updated designs for the George Lucas Museum in Exposition Park [Curbed LA]