Guest Column
From Stable to Suds: HVAC Helps Bring a 140-Year-Old Building Back to Life
Socius Beer Collective transforms a near-condemned stable into a thriving brewery
FROM SCRATCH: To get the historic brewery up-to-snuff for modern aficionados, the whole building needed to be redesigned with historical integrity in mind.
At Finished Goods Brew Werks, there’s always something good on draft. The fourth brewery from Socius Beer Collective, the new Finished Goods Brew Werks facility in downtown Winder, Georgia, is home to a state-of-the-art brewhouse; a spacious, 150-person taproom; 6,000-square-foot event space; beer garden; offices; and more. It’s a community gathering place — the culmination of three years of renovations and a new chapter for the historic building that Finished Goods Brew Werks calls home.
Built in the late 1800s, the building was originally a livery stable. But in more recent years, the building sat empty and in disrepair, nearing the point of condemnation. When Socius Beer Collective came along, the city of Winder was excited about ushering in a new legacy for the dilapidated building.
With the multiple types of spaces planned throughout the Finished Goods Brew Werks facility came multiple design challenges for heating and cooling. From the brewhouse to the taproom and beyond, coupled with the summer heat Georgia experiences, Socius Beer Collective sought a solution that could provide versatility without compromising the character of the original space.
“We started from scratch. The whole building has been completely put back together,” said Chuck Spinks, facilities manager and partner of Socius Beer Collective. But it was also important to the team to honor the spirit of the original building. The exterior façade, down to the windows and 140-year-old brick walls, are original.
To deliver the required temperatures to keep beer aficionados and banquet guests comfortable, Socius Beer Collective collaborated with Apex Supply Company and the Rheem commercial air team to select the historic building’s first-ever HVAC system. Together, they installed nearly 90 tons of Rheem Renaissance packaged units, which feature factory-installed economizers and factory-programmed VFDs, Qwik-clean drain pans, and Qwik-slide blower assemblies to make installation, routine service, and maintenance easier. The unit’s patented PlusOne Velocifin heat exchanger also improves efficiency with its finned design, which increases heat transfer and reduces energy consumption while delivering powerful heating performance.
In spaces where customers frequently gather, such as the taproom, heating and cooling can be adjusted independently of the brewhouse to account for the different types of heat loads in each space.
“We have equipment on the roof that is going to take care of this building for a long time, and that’s what you’re looking for,” Spinks said. “You’re looking for something that is going to last, where we’re not going to have a lot of maintenance.”
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“There were a lot of design considerations, not only structurally but also for overall comfort and experience,” said Tyler Willis, commercial sales engineer at Rheem Commercial. “This is not just a brewery where you need mechanical and industrial heating and cooling. It also serves as a taproom, restaurant, and event venue, so you have comfort heating and cooling needs as well.”
The result is good beer done right, as the Finished Goods motto goes. And that is something Socius Beer Collective — and the entire Winder community — can raise a glass to and celebrate for years to come.
For additional details about this case study, visit www.discover.rheem.com/commercial-air/socius-beer-collective.
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