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Downingtown-Based Victory Brewing Company Opening New Brewery

By Steve Beck

DOWINGTOWN, Pa. (CBS) – Due to high demand, a local brewery is expanding and in the process, bringing more jobs to the area.

Victory Brewing Company, based in Downingtown, is building a new brewery in Parkesburg, which is also in Chester County.

The $50 million project will create construction jobs and about 50 permanent jobs.

Victory representatives say the new facility is being built to better meet customer demand and to continue to develop new brews.

"This expansion will allow us to continue to grow on our local market, regional market and continue to push into national markets. We might even have a chance to go into international markets," Victory CEO Ron Barchet said.

Barchet said Victory was potentially facing having to pull back shipping their beer to other states just to meet the demand of this area.

The expansion reflects the boom of craft beer sales in the United States. Small and independent craft brewers saw volume increase 15 percent in 2011.

The Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2011 was $9 billion.

Last year, domestic sales of craft beer rose 11 percent, while overall beer sales fell one percent.

Victory Brewing formally began operations in 1996.

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