Want to build your own brewery?
All of the tanks, fermenters and other industrial equipment once used to brew R. Shea beer in Akron are up for auction at Bidspotter. 500l brewhouse
There is no on-site auction scheduled at either of R. Shea's former locations in Merriman Valley and downtown at Canal Place. All bidding is happening online, said Joe Luggen, a third-generation auctioneer at the company his grandfather founded, Cincinnati Industrial Auctioneers.
R. Shea Brewery and many Ohio craft brewers have struggled since COVID-19 upended the world, shuttering their tap rooms for a time, clogging supply chains and driving up prices on supplies needed to run a brewery.
More:Brews’d and battered: Akron-area breweries face changing consumer tastes, other challenges
On top of that, some people’s tastes have begun to shift, often away from beer and toward seltzers and other drinks.
Finally, when interest rates on loans ticked higher, co-founder Ron Shea couldn’t make the business model work. R. Shea closed March 3.
Luggen said a bank handling R. Shea’s liquidation reached out to his company to sell the equipment. Cincinnati Industrial Auctioneers is handling the auction but using Bidspotter for its software and customer reach, he said.
If you want to inspect the R. Shea equipment before bidding, you can schedule an appointment through Luggen’s company by calling 513-241-9701.
If you haven’t bid on a Cincinnati Industrial Auctioneers sale before, you’ll want to register early because the company validates that its bidders are authentic before the auction and verifies other details, like tax status.
Bidding on the R. Shea equipment – listed as Ohio Brewery on the Bidspotter – is scheduled to close March 26.
More:Last call: Economics, not the beer led to R. Shea Brewing shuttering its Akron operations
As of Thursday, 160 people and businesses registered to bid on the equipment, which is broken up into various lots, some of which can be used for other purposes involving food and dairy production, Luggen said.
Luggen said the number of bidders will likely grow closer to 300 by the end of the auction because long-term customers jump into the bidding late since they are pre-registered.
Buying something from Bidspotter is a lot like using eBay with one notable exception: A bidder can’t swoop in at the last minute to outbid someone else.
If there are competing bids in the final moments of the auction, bidding continues until one competing bidder emerges as the winner, Luggen said.
"It gives people time to think," Luggen said.
Luggen said his company specializes in selling manufacturing equipment across the U.S. Although it doesn't routinely sell brewing equipment, he has noticed an uptick in recent months as companies like R. Shea struggle to stay afloat.
stainless brewing equipment The number of craft breweries in Ohio hit a record high in 2023 with 434, according to the nonprofit Ohio Craft Brewers Association. With so much competition and so many challengers, local brewers are working to adapt, holding special events, expanding offerings and reconsidering how their beer is sold.