FENNVILLE, Mich. – On Nov. 12, Miedema’s OrbitBid presented an unusual liquidation auction: the equipment, furnishings and other assets of the former on-farm Waypost Brewing Co. The business – known for its craft-style beers and farm-to-glass approach – closed this past December. The auction provided a rare opportunity for anyone looking to step into the brewing business, with almost 200 lots, including a well-maintained brewhouse system, canning and bottling equipment, tanks, and other brewing essentials, along with tasting-room furnishings, beer-garden decor, and even some heavy machinery up for grabs.

While its $4,050 winning bid wasn’t the event’s highest, the core of the auction was nonetheless a DME Brewing Solutions Brew House System. It included a 10-barrel, two-vessel steam-jacketed mash/lauter tun, a kettle/whirlpool liquor blending system, and a digital control panel, as well as a Mueller heat exchanger and glycol-jacketed tanks – the foundation to brew on a large scale.

Nearby was a Wild Goose “Gosling A” series single-head canner that fetched the auction’s top bid of $15,050. This canning unit included a 47-by-31-inch rolling table with a thick poly top, assorted filters and a variety of accessories.

Other portions of the brewing outfit included a DME model YKEGWSH 4-head manual keg washer/filler for 220V, single-phase, 35-amp electric, which sold for $5,550; a Fluid Chillers, Inc. AIR10000-DC-LT-OD-SPEC-2CT glycol chiller with two 5-hp tandem compressors and a digital temperature controller for 230V single-phase electric, which brought $5,150; and an 8-barrel Foeder Crafters of America oak foeder with chilling plates and plastic tubing connected to the glycol manifold, that went for $2,525.

Smaller accessories included a selection of fermentation vessels, including three separate 10-barrel glycol-jacketed tanks selling between $775 and $1,025. Two 20-barrel fermentation tanks picked up $510 and $560, respectively. Other items, such as hoses and measuring instruments, also proved popular. A collection of three 10-foot-long 1-inch-diameter Continental Vintner Reserve 250-psi food-grade hoses with quick-connect ends went for $510. A Hanna Instruments H170300 beer refractometer, bundled with electrode storage solution, and a bag of 3mL plastic dropper tools fetched $155. And, a set of four brewery sight glasses went for $110.

Kegs were plentiful and sold in bulk, with winning bids ranging from $930 for a collection of 26 pony (1/6 barrel) varieties to $2,650 for a set of 48 half-barrel kegs. Oak barrels sold similarly, spanning from $111 for a batch of seven weather-worn barrels that had been stored outdoors to a tidy $610 for a lot of six good-condition barrels complete with three Barrels Direct stacking stands.

Tasting room furnishings and accouterments included a 12-tap keg setup, with brass tap handles, tubing, and associated hardware, that hammered at $370. A Square point-of-sale system, complete with an Epsilont cash drawer, Star TSP1000 high-capacity receipt printer, and other accessories, was grabbed for $280. Multiple lots containing four Goebel & Co. steel-framed bar stools with carved-wood tractor-style seats, each sold in the low $200s.

From the beer garden came items like a custom-made 135-by-50-inch horseshoe-shaped wood bench that pulled $410. Several 75-by-15-by 22-inch raised wooden garden beds on metal legs sold for around $200 each. An 18-by-6-by-10-foot roofed outdoor seating area, holding three six-foot picnic tables, went for just $85.

The auction also featured several vehicles and pieces of heavy machinery. Leading the way, at $7,450, was a specialized 2016 R&D Interstate I610TA2 trailer. The fully-enclosed trailer was equipped with a Chandler dual fan refrigeration unit, six beer taps, and a six-foot drip area, along with a dual axle, aluminum exterior, stainless steel fenders, dual swinging rear doors, brake-away system, crank-style landing gear, and a 2-5/16-inch ball for towing.

A Case 1845C diesel skid steer with 4,961 hours sold for $6,600. It was outfitted with 4-by-48-inch forks, 4,000-pound lifting capacity, hydraulic controls, hydrostatic transmission, ROPS, and 12-16.5NHS tires, making it ideal in a variety of settings. A John Deere 2150 diesel tractor also sold well, reaching $4,030 despite unknown hours. It came with a six-foot fork with 42-inch wide carriage, hydraulic controls, 3-point hitch, full rear fenders, and 7.50-16SL front tires, along with 14.9-28 rears – a good catch for anyone looking for a dependable tractor. 

For information on Miedema’s upcoming equipment, machinery or real estate auctions, visit: www.miedemaauctioneering.com.