800-pound machine stolen from local brewery

An 800-pound canning line machine was stolen Sunday night or early Monday from Great River Brewery, 322 E. 2nd St., Davenport.Cellarman Tyler Krutzfeldt said the theft couldn't have been a one-man job."We're shocked this happened," he said Wednesday, still cleaning up from the theft and forging ahead with business with the help of donated equipment from other local breweries.

When staff came in about 7:30 a.m. Monday, they found aluminum cans were all over the floor, grain sacks were cut open and grain was on the floor and air lines that supply compressed air also were cut, Krutzfeldt said. Then they discovered that their canning line machine had been taken from the warehouse and two coolers were missing from the production area, he added.

There were no signs of forced entry."Someone must have snuck in," Krutzfeldt said.The last employee left sometime after Sunday's 6 p.m. closing time and the locks were checked, he said.The 10-foot-long machine is too large to be carried out by hand.Brew master Paul Krutzfeldt said someone must have used his fork lift, which he found in a nearby alley.He said he's looking to replace the machine, which is valued at $70,000 to $100,000. He called it the most important piece of equipment he owns besides the kettle that brews the beer.