AUBURN, Ind. – In late September, Steffen Group conducted a complete liquidation auction of the popular Auburn Brewing Co. The online-only sale presented the brewery’s brewing equipment, restaurant equipment, furnishings and other business assets. After years of homebrewing, Josh and Emma Metcalf opened Auburn Brewing Co. in 2018 in a 1930s-era service station in downtown Auburn. The brewery and restaurant closed in 2025, ending a seven-year run.

Among the nearly 500 lots was a 6-barrel commercial brewing system manufactured by Colorado Brewing Systems, along with fermenters, tanks, a chiller, kegs and other related equipment and accessories. The remaining lots comprised the equipment and furnishings that outfitted the kitchen, dining room and outdoor gathering spaces.

The brewing system components were a prime attraction. The highest result among those was an Advantage Model BCD-3A-N-4 glycol chiller, which brought $5,450. The three-phase, 208/230-volt unit featured a 1.5-hp process pump and seven-gallon glycol capacity. The compressor had been replaced in March 2022, and came with spare filters and its original manual.

Behind it, a Rain Dance Nano Filtration Water System, model BREW-TPC-3000PUMP, drew $3,050. Similar to reverse osmosis, the system could remove 80-90 percent of dissolved minerals while leaving trace amounts of minerals for taste. It could purify up to 3,000 gallons of water per day. It included a 550-gallon filtered-water tank, float switch, dual pre-filters and a box of spare filters.

The brewery’s Colorado Brewing Systems Nano Brewer dual-electric brewhouse fetched $1,450. It offered a 200-gallon capacity, control panel, dual exhaust fans, and three-phase, 208-volt operation. It came complete with grain baskets, a hoist system, recirculating pumps, chillers, miscellaneous hoses and fittings, spare electrical parts, a hop basket, spare heating element and water-fill meters.

Other components included several varieties of tanks. A bid of $2,450 won a 6-barrel Colorado Brewing Systems jacketed brite tank with temperature control and glycol solenoid valve. Later, a 75-gallon brite tank, described as an old soda tank with cleaning pump components, went for $525.

Four 4-barrel non-jacketed tanks from Colorado Brewing Systems also drew strong interest, with two selling for $1,050 each and the other two bringing $725 apiece. Four 3-barrel fermenter/uni tanks, equipped with temperature controls and glycol solenoid valves, went for $925 to $1,000 each, while two larger, jacketed 6-barrel fermenter/uni tanks with similar controls brought $750 and $900, respectively.

Support items were plentiful and included things like a Material Lift Cart, Model H-1200B, with a 1,200-pound load capacity and 500-pound lift capacity, which sold for $725. Bidding reached $400 on an Oktober can seamer. Even a pallet of specialty malts found a buyer at $100. It contained more than a dozen varieties, including 55 pounds of lactose, three bags of rice hulls, 110 pounds of chocolate wheat, 15 pounds of C20 and 20 pounds of Carapils.

Kegs captured additional interest. Six lots, each containing eight undistributed 15.5-gallon private-label stainless steel kegs made by American Keg Co., sold for $190 to $325. Other lots featuring various keg sizes and quantities brought $250 to $275.

One of the sale’s more unusual offerings was a 2021 16-by-8.5-foot concession trailer, which attracted the auction’s top bid of $6,050. The two-axle trailer with a 7,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating was partially built out and never used. It was insulated and outfitted with a cooking wall with stainless-steel panels, an 11-foot fire-suppression system that needed mounting, a serving window, rough-in interior electrical, and rubber coin flooring. FRP panels and a roll of flooring were included.

The auction’s strong results continued in the kitchen. A Noble HT-180EC single-cycle commercial dishwasher paired with Regency stainless steel dish-table stands brought $1,400. An Avantco stainless steel solid-door reach-in refrigerator, Model 178SS2RHC, came close at $1,350, followed by an Avantco Model 178SS2FHC stainless steel solid-door reach-in commercial freezer at $1,250. Later, an Avantco Model 194UCF160A ice machine went for $975, while smaller items, including a new-in-box 36-inch CPG gas countertop grill, pulled $525 and a Zeny Commercial 10-inch semi-automatic meat slicer got $475.

There was plenty from the dining room, too, with the brewery’s glassware drawing significant attention, likely from patrons looking for a memento. Three cases, each containing a dozen Libbey 16-ounce beer mugs featuring the Auburn Brewing Co. logo, brought $475. Two shelves filled with more than 50 used versions of the same mug sold for $325. Meanwhile, three cases with two dozen 16-ounce beer-can glasses bearing the Auburn Brewing Co. logo in red, white and blue designs, reminiscent of classic beer cans like Pabst and Miller, brought $120.

Dining room décor also attracted healthy bids, with Auburn pieces getting their share of attention. The lighted Auburn Brewing Co. sign, which had been mounted above the door, brought a tidy $550. Meanwhile, a pairing of an interior Auburn Brewing Co. wall sign and an “Auburn; Home of the Classics” sign, portraying a later-model Auburn car, sold for $450. There was even a repurposed antique truck door featuring the Auburn Brewing Co. logo and slogan that sold for $375.

Additional automobile-inspired décor included a 4-foot-by 20-inch metal embossed Cooper Tire-Tubes sign and a vintage metal Firestone Tires wall-mounted sign, each changing hands at $850. Among a dozen other signs were a lighted Continental Tires sign that landed $350 and a Lighted Plastic “Ask for Gargoyle Mobil Oil” that went home for $160.

Furnishings included practical restaurant pieces as well as more decorative touches. A grouping of five single and three double black-upholstered booth benches, all 4 feet long, hammered at $550. Two lots of swivel-type barstools with chrome legs and black vinyl upholstery – one containing five stools, the other six – each went for $300.

Among the more decorative furnishings, a 78-inch-long black sofa with leather-look upholstery went for $275. Two 4-foot blue velour-upholstered love seats with tufted backs and wooden legs hit $180 and $200, respectively. Later, two custom oil-drum bar tables, each 3 feet tall and 30 inches in diameter and featuring the brewery logo, sold for a modest $47.50 apiece.

As the bidding wound down, one piece stood out – an approximately 14-foot-tall outdoor craft beer flag on an adjustable stand that sold for just $30.

For information on upcoming Steffen Group Sales, visit: steffengrp.com.