A Freeport microbrewery wants to build a silo at its Route 1 brew pub to help fight the rising cost of grain needed to brew beer.

Gritty McDuff's wants to use the silo to store barley malt, which will increase in cost next month from 42 cents to 80 cents per pound, said Billy Stebbins, the brewery manager. The proposed silo would allow Gritty’s to buy grain more cheaply in bulk and take advantage of lower prices, he said. That would help the company keep down costs that otherwise could be passed on to customers, he said.

The cost of barley malt has increased as demand for the product has grown and the supply has decreased.

Gritty’s proposal will come before Freeport’s Project Review Board on Dec. 12. Stebbins said the silo would be similar to the design of structures seen on farms, but not be as high. This silo would be 24 feet high – which is about two stories – and 12 feet wide, Stebbins said.

Freeport Town Planner Donna Larson said silos are not prohibited structures in the design review district on Lower Main Street where Gritty’s is located. She said the main question for the board is how well it would fit in with other buildings in that district.

“Silos have a fairly industrial look,” Larson said. “How do you blend that industrial look into the village?”

Stebbins said the silo would be located next to Gritty’s mill room, which already is a round structure shaped somewhat like a silo. He said the proposed silo would probably be white or beige, the same color as many of the buildings on Main Street.

Gritty’s also has brew pubs in Portland and Auburn, but the company does most of its brewing at the Freeport location, Stebbins said.