AB InBev has purchased a 100% ownership stake in Ohio’s Platform Beer Co. Platform launched in 2015 and has grown rapidly, making upwards of 40,000 barrels this year.
Platform becomes the 13th member of AB InBev’s Brewers Collective network of Crafty brands. This is BC’s first acquisition since they bought Wicked Weed in May 2017.
Key selling points for AB InBev (beyond rapid growth) include Platform’s large recipe book (apparently 600+ beer, cider, and hard seltzer recipes strong); a network of popular taprooms (one each in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, with plans for a fourth in Pittsburgh); and preliminary plans to build a dedicated sour beer production plant.
Apparently, Brewers Collective president Marcelo Michaelis became interested in Platform after tasting their American Light Lager. This tidbit does make one question whether the BC really has its finger on the pulse of the craft beer scene. While the craft brew world has recently acquired a taste for quality Pilsners, it does not follow that beer nerds will soon be ditching their hazy IPA’s in favor of American Light Lagers.
I’m sure that the fact that Platform also makes hard seltzer didn’t hurt BC’s interest either, as hard seltzer is one of the fastest growing areas of the adult beverages sector.
Platform co-founder Paul Benner’s explanation of the deal reads like it’s been cut-and-pasted from the Sellout Craft Brewer Instruction Manual:
resources to fulfill our dream… this partnership will benefit our loyal staff and passionate customer base… us brewers will still have full control and total autonomy… no plans for changes…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Quoth the Brewers Association Economist Bart Watson, “‘Nothing will change’ is often more rhetoric than reality.”
Reporting sources for this article include Crain’s Cleveland and Brewbound.