New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewing Company has been purchased by Runnymede Investments LLC, a private “family owned and operated” investment group that is headquartered five miles from the brewery. The sale occurred at an auction held at the brewery, for $8.25 million. Runnymede purchased Smuttynose from The Provident Bank, who had bough the brewery in March at a foreclosure auction. Continue reading
Chris Herron of Creature Comforts Brewing recently published an insightful and wonkish article about why Corporate Beer is interested in buying Craft beer brands. Hint: it’s not because they want to make better beer.
If you are at all interested in craft brewing, this article is a must-read, so check it out. Continue reading
San Diego’s renowned Green Flash Brewing Company has been sold, to an Investment Group call WC IPA LLC (presumable short for West Coast IPA, Green Flash’s most widely-known beer). Green Flash also owns Alpine Beer (since they purchased it in 2014). Continue reading
Boulder, Colorado’s Avery Brewing Company has sold a minority stake to Spain’s Mahou San Miguel.
Mahou San Miguel, which is family-owned, is the largest Spanish brewing company. They own 45 beer brands, few of which are widely available in the U.S. MSM already has a presence in the US craft beer market, having bought 40% of Founders in 2014.
Avery had been rapidly ramping up production in recent years, and was known to have been seeking a partner. Their press release didn’t specify the size of the purchased stake; if it is 25% or greater, Avery will no longer be considered a Craft brewer by the Brewers Association.
I recently observed that it had been several months since the last acquisition of a craft brewery by Corporate Beer, and wondered if the era of crafty beer acquisitions was over. A day later, AB InBev answered with a resounding “No!” by purchasing Australia’s 4 Pines Beer.
To Australian fans of craft beer, you might want to read up what’s been happening in the US craft beer market over the last five to ten years, since AB InBev seems to be using the exact same playbook in Australia that they used here. May I suggest that you start with a reminder of why true Craft matters, and also how acquired breweries’ rationalization are largely bullshit. Continue reading
After a flurry of acquisitions of craft breweries by Corporate Beer over the summer, several weeks have passed without a high-profile brewery buyout. Felipe Szpigel, President of The High End, AB InBev’s crafty division, said during an interview with Forbes, “Our plate’s full… We have 10 amazing craft partners. Our focus is going to be organic.” He added that AB InBev is “rethinking our business model surrounding the High End, centering more on efficiency.” Continue reading
Florida’s Funky Buddha Brewery was just purchased by brewing giant Constellation Brands. Funky Buddha has been a bit of an industry darling lately, having collected five gold medals in the 2016 World Beer Cup. The brewery opened in 2013 and had recently become the second largest brewery in Florida. They are known for beers made with odd ingredients, like bacon and coconut. Continue reading
The dust has settled after last week’s purchase of historic Anchor Brewing Company to brewing giant Sapporo. Here are some thoughts on why this isn’t the end of the world.
On July 26th, several deals were announced in the world of craft beer. First the good: Brooklyn Brewery announced it purchased a “minority stake” in both 21st Amendment Brewery and Funkwerks. On their blog, Brooklyn stated:
By our powers combined, we’ll be able to reach new markets, bring an incredible array of beers and styles to drinkers, and continue to grow and invest in all three breweries as independent craft brewers… Yes, that means Brooklyn Lager will someday soon pour in the Bay Area, and 21st Amendment cans will roll forth along the Gulf Coast, and Funkwerks will pop up in Brooklyn.
A recent Beer Advocate article highlighted one aspect of Corporate Beer buyouts that really irks many fans of craft beer:
If you’re a Big Beer-affiliated brewery, own that. Don’t hide it. In your company’s “About Us” or “Brewery History” page online, don’t omit that AB InBev owns y0u… Don’t play cute about it with the press. Stop telling consumers nothing has changed. Anyone saying that is either lying or negligently naive.