New Belgium to Enter Connecticut
New Belgium Brewing is one step closer to national distribution. Next month, the Colorado-headquartered brewery will enter Connecticut, the 44th U.S. state where its products will be sold.
In a press release, the company said agreements with ROGO Distributors, Levine Distributing Company and Northeast Beverage were signed and that a statewide rollout would begin on June 20.
“We’re very excited to be entering the Connecticut market,” Rich Rush, the company’s Northeast sales director said in the release. “It’s a craft forward state with plenty of great culinary tradition and some beautiful historic bars and pubs. We look forward to continuing help grow the scene.”
The foray into Connecticut coincides with the opening of New Belgium’s secondary Asheville, N.C. brewery, where about 500,000 barrels of new capacity recently came online.
Initial draft offerings will include Fat Tire, Ranger IPA, Citradelic IPA, Heavy Melon Watermelon Lime Ale and La Folie Sour Brown. The company also plans to distribute 12 oz. bottles of Fat Tire, Ranger, Citradelic, Heavy Melon, Rampant and Glutiny. Cans of Fat Tire and Citradelic will also immediately be available for purchase. Slow Ride Session IPA, 1554 Black Lager and Lips of Faith beers will become available in August.
Deschutes Signs with Blue Ridge Beverage Company in Virginia
Deschutes today announced it would begin distributing to Southwest and Central Virginia this summer, signing with Blue Ridge Beverage Company.
Blue Ridge is headquartered in Salem, VA., just miles away from Roanoke, where Deschutes plans to begin construction on an $85 million secondary brewing facility in 2019.
“We’re excited to partner with a family-owned and managed organization that calls the Roanoke Valley home,” Stacy Denbow, Deschutes’ business development director said in a press release. “The Archer family, which owns Blue Ridge Beverage, is deeply rooted in the community that we will one day call home as well.”
Blue Ridge Beverage will launch Deschutes’ Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Fresh Squeezed IPA, Pinedrops IPA and new seasonal Hop Slice Session IPA, along with brewery variety packs, across 49 counties and 17 independent cities this August.
Short’s Hits Wisconsin
Short’s Brewing is once again expanding its footprint.
The Michigan-based craft brewery, which earlier this year said it would begin distributing outside of the state for the first time in 12 years, today announced plans to launch its beer and cider brands in Wisconsin next week.
The company has signed with the Wisconsin Beverage Network and General Beverage, and official launch events are planned for early June.
Short’s said it plans to initially deliver flagship brands Huma Lupa Licious IPA, Soft Parade Rye Ale, Space Rock gluten-reduced pale ale, Bellaire Brown Ale, Local’s light lager and seasonal offerings. Limited quantities of specialty beers will also be distributed in bottles and kegs, the company said.
Short’s entered the Ohio and Indiana markets in March and, in February, it began distributing in Illinois.