Dogfish Head today announced it will make its return to Tennessee, beginning with a soft rollout in Memphis and Chattanooga before expanding distribution statewide in the coming months.
The Milton, Del.-based brewery has signed distribution agreements with Carter Distributing in Chattanooga and Budweiser of Memphis.
“We did a ton of research before moving forward to come back to Tennessee,” Sam Calagione, the company’s founder said in a statement. “We wanted to make sure we had the right partners, and I’m excited that we’ll be working with Bud of Memphis and Carter Distributing in Chattanooga.”
Dogfish left the state three years ago, due to the brewery’s inability at the time to supply the demand in the Volunteer State. The times have certainly changed, however, as Dogfish Head grew production 17 percent in 2013 and eclipsed the 200,000-barrel mark, with growth driven primarily by its “family of IPA offerings.”
“We have a very well-rounded portfolio of IPAs,” Adam Lambert, the company’s vice president of sales told Brewbound in January. “It is well-defined, creative and there aren’t two in the same style.”
Dogfish made similar moves at the end of 2013, returning to Indiana, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, all markets which it had pulled out of in 2011. The company is aiming for another year of 17-plus percent growth, which would put total production at approximately 233,000 barrels in 2014.