Brewbound — Craft Beer News, Events & Jobs

A new distribution company with ties to a small Virginia craft brewery is set to launch in the Southwestern part of the state. Saint X LLC — which aims to provide an alternative route to market for small craft brewers — has set up shop in a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse located near recently launched Beale’s Brewery in Bedford, Va.

In the latest Distribution Roundup: Stone fills out its nationwide footprint; Knee Deep adds six states; Coppertail Brewing adds 20 counties in northern Florida; and more.

The founders of a music-focused production company that has worked with clients from Converse to Kanye West are getting into the craft beer business. Brent Nichols, Daron Hollowell and Kelcie Jadkowski of Ring the Alarm — which composes and licenses music for TV, movies and advertising campaigns — have launched 24 Hour Beer, a session-strength beer company aiming to become the “the anti-craft, craft beer.”

Wachusett Brewing is taking its recently launched outdoor beer garden, dubbed the “Brew Yard,” on the road. In partnership with Delaware North, a hospitality company owned by Jeremy Jacobs, who also owns the Boston Bruins, the Massachusetts craft brewery will pop up in Boston City Hall Plaza the next three Thursdays.

In this week’s Last Call: Utah considers revising 3.2 laws; Golden Road rethinks its proposed Oakland beer garden; ex-New Belgium brewmaster’s Purpose Brewing & Cellars sets grand opening; and more.

Florida beer wholesalers and brewers are attempting to return to work in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which wreaked havoc on the state and has left millions of residents without power.

A nearly decade-long debate over how to reform Massachusetts’ controversial beer franchise laws continued Tuesday afternoon, as craft brewers and beer wholesalers packed a basement meeting room of the statehouse to testify before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.

After five amazing years in sunny San Diego, California, Brewbound today announced that it has relocated its full-day business conference, the Brewbound Session, to another beachside locale with a vibrant and emerging craft beer scene: Santa Monica. The 2017 Winter Brewbound Session will take place on Wednesday, November 29, at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel (1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, California).

Over 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries will be showcasing their wares at Drinktec, the world’s largest beverage trade show, taking place this week in Messe Munchen, Germany. An estimated 70,000 visitors from 183 countries are expected to walk 150,000 square meters of the show floor, and more than 40,000 beverage alcohol professionals will be in attendance.

Melvin Brewing has begun shipping limited quantities of beer to New York, and parts of California’s Bay Area, as part of a plan to build buzz for the brand before officially launching in those territories in early 2018.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: Innis & Gunn receives private equity interest; A-B shifts focus from acquisitions to organic growth; Diageo taps A-B for Guinness Distribution in China; and much more.

Brewbound is excited to announce that Brew Talks events will be held during the upcoming Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) shows. Brew Talks, Brewbound’s traveling meetup series for beer business professionals, will gather leading industry brewers and distributors for in-depth discussions about the future of the craft beer segment and intimate networking opportunities.

After adding nearly 2000 workers over the course of acquiring 10 U.S. craft breweries, Anheuser-Busch InBev is doing some cutting.

Fast-growing Lord Hobo Brewing – which launched in 2015 and grew more than 400 percent last year — today announced that it has sold a minority stake to Valterra Partners, a boutique private investment firm with offices in New York and Massachusetts. Specific financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction is expected to close this month.