Scottish brewery Innis & Gunn yesterday announced United States Beverage LLC as its new U.S. importer. The brewery’s line of oak-aged beers had previously been imported through its own Innis & Gunn USA affiliate. “Following a thorough review of our own business within the US and the fast changing US beer market, we have taken the decision to partner with United States Beverage to accelerate the growth of our beers and further strengthen our position in the US,” Dougal Sharp, founder of Innis & Gunn said in a statement.
That didn’t take long. For the third time in four years, Mississippi lawmakers failed to pass legislation that would have given small breweries the right to sell beer directly to consumers. Mississippi House Bill 846, introduced earlier this month, died on Tuesday after the 33-member Ways and Means house committee failed to vote on the proposed act before a deadline.
Small Brewers Caucus Asks DOJ to Review MegaBrew Deal; Perrin Brewing Enters First Out-of-State Market; Ace Cider up 30 Percent in 2015; BrewDog to Sell 20 Percent of U.S. Operations via Crowdfunding
Though Boston Beer’s total shipments increased four percent, to 4.2 million barrels in 2015, the company struggled to grow in the fourth quarter as depletions dipped three percent compared to 2014. Net revenues also dipped one percent during the quarter, to $215.1 million, the company said in an earnings announcement. Citing declines across its Samuel Adams and Angry Orchard brands, Boston Beer shipments also decreased 3 percent during the fourth quarter, to 958,000 barrels. Those declines were partially offset by growth across its Coney Island, Twisted Tea, and Traveler brands, the company said.
To commemorate 30 years of brewing and to celebrate New Orleans’ distinct identity, Abita Brewing has introduced a new set of packages that will “reflect the culture and heritage of the brewery’s neighboring city.” In a statement, the Louisiana-based craft brewery said it would begin shipping rebranded core products — which have also returned to traditional cardboard basket carriers — this month.
In the midst of a brewery expansion that will nearly double its production capacity, California-based Firestone Walker announced plans to enter eight new states beginning in March. In a press release, the brewery said it had finalized agreements with wholesalers to launch in Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico and Vermont. The company will also begin exporting to Canada and Sweden.
Mississippi representatives Patricia Willis (R-Diamondhead) and Toby Barker (R-Hattiesburg) last week introduced House Bill 846 which, if passed, would give local breweries the right to sell beer directly to consumers. Currently being reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee, the bill includes a series of allowances aimed at stimulating sales of Mississippi-brewed beer.
In this week’s edition of Last Call, New Belgium delays its Asheville brewery opening, a pair of Michigan craft brewers expand their distribution footprints and Asahi Holdings moves to buy the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands.
Like so many other small U.S. producers, Seattle’s Fremont Brewing is at a crossroads. On the verge of opening a second brewing facility that will eventually enable the company to produce upwards of 250,000 barrels, and flush with interest from distributors around the U.S., brewery founder Matt Lincecum has two options: step on the gas pedal and expand distribution nationwide, or grow in a more controlled fashion, methodically building out distribution into contiguous markets.
Sam Calagione, an author who sometimes moonlights as the founder of a well-known craft brewery, has written another book about his experiences as a business owner since launching Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 20 years ago. Set to hit shelves February 22, Off-centered Leadership: The Dogfish Head Guide to Motivation, Collaboration & Smart Growth, describes challenges Calagione faced while building Dogfish Head into the nation’s 13th largest craft beer company.
Even with more than 4,100 U.S. craft breweries to choose from, there’s still a group of drinkers who just want to drink a homebrew. Unfortunately (or fortunately), wider access to those products is virtually nonexistent, which means most of us will probably never try Victoria’s Vanilla Chai Imperial Stout. Enter Noble Brewer, an online retailer that aims to digitally connect amateur brewers to thirsty consumers.
Brew Bus, a Tampa-based brewery tour operator, today announced its purchase of Florida Avenue Brewing for an undisclosed sum. First revealed last December, the deal includes the Florida Avenue brewery and tasting room in Seminole Heights, a space Brew Bus is spending about $250,000 to renovate. Upon completion, the location will also serve as a base camp for Brew Bus brewery tours in Tampa.
With co-founder and brewmaster Jeremy Warren out the door, new Knee Deep brewmaster Dean Roberts knows he’s got big shoes to fill. But rather than try to make his own mark, both Roberts and CEO Jerry Moore hope that the newly promoted brewer will just plain stay the course. And why not? In 2015, the brand doubled production, to just under 12,000 barrels, and expanded into five new states.
In this week’s edition of Last Call, 10 Barrel eyes a San Diego brewpub opening, North Carolina teamsters protest MillerCoors’ closure of the Eden brewery and Shock Top reveals its Super Bowl 50 ad.
