BrewDog

In this week’s Last Call: Milwaukee Brewing has announced plans to significantly expand its operations in Brew City, inking a lease agreement for 58,000 sq. ft. of space on the site of the original Pabst brewery; BrewDog reportedly plans to spend about half of the $50 million it is currently trying to crowdfund to build out a number of BrewDog-branded bars in the U.S., according to a report from restaurant briefing service Propel Info.

In this week’s edition of press clips: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company agrees to a 10-year partnership with the Sacramento Kings; Scottish craft beer maker BrewDog raises $1 million from more than 1,200 investors in just three days; the St. Louis Brewery moves forward with its efforts to trademark the name “Schlafly” for use in beer and Boston Beer Company launches a national television and radio ad campaign for its newest product line — Truly Spiked & Sparkling.

With construction already underway at its 100,000 sq. ft. Ohio production facility, Scottish craft brewery BrewDog yesterday announced the formal launch of an ambitious $50 million crowdfunding campaign to help finance the company’s first U.S. brewery expansion. Called Equity for Punks, the newly launched campaign invites U.S. investors to purchase shares of BrewDog USA at $47.50 each; BrewDog is requiring investors to purchase a minimum of two shares.

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

River North Brewing is being forced out of the emergent Denver neighborhood it’s both named after and has called home since opening three and a half years ago. As reported by Westword, the company is closing its taproom and production brewery this October as the building’s owners have decided to raze the structure and construct, in its place, a luxury apartment complex.

While preparing to build out its first large-scale production facility on American soil, the Scottish craft beer stalwart BrewDog is also working out plans to retake control of its U.S. distribution. Anchor Brewing, which has imported the BrewDog brand since 2010, has agreed to sell back the company’s distribution rights for an undisclosed sum, Anchor CEO and co-owner Keith Greggor told Brewbound.

CHICAGO—The Cicerone® Certification Program today announced that Scotsman Rob MacKay became the tenth individual to earn the title of Master Cicerone. MacKay is the second European to earn the title, joining BrewDog co-founder James Watt. MacKay earned the certification through a series of exams culminating in two days of intense taste panels plus written and… Read more »

It’s official: Scottish craft brewery BrewDog today announced plans to invest $30 million in the construction of its U.S. brewing facility, which the company has said will be located in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

Scottish craft beer company BrewDog has unveiled plans to establish a U.S. beachhead, last week announcing that Columbus, Ohio, will become the company’s stateside brewing headquarters. On its blog, BrewDog wrote that it has “provisionally agreed” to acquire 42 acres of land in Columbus and said it intends to build a 100,000 sq. ft. brewery complete with a 100-barrel brewhouse, canning machine and bottling line to serve markets across the U.S.

The Scottish brewing outfit BrewDog operates branded beer bars all over the world, ships beer to more than 50 countries, and even has its own American television show. Despite their success, company co-founders (and hosts of the popular “Brew Dogs” show) James Watt and Martin Dickie will tell you that they are representative not of esteemed entrepreneurs that came before them, but rather the brash youth that constantly seeks disruption. They’re punks.

Since transferring 48 percent of its shares into an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in July of last year, Harpoon Brewery has been minority owned by its employees. Now, according to co-founder and president Dan Kenary, the plan is for the brewing company to become fully employee-owned. During a recent speech in Vermont, where the Boston-based brewery operates a second facility, Kenary outlined the plan

New Belgium is headquartered approximately 5,000 feet above sea level in Fort Collins, Colo., but only now is the brewery an official member of the Mile High Club. Last weekend, Southwest Airlines began offering the brewery’s flagship Fat Tire in cans on all of its 683 Southwest and AirTran planes, according to Denver Westword.

BrewDog is back at it, taking another stab a precisely defining “craft beer” as it applies to European countries. In October, brewery co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie wrote on their blog that having a clear definition has helped craft beer become so popular in the United States.

As state representatives in Utah work to raise taxes on beer, there’s another legislative issue brewing in Georgia over whether brewpub customers should be able to leave the premises with a bottle of their favorite libation.