Sleeping Giant Brewing Company

Sleeping Giant Brewing Company had its best January and February on record this year, starting off the Denver-based contract brewer’s first year of expected double-digit growth in more than two years, Matthew Osterman, president and founder, detailed to Brewbound.

Morganton, North Carolina-based Catawba Brewing Company acquired Skytown Beer Company, a brewpub in Wilmington, North Carolina, in a deal that closed February 10. Fifteen months after retrenching to focus on its brewpub, Boulder Beer’s portfolio will return to distribution in 28 states through a partnership with Stem Ciders and contract brewer Sleeping Giant in Denver.

Nearly two months after announcing that it would cease production for distribution and retrench to a taproom-driven business model, Boulder Beer Company said today it will partner with contract brewer Sleeping Giant Brewing to continue selling beer in Colorado.

In episode 39 of the Brewbound Podcast, Osterman shares his perspective on the current state of contract brewing in the U.S., and explains how Sleeping Giant competes for business at a time when some well-known regional craft players have opened up their breweries for contract opportunities.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: Shipyard Brewing looks to pivot in Portland; the TTB collects record offer for alleged trade practice violations; Molson Coors reports Q2 earnings; and more.

In this week’s edition of Last Call: North Carolina brewers claim Anheuser-Busch receives favoritism from the state’s wholesalers; Fiddlehead opens a new production facility; the Brewers Association announces committee assignments; and more.

The gypsy brewers are finally settling down. Lured by increased revenue from taproom beer sales, a growing number of nomadic brewers are deciding to build their own brick-and-mortar operations.

Another craft-focused contract brewing operation has entered the fray. Great Central Brewing Company (GCBC) broke ground on a new 32,000 sq. ft. contract brewing facility in Chicago last week. Scheduled for a summer 2016 opening, the brewery joins a growing list of craft-minded contract facilities established to help other small producers scale up, instead of focusing on their own in-house labels.