Headlines

Fast growing Modern Times Beer of San Diego yesterday announced plans to open a pilot brewery, restaurant, and specialty coffee shop in Los Angeles sometime in 2016.

Ninkasi Brewing today announced plans to further build out its presence on the East Coast by launching new distribution in Virginia and Maryland.

Anheuser-Busch InBev today announced it would acquire Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close before the end of the year. Golden Road launched in 2011 and expects to sell 45,000 barrels of beer this year. It is the largest craft brewery in Los Angeles.

New Belgium’s slow ride toward a national footprint continues. The brewery today announced imminent plans to expand distribution throughout West Virginia, its 41st state, leaving it just nine shy of filling out the entire U.S. map.

Portland, Oregon-based Breakside Brewery today announced the hiring of Ray Veillet as the company’s first ever chief operating officer. Prior to joining Breakside, Veillet served as the vice president of operations at Siteworks Design Build, the same architecture firm that helped to design Breakside’s Milwaukie production facility. At Siteworks, Veillet oversaw general operations including accounting,… Read more »

New Holland Announces Distribution in Maryland; Bell’s Taps Tennessee; Alaskan Brewing Realigns in Southern California and SweetWater Changes Hands in Alabama.

J.J. Taylor Distributing, Minnesota’s largest beer wholesaler, has announced plans to acquire Day Distributing Co., an employee-owned wholesaler based in Maple Plain, Minn.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally issued guidance on menu labeling requirements for retail chain operations and small breweries are likely to take a financial hit. The new menu labeling rules require restaurants and foodservice establishments with more than 20 locations to disclose the caloric value and supplementary health criteria of beer, as well as other food and drinks, sold on-premise and will take effect on Dec. 1, 2016.

As reported earlier this week, Anheuser-Busch InBev has formally announced plans to takeover SABMiller, a transaction that would consolidate roughly one-third of the world’s beer supply under the parasol of a single manufacturer.

Oskar Blues yesterday reported strong growth through the first eight months of 2015, as the brewery continues to add capacity, expand its portfolio, and fill out its national sales footprint. Year-to-date, depletions are up 28 percent, the company said.

On Monday, the Dallas-based brewery filed a lawsuit against the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), challenging the constitutionality of a state law that prohibits licensed breweries from selling beer to go from the point of production. Currently, wineries, distilleries, and even brewpub restaurants can legally sell their wares for off-premise consumption.

As reported earlier today, A-B InBev has, after years of rumors, explicitly stated its intention to merge with SABMiller. Such a transaction would effectively consolidate one-third of the world’s beer supply under a single manufacturer’s umbrella.

Founders Brewing today announced plans to expand its western footprint with new distribution throughout Nevada and Northern California.

Anheuser-Busch InBev’s long-rumored takeover of SABMiller is underway. In a statement, the world’s largest beer company confirmed Wednesday that it had approached SABMiller, the world’s second largest beer company, about a “combination” of the two companies.