Amid declining production at its Redhook brewery in Woodinville, Wash., Craft Brew Alliance has laid off at least a dozen of the production employees who worked at the facility, Brewbound has learned. Reached for comment, CBA chief operating officer Scott Mennen confirmed the cutbacks, but declined to say exactly how many employees were let go, saying only that it was “about half” of the brewery’s production, packaging, warehousing, maintenance and brewery operations workers.
Georgia may not technically allow production breweries to sell beer directly to consumers, but if and when it does, Monday Night Brewing will be ready: It’s planning to open a large tasting room as part of a $2 million satellite brewery expansion.
Christian Ettinger thought he was being pranked. “It was too good to be true,” Ettinger, the brewmaster and founder of Portland, Oregon’s Hopworks Urban Brewery, said of a June offer to collaborate with Patagonia Provisions, the sustainable food branch of the popular outdoor clothing company. The pitch? Brew the first commercially-available craft beer using Kernza,… Read more »
Brew Hub is dipping a toe into international waters. The Central Florida contract brewer today announced plans to begin producing beer for South Korea’s The Booth Brewing Co.
In this week’s edition of Last Call: the saga of MegaBrew is almost MegaThrough; Drizly launches its new online marketplace and Southern Oregon Brewing shuts its doors.
MassDevelopment — a public-private economic development agency that works to stimulate economic growth across Massachusetts — has issued a $7.7 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Landreau Realty, LLC, a real estate entity for Tree House Brewing, to help the company build its new 150,000 barrel brewing facility.
Two Beers Brewing – and its fast-growing hard cider brand, Seattle Cider Company – have been sold to the Agrial Group, a leading French agri-business cooperative that does business across the beverage, dairy and food industries. Official financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction closed earlier this month, according to Joel VandenBrink, the founder of both companies.
Seven months after it launched its cider brand, Cidergeist, throughout Massachusetts, Cincinnati-based Rhinegeist Brewery this week said it would begin distributing its core beer offerings to the Bay State as well. And Bell’s Brewery today announced formal plans to expand distribution to Texas in 2017, inking agreements with 14 distributors throughout the state.
Beginning January, 1, 2017, Sierra Nevada will introduce two new core products: The first, Sidecar Orange Pale Ale, is a 5.3 percent pale ale brewed with oranges that the company hopes will generate interest from consumers craving a more fruit-forward drinking experience. A second product, Tropical Torpedo, will also look to capitalize on a growing shift toward citrus and tropical IPA variants.
MillerCoors yesterday announced plans to transition marketing responsibilities for its two largest craft brands — Blue Moon and Jacob Leinenkugel – away from its Tenth and Blake craft and import division. Tenth and Blake chief Scott Whitley explained the rationale behind the move in an email to distributors yesterday, noting the increased marketing demands needed to grow what he called “powerhouse” brands.
The Colorado beer distribution landscape is consolidating once again, this time with multi-state beer, wine and spirits wholesaler Breakthru Beverage broadening its reach in the state. The company today announced the acquisition of craft and import beer wholesaler C.R. Goodman. Specific financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
After completing an $8 million expansion earlier this year, Chicago’s Revolution Brewing is now equipped with 150,000 barrels of capacity. They’ll finish 2016 somewhere around 75,000 barrels or, expressed differently, about half of what it is capable of producing. And with new retail opportunities getting tougher to find in its home state, the company has begun looking elsewhere for growth. That’s why in June, the company quietly launched in Wisconsin with General Beverage. It’s also why it will enter New York City with Manhattan Beer in October.
The era of microbrewery consolidation is underway, and latest craft deal to cross the newswire is between a pair of small producers in Arizona. Fast-growing Huss Brewing Company, founded in South Tempe just three years ago by husband-and-wife team Jeff and Leah Huss, today announced its acquisition of the more established Papago Brewing Company, which was founded in 2001 in Scottsdale.
Forbidden Root founder Robert Finkel and 5 Rabbit Cervecería founder Andres Araya will discuss the state of innovation in craft brewing and their experiences operating highly-differentiated craft breweries. A second discussion with Donn Bichsel, Revolution Brewing’s director of sales and marketing, will examine current marketplace trends, increasing competition and struggles that mid-size craft regional brewers are facing as they look to scale their brands.
