Aslin Beer Co., the country’s third-largest taproom brewer by volume, and Torch & Crown Brewing have merged to form the Driven Collective.
The platform will combine Alexandria, Virginia-headquartered Aslin’s production capacity and Torch & Crown’s distribution arm in New York City to “unlock smarter growth, fuel creativity and prove that craft still has room to run,” according to a press release.
“This isn’t about trimming fat or chasing efficiency,” Driven Collective CEO Andrew Kelley said in the release. “It’s about putting the pedal down with purpose.
“We’re combining great brewing, NYC hustle in distribution, East Coast reach and a shared drive to keep pushing boundaries. Driven is where creative brands come to grow fast and with intention.”
Conversations began last year after Torch & Crown shut down its Bronx production facility with little notice to the brewery’s staff. Aslin began brewing for Torch & Crown in early 2025.
“After five years of operating our Bronx production facility, our costs had risen to a level that was simply untenable, and around this time last year we were unfortunately faced with the difficult decision to continue operating that location at a loss and put other jobs at risk, or to close it,” Torch & Crown co-founder and Driven Collective CFO John Dantzler said in a statement provided to Brewbound. “We made the difficult decision to close our Bronx facility and allow the rest of the business to keep performing.”
After a brief stint with a different contract brewing partner in upstate New York, Torch & Crown moved its business to Aslin and the chemistry was apparent.
“As we began working closely with the Aslin team, it became clear how aligned we were – not just in the relative strengths and weaknesses of our operations, but in our long-term visions for our two companies,” Dantzler said in the release. “That partnership ultimately became the foundation for Driven Collective.”
The Driven Collective operates a combined seven taprooms – Aslin’s five (Herndon, Alexandria, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and Torch & Crown’s two (SoHo and a seasonal beer garden in Union Square Park, both in Manhattan).
Aslin’s output increased 8% in 2024, to 25,343 barrels of beer, according to data from the Brewers Association (BA). Torch & Crown recorded 2,019 barrels last year, according to an estimate in the BA’s data set. A spokesperson told Brewbound Torch & Crown produced 5,000 barrels last year.
Core production will happen at Aslin’s Alexandria facility, while the Pittsburgh, Virginia Beach and SoHo breweries will remain “focused on innovation, community releases and hyperlocal collabs,” according to the press release.
Now 10 years old, Aslin has diversified its business in recent years with a focus on coffee and pizza at its taprooms. The brewery distributes to 12 states and Washington, D.C.
Last month, Aslin launched Wax, a line of non-alcoholic beers infused with CBD and THC. The portfolio rolled out with four styles to start: Cerveza, Grapefruit IPA, Dragonberry Sour and Mango Blonde.
Torch & Crown is nearing its SoHo brewery’s fifth birthday, and has been brewing beer commercially since 2019. Dantzler founded Torch & Crown with childhood friend Joe Correia in 2018. Correia will exit the business following the merger.
“While Joe’s dedication to classic styles, balanced recipes, and humble hospitality remain at Torch, he will not,” a spokesperson said. “We wish him luck in his next venture.”
As the craft beer industry weathers twin storms of waning consumer demand and rising operating costs, there’s precedent for contract brewing relationships that become marriages. Last year in Massachusetts, Hendler Family Brewing company (HFB) acquired Night Shift Brewing after serving as its production partner for two years.
Even more common has been the practice of craft breweries merging to form regional platforms such as the Driven Collective which touts a newfound ability to:
- Have “a hospitality-first approach, enhancing the taproom experience, deepening local connections, and delivering next-level culinary experiences in its community-oriented spaces;
- “Unlock creativity at scale through a shared services model that redirects resources toward innovation, brand-building, and hospitality;
- “Create career mobility and leadership depth for employees across both organizations, fostering a new kind of craft workplace with room to grow;”
- And “lay the foundation for what’s next in craft, proving that independence, creativity, and operational strength don’t have to be at odds;”
“Most importantly: Driven Collective still believes in craft and is building the company to prove it still matters,” the company said.
IndieBrew, the combination of Atlanta-based Scofflaw Brewing and Nashville-based Bearded Iris Brewing, was among the early movers in the craft platform world, forming in late 2021. In 2024, IndieBrew was the nation’s 55th largest craft brewery by volume, according to the BA. But the platform seems to have dissolved with the sale of Bearded Iris to Memphis-based Wiseacre Brewing in July.
Other platforms that have coalesced more recently include Colorado’s Wilding Brands (Stem Cider, Denver Beer Co., Great Divide, Station 26, Funkwerks) and Left Hand and Dry Dock, as well as Massachusetts’ HFB (Jack’s Abby, Wormtown, Night Shift, as well as contract production under Jack’s Beverage Company and a sales and marketing partnership with Sloop) and Barrel One Collective (Harpoon, Smuttynose and more than a dozen related breweries and brands). Last month, Huss Brewing and PHX Beer Co. merged to form Zonafide Beverages.