Bell’s Names Alec Mull GM of Brewing Ops
Alec Mull is returning to Bell’s Brewery as general manager of the Comstock, Michigan craft brewery’s 600,000 barrel facility.
Mull will work with Bell’s executive leadership team to oversee the daily operations of the facility and craft new beers to add to the brewery’s portfolio, the company said in a press release today.
Mull will start back with Bell’s in early June, marking a return to where he had worked as head brewer from 1999 to 2004. Mull has been with another Michigan brewery, Founders Brewing, for the last 17 years as VP of brewing operations.
“We’re overjoyed to welcome Alec back to Bell’s Brewery,” Bell’s EVP Carrie Yunker said in the release. “His leadership style, industry experience, and personal values make him a fantastic addition as we look to further the brewery’s commitment to making best-in-class beer, while prioritizing best-in-class business operations.”
“I’ve long admired Bell’s commitment to standing for more than just a great beer, and I couldn’t be more excited to rejoin a business that is so deeply rooted in the community and shares my values,” Mull added.
Mull’s resume includes stints as past president and board of governors representative of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas – District Michigan; past president of the Hop Quality Group; and a board member of the Michigan Brewers Guild.
John Mallett, Bell’s longtime VP of brewing and quality, announced his retirement in January after more than 20 years with the company.
News of Mull’s departure from Founders comes a few weeks after the Michigan brewery was hit with a second racial discrimination lawsuit, with a Black employee allegeding months of unfair treatment and retaliation while working at Founders’ Detroit taproom. Shortly before the lawsuit went public, Founders also announced the permanent closure of the Detroit taproom, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and no connection to the lawsuit.
Massachusetts ABCC Revokes Gopuff’s Liquor License; Gopuff to Appeal
The Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) has revoked the liquor license, effective immediately, for e-commerce retail platform Gopuff for allegedly selling and delivering alcoholic beverages to underage consumers. The ABCC issued the decision Thursday following a March 7 hearing.
“We are committed to stopping underage drinking and its devastating consequences,” Massachusetts state treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who oversees the ABCC, said in a media statement. “To prevent these situations, we outreach and educate young people and their families, as well as proactively ensure compliance across the state.”
A Gopuff spokesperson told Brewbound that “[w]e strongly disagree with the Commission’s decision and will appeal.”
“We have always taken the responsible sale and delivery of alcohol extremely seriously and continually enhance the robust systems we have in place to prevent the sale of alcohol to underage customers,” the spokesperson said. “As soon as we were made aware of these events, we immediately began working to further enhance our compliance measures in close collaboration with the ABCC. These measures included enhanced driver partner education, communication streams, operational compliance procedures, a secret shopper program, and the implementation of enhanced ID scanning technology.”
According to the ABCC, two Gopuff licensees, GB LL Holdings- package store and GB Logistics LLC- delivery, violated M.G.L. Ch.138 & 34 sale or delivery of an alcoholic beverage to a person under 21 years of age for violations that occurred in 2021 (November 18 and 19, December 2, 8 and 9). Many of the instances involved underage Boston College students.
One of the students busted for buying alcoholic beverages on Gopuff told investigators that “it was common knowledge throughout the campus that minors could use Gopuff to obtain alcoholic beverages,” according to the document from the ABCC. Many of the underage consumers were found to have fake IDs.
A-B Discontinues Babe and Hiball
On the same day the sale of Appalachian Mountain Brewery was announced, Anheuser-Busch InBev discontinued two of its beyond beer offerings acquired in the mid- and late-2010s: canned wine brand Babe and energy drink Hiball, per Beer Business Daily, citing a memo to wholesalers.
A-B’s venture capital arm ZX Ventures acquired the remaining stake in Babe in 2019, after taking a minority stake in the company in 2018. Babe was founded in 2016 by Josh “The Fat Jewish” Ostrovsky, and brothers Tanner and David Oliver Cohen.
A-B acquired Hiball in July 2017. Todd Berardi founded the brand in 2005.
Brewbound’s sister publication BevNet notes that A-B’s investments in the energy category run deeper now with Super Coffee and GHOST. For his part, Berardi had long since moved on after the transaction and has his own sparkling water brand, Ardor, which uses both caffeine and l-theanine.
GoFundMe for Don’t Drink Beers Tops $145K Following Cancer Diagnosis
Earlier this week, Alex Kidd, who is best known for the popular Don’t Drink Beers social account, shared earlier this week that he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer that spread to his liver. Kidd was rushed to the emergency room after suffering stabbing abdominal pains and underwent emergency surgery.
“Hold your loved ones close, thank you so much to anyone who has reached out. It seriously helps so much,” he wrote on Instagram.
A GoFundMe started to help pay for Kidd’s medical bills has received more than 1,600 donations, with donations topping $145,600, as of press time. If you’d like to donate, follow this link.
Beer Kulture, Women of the Bevolution and Brave Noise Announce First Grant Recipient
Monique Gray, founder of Momentum Cider in Long Beach, California, was named the first recipient of the Beer Kulture Women of the Bevolution Creator Launchpad Grant. As the awardee of the grant, “Gray will receive financial assistance, business guidance, and the chance to release a product commercially,” according to a press release.
“This grant will ignite the trajectory of my vision and create an opportunity for women that look like me in the cider industry,” Gray said in the release.
The grant is part of a collaboration between Beer Kulture, Women of the Bevolution and the Brave Noise initiative. It is aimed at “women and non-binary entrepreneurs, brewers, or digital creators who identify as an underrepresented or underserved member of the craft beverage community including, but not limited to, Black, African American, Indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or other Person of Color.”
Gray will receive $15,000 in financial assistance, $2,000 for travel expenses, the opportunity to launch a beverage via Pilot Project Brewing in Chicago, and an opportunity to collaborate with a cidery. Additionally, Gray will receive three months of financial consulting guidance via Genevieve Haughey of Northwestern Mutual, three months of marketing and PR consulting from Women of the Bevolution founder Ash Eliot, and a copy of Beer Kulture’s “This Ain’t The Beer That You’re Used To.”
Quick Hits:
A federal judge in California is pushing forward the class-action lawsuit against Fireball maker Sazerac, which claims malt-based Fireball Cinnamon has misled consumers because it lacks the whisky base of its parent brand, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. … Farmville, Virginia-based Three Roads Brewing has acquired Ballad Brewing in Danville. … Melvin Brewing’s St. Louis area outpost has changed ownership, including new and former investors, and is getting a new name. … Carlsberg’s UK joint venture has sold the shuttered London Fields Brewery brand to pub operator Grace Land Group.