Naples News Daily reports that another large brewery startup is in the works, this one boasting plans to brew upwards of 100,000 barrels per year. Southwest Florida Brewery Co., has reportedly secured $20M of the $40M needed to finance the project -a 40,000 square foot facility that will employ 60 people. The man behind the project is a Naples based realtor, Ernest Sittenfeld, who has engineered commercial breweries in Mexico, Jamaica and Spain among other places.
Last Friday, The Washington Post reported that Anheuser-Busch acquired the Czech brewer Budejovicky Mestansky Pivovar (BMP) in December. In the past, AB-InBev has had its fair share of skirmishes with BMP and the state-owned rival Budejovicky Budvar. Both Czech brewers claim to own the ‘Budweiser’ trademarks.
The Morning Call reported last Friday that D.G. Yuengling and Son recently took over the top spot as the largest American-owned brewery. The company is reporting its 2011 sales will surpass Boston Beer Co., making Yuengling not only the oldest American brewery, but also now the biggest. Yuengling sold 2.5M barrels of beer in 2011, up 17 percent from the 2010.
The North Baltimore Patch reported on January 4th that Charm City Brewing Company is “close” to signing a lease on a space in the Abell neighborhood of Baltimore, MD. The brewery would be only the third in Baltimore alongside Clipper City Brewing Co. (Heavy Seas) and White Marsh Brewing Co. (Red Brick Station).
Bonus: Fox News reports that one million American’s brewed beer at home last year.