Small Brewers Caucus Asks DOJ to Review MegaBrew Deal; Perrin Brewing Enters First Out-of-State Market; Ace Cider up 30 Percent in 2015; BrewDog to Sell 20 Percent of U.S. Operations via Crowdfunding

Craft deal-mania is officially back. Just days after Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewing announced it would merge with New York’s Southern Tier to form the family office-backed Artisanal Brewing Ventures, a pair of established breweries — Chicago’s Goose Island and Delaware-based brewpub chain Iron Hill — today announced transactions of their own.

Five local brewers and retailers with an intimate knowledge of the Florida beer scene will join the program. The evening’s first conversation with Cigar City founder Joey Redner and Brew Hub founder Tim Schoen will explore creative growth strategies for craft brewers. A second panel featuring Chris Larue, the merchandising & analytics director at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Cigar City vice president Justin Clark and Coppertail Brewing president Kent Bailey will discuss Florida’s emerging craft beer scene.

Though Boston Beer’s total shipments increased four percent, to 4.2 million barrels in 2015, the company struggled to grow in the fourth quarter as depletions dipped three percent compared to 2014. Net revenues also dipped one percent during the quarter, to $215.1 million, the company said in an earnings announcement. Citing declines across its Samuel Adams and Angry Orchard brands, Boston Beer shipments also decreased 3 percent during the fourth quarter, to 958,000 barrels. Those declines were partially offset by growth across its Coney Island, Twisted Tea, and Traveler brands, the company said.

Illinois’ Destihl Brewery is making a multi-million dollar bet on growing consumer interest in sour beer. Slated to open in early 2017, Destihl plans to build a 47,000 sq. ft. brewing facility in Normal, Illinois that will feature a “highly specialized ‘dual’ 60-barrel and 120-barrel brewhouse” designed to accommodate increased production of the company’s line of kettle-soured beers.

To commemorate 30 years of brewing and to celebrate New Orleans’ distinct identity, Abita Brewing has introduced a new set of packages that will “reflect the culture and heritage of the brewery’s neighboring city.” In a statement, the Louisiana-based craft brewery said it would begin shipping rebranded core products — which have also returned to traditional cardboard basket carriers — this month.

In the midst of a brewery expansion that will nearly double its production capacity, California-based Firestone Walker announced plans to enter eight new states beginning in March. In a press release, the brewery said it had finalized agreements with wholesalers to launch in Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico and Vermont. The company will also begin exporting to Canada and Sweden.

Here’s your first craft beer deal of 2016: Victory Brewing and Southern Tier Brewing will combine to form Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV), a private-equity backed holding company formed by Southern Tier founders Phineas and Sara DeMink and Ulysses Management LLC. Southern Tier had previously sold a majority stake to the New York-based family office in 2014.

Mississippi representatives Patricia Willis (R-Diamondhead) and Toby Barker (R-Hattiesburg) last week introduced House Bill 846 which, if passed, would give local breweries the right to sell beer directly to consumers. Currently being reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee, the bill includes a series of allowances aimed at stimulating sales of Mississippi-brewed beer.

Bell’s Brewery will expand distribution into Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota this year and has begun the process of identifying new wholesale partners in each state. In a press statement, the Michigan-based brewery said no specific launch dates had been set and that distributor selections could “take some time.”

After more than 15 months of investigations, regulators in Massachusetts have determined that Craft Beer Guild LLC — a wholesaler responsible for selling about 200 craft brands from around the U.S. — knowingly violated state laws prohibiting unfair trade practices and illegal pay-to-play activities. News of the decision was first reported by the Boston Globe. In a notice dated Feb. 11, 2016 and obtained by Brewbound, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) slapped Craft Beer Guild — a subsidiary of the Sheehan Family Companies, which owns several alcoholic beverage distributorships across more than a dozen states — with a 90-day license suspension for offering inducements and unfair discounts in exchange for guaranteed retail placements.

In this week’s edition of Last Call, New Belgium delays its Asheville brewery opening, a pair of Michigan craft brewers expand their distribution footprints and Asahi Holdings moves to buy the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands.

On the verge of being a nationally distributed craft brand, Oskar Blues Brewery yesterday announced it would expand distribution into three new states. The Colorado-headquartered company, which operates a second brewing facility in Brevard, NC., has signed agreements with wholesalers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma and will begin distributing to the new markets over the next two months.

Hoping to capitalize on a slew of successful fruit-forward IPA introductions, Boston Beer Company this week began nationwide distribution of Samuel Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA. Brewed with real grapefruit and grapefruit peel, the latest Rebel line extension has a “tart, sharp character,” according to the company. In an effort to “round out bitterness from the peel” and add “sweet juiciness,” Boston Beer also adds grapefruit juice before filtering the beer.