Befitting the reputation it has built for using diverse and exotic ingredients in the brewing process, Dogfish Head has shown over the years that, as a company, it has eclectic taste in music as well. Spearheaded by founder and self-proclaimed music geek Sam Calagione, the company has made its fandom known through collaborations with the likes of Pearl Jam, the Grateful Dead, Miles Davis’ estate and, most recently, a Dogfish-sponsored live performance by hip-hop icon Tone Loc during this year’s Craft Brewers Conference.
A Minnesota bar located near the Wisconsin border is under investigation for illegally selling beers from New Glarus Brewing without a license, per a report from the Green Bay Press Gazette. According to a search warrant filed in Hennepin County, an employee of Maple Tavern had allegedly been making trips across state lines to buy kegs of Spotted Cow, a popular beer from the company, to be brought back and re-sold in Minnesota.
Craft Brew Alliance is doubling down on brewery expansions. The company today announced it would spend $15 million to build a new 100,000-barrel brewery in Hawaii. A list of potential locations is being reviewed and CBA said it expects the facility to be fully operational by 2017.
The Scottish brewing outfit BrewDog operates branded beer bars all over the world, ships beer to more than 50 countries, and even has its own American television show. Despite their success, company co-founders (and hosts of the popular “Brew Dogs” show) James Watt and Martin Dickie will tell you that they are representative not of esteemed entrepreneurs that came before them, but rather the brash youth that constantly seeks disruption. They’re punks.
New Belgium Brewing is pushing farther east. The Colorado-based craft brewery today announced it would expand distribution to Pennsylvania, signing agreements with a mixed group of Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors wholesalers alike. “Pennsylvania has been on the horizon for a while now and we are thrilled to secure our distributing partners and hit the ground running this fall,” New Belgium Brewing’s East Coast Division Sales Director, Rich Rush said in a press statement.
Victory Brewing today announced the opening of its second brewpub in the Philadelphia area, a 7-barrel brewery and restaurant that seats 220 in more than 8,000 sq. ft. of space. Dubbed Victory at Magnolia, the brewpub in Kennett Square, Pa. will serve a rotating lineup of both site-specific and signature Victory beers brewed on-premise.
In fashion true to the collaborative reputation of the craft beer industry, two Boston-area beer companies are working together to jointly expand their operations. A new deal between Cambridge Brewing Co. (Cambridge, Mass.) and Mystic Brewery (Chelsea, Mass.) will see equipment trade hands in exchange for production assistance.
Another day, another deal. New York’s The Bronx Brewery today announced it has sold a minority interest to Tenth Avenue Holdings (TAH), a family office based in New York City that will provide guidance and funding to the small 6,000-barrel brewing operation.
Oregon State University announced it will build a new research brewery thanks to a six-figure donation from Gambrinus chief Carlos Alvarez. Alvarez, the CEO and chairman of the Gambrinus Company – which owns BridgePort Brewing, Spoetzl Brewery, Trumer Brewery, and Tappeto Volante – has gifted the school with $1 million to build the brewery in the university’s Wiegand Hall Pilot Plant Facility.
One of the biggest issues facing the craft brewing industry as it continues to evolve is that of franchise laws, the rules that contractually bind manufacturers to their wholesaler partners. Across the country, brewers are trying to find more latitude in how they bring beer to market.
Addressing thousands of beer industry professionals this morning at the convention center in Portland, Ore., Charlie Papazian, the president of the Brewers Association, detailed the significance of craft brewery self-reflection.
Columbia Distributing has bolstered its portfolio of craft offerings, signing agreements with two high-end beer makers from California and Colorado. he MillerCoors-aligned wholesaler, which operates branches in Oregon and Washington, today announced it has signed distribution agreements with Almanac Beer Co. and Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project for coverage throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Craft Brew Alliance today announced it would increase brewing capacity at its Widmer Brothers brewing facility in Portland, Ore. as part of a $10 million expansion project. In addition to adding 200,000 barrels of capacity and increasing total output to 750,000 barrels at its North Russell Street brewery, CBA said it would also complete a “significant brew house enhancement” and construct a new 10-barrel innovation brewery.
Blue Moon Brewing, the preeminent brand of Tenth & Blake, MillerCoors’ craft division, has announced plans to build a new brewery in Denver’s emerging River North Art District.
