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This has been an interesting day for beer news.
First news of the Uinta Brewing acquisition and now we’ve learned that Molson Coors is putting an end to its production of Saint Archer Beer immediately and will sell its San Diego-based brewery and taproom to Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., which owns the Ballast Point brand.
As part of the deal, Kings & Convicts will reportedly “take over Saint Archer’s 100,000-barrel capacity Miramar brewery and adjoining taproom, as well as its 1,200-square-foot taproom in Leucadia, Calif. Kings & Convicts, headquartered in San Diego and Highwood, Ill., plans to retain operations and retail team members at both locations.”
Saint Archer was founded in 2013 and acquired in 2015 by Molson Coors at the height of craft beer’s second emergence.
“The Saint Archer team has built a distinct brand that has a very loyal following in Southern California. Unfortunately, the overall business has struggled to grow despite investing significant resources behind its production and commercialization,” says Paul Verdu, vice president of Tenth & Blake, Molson Coors’ U.S. craft division told Beer & Beyond…
“We’ll maintain ownership of the Saint Archer brand as we determine the best long-term plan and remain focused on growing our regional breweries that continue outpacing home-market competitors.”
“We tried to do everything we could to keep the brand going, but it just wasn’t financially viable to continue operating. That isn’t a reflection on how great Saint Archer beer is, or the passion or the efforts of our team in California. The beer is awesome, the brand is awesome, but it was just hit with a series of challenges we weren’t able to overcome.”
“Tenth & Blake remains committed to building our craft business,” Verdu added. “We have a healthy portfolio of regional craft brands, led by Leinenkugel’s which is on the verge of a historic turnaround. We’re focused on year 2 of our national expansion of Hop Valley and accelerating growth of Terrapin, Revolver and Atwater in regional markets.”
