THE AMERICAN CRAFT BEER – QUICK HITS

American Craft Beer|May 8th, 2016|

We blame the industry for this… It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates – things were pretty much done. But clearly all that’s changed.

So here’s some of what’s happened in the world of craft beer while you were off enjoying yourself.

Brilliantly Crafted (Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA) – Stone Brewing’s Greg Koch has announced the formation of True Craft, a $100 million company aimed at investing in craft breweries. Stone’s timely initiative couldn’t be more welcome, especially in light of AB InBev’s ongoing craft brewery buying spree. According to USA Today, “the new company, which Koch described as a year and a half in the making, will make minority non-controlling investments in breweries will letting them remain independent and in charge of operations.”

True Craft’s goal is simple: Give craft brewers another option than selling a majority interest to private equity or selling out to big beer,” he said. “They can get the financing and flexibility that they need to flourish while keeping their soul and control. … “True Craft is built to help misfit companies stick around in a world that is designed to assimilate them like the Borg,” Koch explained at the 2016 EG Conference, and to give “craft brewers another option to selling a majority interest to private equity or selling out to big beer.”

Words To Drink By (Los Angeles, CA) – “We believe in freedom of speech and artistic expression. We don’t believe in mindless censorship.”

James Watt / Co-Founder BrewDog

Turning Japanese (Philadelphia, PA) – One of the most notable aspects of last Friday’s World Beer Cup, was the emergence of Japan as a craft beer force to be reckoned with – with 9 different breweries taking home 9 wins.

Liquid Center Launches (Ashville, NC) – Last Monday, New Belgium threw open the doors to their new East Coast tasting room, and the world will never be the same. The 6,000 square foot, Liquid Center, which includes both indoor and outdoor seating, was met by lines of fans from all over the stat anxious to experience the ambiance and a Fat Tire.