THE AMERICAN CRAFT BEER – QUICK HITS

American Craft Beer|December 14th, 2015|

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 yourselves.

Mikkeller And AleSmith Form Strategic Partnership (San Diego, CA) – As we referenced earlier this year, two of craft beer’s most acclaimed breweries have “officially” launched a creative partnership that will result in the planet’s most infamous gypsy brewer acquiring a brick-and-mortar brewery in San Diego. Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the founder and creative mind behind Denmark-based Mikkeller, has officially entered into an agreement with AleSmith Brewing’s owner and brewmaster Peter Zien for the duo to establish a new company called Mikkeller Brewing San Diego.

Virginia’s Loudon County Attracts Artisan Malting Leader (Richmond, VA) – Last Thursday, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that Michigan-based Pilot Malt House would be building a new malting operation is scenic Loudon County, which as we’ve written is one of the state’s many craft beer hotbeds.

Words To Drink By (Los Angeles, CA) – “if you’re not willing to fail in art, you’re probably never going to deliver anything great…Failure is a badge of honor.”

Bob Lefsetz – Music Analyst & Writer

Boulevard Triples Its Warehouse Space (Kansas City, MO) – Boulevard Brewing has entered into a long-term lease for an 182,000 square foot distribution center in KC that will allow them to triple their warehousing space. Upon completion next spring, the Kansas City brewery will move from its 64,000 square foot East Bottoms location, which has served as the company’s principal warehouse for more than eight years. The new state-of-the-art building will house all of Boulevard’s finished beer, along with a barrel aging cellar and space for a bottling line for its Smokestack Series beers.

23 Individuals File Suit To Block Big Beer Mega Merger (Grants Pass, OR) – As AB InBev and SABMiller, the world’s two largest beer companies work to finalize their planned $106 billion merger, ‘a group of beer enthusiasts have filed a federal lawsuit against what they perceive as a monopoly in the making,” according to Eater. The 23 plaintiffs, based primarily in southern Oregon, argued in a suit that the proposed deal violates established antitrust laws and that it would lessen competition.”