The American Craft Beer Quick Hits – December 28, 2015

American Craft Beer|December 28th, 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 the holidays.

The Empire Strikes Back Part II (Tempe, AZ) – “If You Can’t Beat Them, Buy Them.” That’s clearly Anheuser-Busch InBev’s ongoing strategy to help shore up the declining market shore that they’ve been losing to craft beer for years. On Friday the 18^th while everyone was off getting festive they added yet another acquisition, Four Peaks Brewing to their new The High End division. And although we predicted at that time that their buying spree was far from done even we weren’t ready for last Tuesday’s announcement they had acquired Colorado-based Breckenridge Brewery.

Word on the Street is that AB InBev is out there offering up “crazy money,” so look for more craft breweries to become part of the Anheuser-Busch’s budding craft beer empire. And with Constellation Brands having paid out a mind-blowing $1 billion dollars to acquire Ballast Point – all bets are off!

New Belgium Looking For A Buyer (Ft. Collins, CO) – Rumors that New Belgium was looking to be bought are gathering steam and now the Daily Camera is reporting that “the fourth-largest craft brewer in the country, has hired investment adviser Lazard Middle Market to explore a potential sale valued at $1 billion or more.”

Words To Drink By (Los Angeles, CA) – “New Belgium Brewing’s board of directors has an obligation to have ongoing dialogue with capital markets with the goal of making sure that we remain strong leaders in the craft brewing industry.”

New Belgium’s Kim Jordan – On buyout rumors

Will Durgin Leaves Atlas Brew Works (Washington, DC) – Things usually slow down at holiday time – but clearly not this year. On Friday December 18^th, as many were off shopping and attending office parties, Will Durgin who co-founded Atlas Brew Works along with his friend Justin Cox, announced on his Facebook page that he would be leaving the brewery. Durgin specified that his future was wide open and gave no reason for his sudden departure.

Craft Beer Explosion in Toronto (Ontario) – It appears that Canada that was relatively late to the craft beer game is making up for lost time. The Globe and Mail is reporting that “there are already 200 craft breweries in Ontario – a quarter of them located in the Greater Toronto Area – with 80 new breweries in development.”