Oskar Blues is going down under.
The Colorado-headquartered brewery yesterday announced plans to begin exporting its six core beers — Dale’s Pale Ale, Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Pinner Throwback IPA, Oskar Blues IPA, Old Chub Scotch Ale and Beerito Mexican lager — to Australia in July.
The company has entered into an agreement with Phoenix Beers, a leading importer and distributor of more than 300 beers from around the world.
“We feel that our cans and kegs of American craft-brewed flavor will be a great fit for the Aussies, and, considering that our newest IPA – Oskar Blues IPA – is made with all-Australian hops from Bushy Park Estates in Tasmania and Rostrevor Farms in Victoria, we think that the timing couldn’t be any better. It’s like a homecoming… for our hops,” Tim Matthews, Oskar Blues’ director of brewing operations, said in press release.
A number of Southern Hemisphere launch events are planned, Oskar Blues said, and details will be announced via the company’s social channels in the coming weeks.
Earlier this year, Oskar Blues, which operates a second brewing facility in Brevard, N.C. and is planning to open a third brewery in Austin, expanded distribution into North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma.
The brewery’s products are currently sold in 49 U.S. states, Washington D.C. as well as parts of Canada, Sweden and the U.K.
Oskar Blues made 192,000 barrels of beer in 2015. The company, together with Boston-area private equity firm Fireman Capital Partners, now owns Florida’s Cigar City Brewing, Michigan’s Perrin Brewing and the Utah Brewers Cooperative — which includes the Wasatch and Squatters brands. The five companies make up “Oskar Blues Holding Co.,” which Fireman Capital owns a majority stake in. Collectively, the group produced more than 320,000 barrels in 2015 and was ranked as the 14th largest craft brewing entity by trade group the Brewers Association.