The deals came in a rush this week.
On Monday, Canadian cannabis firm Tilray acquired Montauk Brewing Company in New York, adding another contract brewed brand to its growing beer portfolio of Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing and San Diego-founded Green Flash and Alpine Beer Co.
That portfolio is now pushing 300,000 barrels. We chatted with Montauk co-founder Vaughan Cuttilo and general manager Terry Hopper about the why and what’s next.
On Tuesday, Athletic Brewing Company received a $50 million investment from Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP). For its investment, KDP received a minority stake in the non-alcoholic beer maker and a seat on its board. (We know who won’t be getting that board seat.)
We discussed the deal with Athletic co-founder and CEO Bill Shufelt on this week’s Brewbound Podcast.
On Wednesday, we finally received confirmation of one of the worst kept M&A secrets in craft beer: Wyoming’s Roadhouse Brewing is acquiring its neighbor to the south, Melvin Brewing in Alpine. Roadhouse co-founder Colby Cox shared his vision for Melvin in a story published Thursday.
Speaking of M&A, we’ll be diving into the current market with Ryan Lake, a director at Arlington Capital Advisors, during the Brewbound Live business conference in Santa Monica November 29 and 30. Arlington has been involved in some of the biggest deals of the year, including Tilray’s purchase of Montauk and Sapporo’s acquisition of Stone Brewing. Get your tickets now.
Some acquisitions are causing uneasiness in California. Jess traveled to the California Family Beer Distributors’ first meeting, and she has a report on their issues with Golden State middle-tier consolidation.
Jess and Zoe hit the Massachusetts Brewers Guilds’ Mass Brewers Conference earlier this week, and Zoe guides us through the Bay State’s legal no-nos. (Disclaimer: Zoe is not an attorney, so you should get a real one. But legal experts offer some guideposts in her story.)
A packed People Moves column updates us on the latest moves at Deschutes, Figueroa Mountain, Pilot Project and more.
That’s another packed week in the books. Behind the scenes, Jess, Zoe and I are all working on Brewbound Live on-stage conversations. We keep announcing more and more talks (although the full agenda is now up), including:
Scout Distribution co-founder and CEO Jeff Hansson and Reyes Beer Division VP of craft innovation Jessica Muskey will share tips for better working with your middle tier partners, as well as the current market.
We’ll also be discussing how you can build an e-commerce strategy that works post-pandemic fridge stocking boom with Sara Welch Goucher, Molson Coors’s director of e-commerce, for North America; Steve Koenig, Sierra Nevada’s e-commerce national accounts manager; Derek Hahm, The E-Premise Group’s chief commercial officer; and Beny Ashburn, Crowns & Hops’ co-founder and CEO.
Finally, thanks to all of our Insiders for supporting the work Jess, Zoe and I do each week. If you’d like to become an insider, hit the link.
Until next week.