Maine’s D.L. Geary Brewing Co. has been sold to a Freeport businessman, the Portland Press Herald reported this week.
Alan Lapoint has reportedly taken over management of Portland, Maine’s first craft brewery and plans to take over ownership of the brewery before the end of the year. A deal for the brewery was officially struck on Wednesday, the Press Herald reported, however a sale price was not disclosed.
“The sale will take several months to complete,” Kelly Lucas, whose parents, David and Karen Geary, founded the brewery in 1983, told the outlet.
In November, the Press Herald reported on D.L. Geary’s struggles as the brewery’s production reportedly dipped 34.5 percent in 2015 from 2011. David Geary, 72, who goes by D.L., told the newspaper that increased competition and complacency led to his brewery’s brand becoming stale.
In addition to those issues, Karen Geary died in 2013.
“We just felt like we needed help and some high levels of energy that will re-invigorate the Geary’s brand,” Lucas told the paper. “The time and the energy just wasn’t there.”
Lapoint will reportedly keep the name and iconic lobster logo. However, some employees were laid off.
“We had to make cuts and that saddened everyone,” Lucas told the outlet. “We loved them all, like they were family.”