Molson Coors has named beer industry veteran Jeff Agase as the new head of its craft division, Tenth & Blake.
Agase will take the reins on June 1 and will oversee Leinenkugel’s, Terrapin, Hop Valley, Revolver, Atwater, AC Golden and Blue Moon’s R&D brewery in Denver’s RiNO neighborhood. He has worked at Molson Coors for nearly 12 years and previously served as VP of distributor network development.
Agase will report to Molson Coors’ president of emerging growth Pete Marino.
Before joining the distributor network development team, Agase was assistant general counsel for Tenth & Blake from December 2012 through January 2017 and worked on mergers when the division was at its most acquisitive. Agase served as lead counsel on internal transactions to acquire Revolver, Hop Valley, Terrapin, Saint Archer and Crispin Cider, according to his LinkedIn profile. The latter two brands have since been shuttered.
“I’m honored, humbled, energized, privileged and ready for the challenge,” Agase said in an interview on the Molson Coors blog. “The portfolio of brands and breweries we’ve assembled has tremendous potential, and my job is to bring them the best of what Molson Coors can offer while preserving the unique and compelling culture of each brewery.
“A big part of my goal is to help open doors for our craft partners by helping them get the most out of their association with Molson Coors,” he continued.
Agase succeeds Paul Verdu, who departed Molson Coors in April to become president of Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona.
Agase’s appointment comes at a time of transition for some Tenth & Blake brands which have named new leaders themselves in recent months.
Katy McBrady took over as president of Detroit-based Atwater Brewing on April 4, following the exit of former owner and president Mark Reith.
In February, Dick Leinenkugel announced plans to retire at the end of 2022, with his nephew, Tony Bugher, taking the reins of the Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company on January 1, 2023.
In 2020, Tenth & Blake’s output declined -11%, to 2.6 million barrels, the most recent year for which data is available from the Brewers Association (BA). Blue Moon accounts for the lion’s share of that volume with 1.8 million barrels, an -8% decline from 2019. Leinenkugel’s (-20% decline, to 550,000 barrels) is the second largest brand in the portfolio. Hop Valley, which Molson Coors launched as a national brand in 2021, was the only Tenth & Blake brand not to lose volume in 2020, remaining flat at 70,000 barrels.
In January 2022, Molson Coors discontinued the Saint Archer brand and sold its San Diego production facility to Ballast Point owners Kings & Convicts.