With an expansion to its North Carolina brewing facility underway, Oskar Blues is continuing to grow its footprint throughout the eastern half of the U.S. The company, which just last week revealed plans to increase production capacity at its Brevard outpost, has announced plans to add distribution in West Virginia and Arkansas.
For coverage throughout Arkansas, the Longmont, Colo.-based company has signed a wholesale agreement with Arkansas Craft Alliance, a network of four distributors including Arkansas Craft Distributors, Three Rivers Distributing, Three Lakes Distributing, and White River Beverage. In West Virginia, Oskar Blues has partnered with Proud Eagle Inc., a collection of four Anheuser-Busch InBev wholesalers including Proud Eagle, Northern Eagle, Mountain Eagle, and Mountain State Beverage.
As Brewbound reported last week, in its first two years of operation, Oskar Blues produced 110,000 barrels at its North Carolina brewery alone.
Exact launch dates are still being finalized, the company said in a statement, but West Virginia and Arkansas would bring the number of states where Oskar Blues beer is sold to 44. Its beers are also sold in Washington, D.C. The brewery said it plans to add two more states in 2015 as well as additional international markets.
Oskar Blues, the 24th largest craft brewery in the nation by volume, produced 149,000 barrels total in 2014, up 25 percent over 2013.