Petaluma Hills Brewing Co. Closing June 30
In yet another sign of the craft industry’s slowdown, Petaluma Hills Brewing Co. this week announced that it would shutter on June 30.
Petaluma Hills owner JJ Jay told The Press Democrat that he’s run out of cash to keep the operation afloat, adding that he didn’t fund the business properly when it launched in 2011.
“I started with half of what I should have raised or maybe even a quarter,” Jay told the outlet.
Jay admitted to making several mistakes, among them investing in a 10-barrel brewhouse instead of contract brewing.
In order to keep the California brewery afloat, Jay reportedly sold his house. The company’s landlord, who is also an investor, has assumed control of Petaluma Hills’ brewing equipment as Jay works to service his debts.
Petaluma Hills, which reportedly produced less than 1,000 barrels last year, released its first beer in 2013, and the brewery had distribution to local retail stores, including Costco.
GoodLife Brewing Co-Founder Curt Plants dead at 33
GoodLife Brewing Co.’s co-founder Curt Plants died on April 28. He was 33.
Plants, who co-founded Bend, Oregon’s GoodLife with Ty Barnett in 2011, died from a fast moving streptococcal blood infection, according to his obituary.
“Not only did he strive for absolute excellence, he created GoodLife to be more than a company; he created a culture of acceptance, of second-chances, relationships and family,” the obituary reads. “He truly embodied the Good in GoodLife.”
Plants graduated from the Seibel Institute of Technology in 2009. Early in his career, he worked at Rogue Ales & Spirits under brewmaster John Maier, according to Brewpublic. The bottom of Goodlife cans will now include a “CP♥” tribute, according to the outlet.
A GoFundMe account has also been set up to help pay for Plants’ medical bills and memorial costs.
Read Plants’ obituary here.
Clare Rose, Shore Point Strike Updates
More than 100 union warehouse and delivery drivers from Long Island beer distributor Clare Rose remain on strike. Members of Local 812 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters went on strike on April 23 after several months of negotiations broke down.
Now, a Brookhaven supervisor is calling for that town’s Industrial Development Agency to conduct a mid-year audit of Clare Rose’s employment levels, according to Newsday.
“It is possible that Clare Rose may have violated the spirit, if not the letter, of their agreement with the IDA,” Supervisor Edward Romaine wrote in a letter to IDA chairman Frederick Braun III. “I am therefore requesting a midyear review of this company to determine whether they are in compliance, and for the board to take immediate action, including clawback of benefits, if they are found to be in noncompliance.”
The IDA reportedly awarded Clare Rose $44.5 million in tax incentives for a warehouse and office built in East Yaphank. In 2015, the company received a $510,050 tax break.
Striking workers have claimed that the company has violated its agreement to employ 177 workers. In 2016, the company reportedly employed 192 workers, paying salaries between $30,000 and $60,000 annually.
The IDA had previously declined union members’ request for an audit, saying job numbers are calculated at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Clare Rose has threatened to replace the striking workers.
In other labor news, the 113 warehouse workers and drivers of Shore Point Distributing also remain out of work. The New Jersey MillerCoors beer distributor locked out members of Teamsters Local 701 on April 30, ceasing their paychecks and health benefits, after months of negotiations.
“We gave up salary increases for years in order to put money into our pension so we could have a dignified retirement. And now the company just wants to end it,” Robert Vetrano, a Local 701 member and Shore Point shop steward, said in a press release. “I have co-workers whose wives have cancer, whose kids have chronic illnesses, and now they have no healthcare because Shore Point locked us out – because the company didn’t like us speaking up for ourselves in contract negotiations. It’s sick.”
More than 100 stores have signed letters asking Shore Point to end the lockout.
Dos Equis Releases New Most Interesting Man in the World Ad
Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting man in the World” will be crashing weddings this summer in a new ad called “Wedding Crasher.” The 30-second spot by Havas New York will run nationally throughout the summer. Watch it below.
Budweiser Frogs Return, Croak for Bud Light in U.K.
The Budweiser frogs have come out of retirement.
Bud’s frogs were one of the most successful beer campaigns two decades ago when it launched during the 1995 Super Bowl, and A-B has resurrected the frogs for the launch of Bud Light in the United Kingdom, according to Adweek.
“The launch of Bud Light in the U.K. is one of AB InBev’s biggest-ever brand campaigns,” Bud Light marketing manager Andre Finamore told Adweek. “To celebrate this, we’re playing on the nostalgic elements of one of our most iconic and memorable ads, while also giving it a uniquely Bud Light twist.”
Watch the new ad here.
A second ad asks if Brits can do American accents. Watch the spot below.