Court records filed in the wake of last Friday’s auction for San Diego craft brewery Modern Times give a closer look at bidding play-by-play, and the tension between qualified bidders MTD Asset Acquisition and BX MT BAMF LLC. Earlier this week, MTD (the group referred to during the auction as North Carolina brewery Tru Colors), whose $20.1 million bid was not accepted as the winning bid, filed an objection to the sale of Modern Times to BX MT (an affiliate of Brewery X in Anaheim), and submitted a new bid of $21 million. MTD claims priority was given to Brewery X’s bid due to its inclusion of a shorter closing period, despite what it believes was a previous guarantee that such conditions would not be weighted in choosing a winning bid. Those efforts caused a federal judge to table a hearing Monday set to confirm the sale of the brewery.
Anderson Valley Brewing Company (AVBC), has committed to holding price – at least through the summer – despite inflationary headwinds, supply chain strain and continued effects of COVID-19 felt throughout the beer industry, the Boonville, California-based craft brewery announced Wednesday.
Russian River co-founder Natalie Cilurzo urged craft brewers to delve into the motivation and mission behind their businesses in her keynote address to the Brewers Association’s (BA) Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
After a state court largely rejected its claims earlier this year, Seismic Brewing Company has now filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against DBI Beverage, Reyes Holdings and Reyes subsidiary Harbor Distributing, alleging the beer distributor attempted to maintain a monopoly of California’s beer distribution market.
The California beer industry is still in a period of recovery, as total beer volume in the state declined in 2021 for the fourth consecutive year (-1.6%), Chris Shepard, senior editor of Craft Brew News at Beer Marketers’ Insights (BMI), said in his keynote speech last week, kicking off the California Craft Brewers Association’s (CCBA’s) members conference in San Diego.
The Reyes Beer Division is adding to its California map with the planned acquisition of Columbia Distributing’s business in Northern California, the companies announced this evening.
The California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) is “getting very aggressive” on legislative initiatives in 2022, Chris Walker, the trade group’s lobbyist, said Monday at its members conference in San Diego.
Firestone Walker chief sales officer David Macon stepped down last week after eight years with the Paso Robles, California-headquartered craft brewery.
Societe Brewing is expanding its distribution footprint into Northern California, beginning April 11. The San Diego, California-based brewery now distributes in all key California markets through “100% independent distributors,” Societe founder and CEO Doug Constantiner announced Monday during the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) Members Conference.
Boston Beer Company senior VP of supply chain Quincy B. Troupe will exit the company on April 1, according to a separation agreement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fort Bragg, California-headquartered North Coast Brewing Co. has named Chris Hudson its national key accounts director. Detroit, Michigan-based, Molson Coors-owned Atwater Brewery has appointed Katy McBrady as its president, effective April 4, following the departure of former president and owner Mark Rieth in December.
Visalia, California-based Bueno Beverage Company will lay off 43 of its 160 employees next week following the announcement of Constellation Brands’ termination of the Anheuser-Busch InBev-aligned wholesaler.
The California Family Beer Distributors (CFBD), a trade group representing independent wholesalers in the Golden State, has pushed back against statements made earlier this week by Constellation Brands CEO Bill Newlands regarding the Mexican import giant’s proposed termination of two wholesalers.
The San Diego craft brewery scene is once again getting shaken up by the Kings & Convicts. After acquiring the Ballast Point brand from Constellation Brands in 2019, the company is acquiring the brewing facilities and taprooms of Saint Archer from Molson Coors.
The effects of the pandemic on San Diego’s craft brewers were evident in the San Diego Brewers Guild’s (SDBG) 2021 economic impact report released last month, which showed beer production and economic output declines and employment cuts.
