Mergers & Acquisitions

Baltimore-based Guilford Hall Brewery has acquired the Flying Fish brand, recipes, trademarks, and wholesaler agreements through a bankruptcy auction, according to NJ Advance Media.

Former Atwater Brewery owner Mark Rieth has acquired a majority stake in Lansing Brewing Company (LBC) and its Hard Nose Spirits brand via his Detroit Liquid Ventures beverage platform.

Big Grove Brewery has acquired a majority stake in Climbing Kites, an Iowa-based maker of Delta 9 THC- and CBD-infused, non-alcoholic sparkling water.

The three-year legal battle between Sheehan family members appears to be coming to a resolution as a deal to “consolidate ownership” of the multi-state distributor under four of Gerald “Jerry” Sheehan’s sons has been reached.

California canned cocktail and hard kombucha maker JuneShine has received a seven-figure investment from private equity firm InvestBev.

As another Dry January comes to a close, non-alc online retailer and importer The Zero Proof is taking a bigger step into the rising category with funding from Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation, the U.S.-based venture arm of Asahi Group Holdings.

Smuttynose parent company Finestkind Brewing has acquired Wachusett Brewing in a deal that will unite two New England legacy craft beer brands.

Los Angeles-based Open Brewing has begun rolling its lager out in Southern California thanks in part to a business partnership with New Belgium Brewing. In addition to a minority investment, New Belgium contract brews Open’s beer, consults the brewery’s team and offers other “shared resources,” a New Belgium spokesperson told Brewbound.

Japanese brewing giant Asahi aims to reach 1 million hectoliters – more than 850,000 barrels – in production in the medium-term following its acquisition of Wisconsin contract producer Octopi Brewing. Victoria Segebarth, managing director of EMEA & Americas at Asahi Europe & International, discussed the company’s plans for Octopi’s facility in Waunakee, Wisconsin, the acquisition… Read more »

Japanese brewing giant Asahi announced it has struck a deal to acquire Waunakee, Wisconsin-based contract brewer Octopi Brewing.

Matagrano, an independent South San Francisco-based Anheuser-Busch distributor, has inked a deal to acquire Bottomley Distributing, which services Silicon Valley and the South Bay Area.

Martignetti Companies has closed on its acquisition of Quality Beverage, according to a press release. Financial terms of the deal, which was announced in April 2023, were not disclosed.

The deal environment within the craft brewing industry is “a bit slow” with “a lot of volatility, a lot of uncertainty,” which isn’t very conducive to dealmaking, Arlington Capital Advisors managing director Ryan Lake shared during the 2023 Brewbound Live business conference earlier this month.

The fallout surrounding the conservative-led boycott of Anheuser-Busch’s (A-B) Bud Light brand and the accelerated declines that ensued accounted for three of Brewbound’s top stories of 2023. The internal machinations at A-B, including a reshuffling of its craft division, also piqued Brewbound readers’ interests. As we close out the year, here’s a look back at the 10 most-read stories of 2023.