The M&A bandwagon is rolling again. In just the last four months we’ve seen CANarchy and its five breweries sell to Monster Energy Drinks, Sweetwater Brewing (which is owned by a Canadian cannabis firm) buying Green Flash Brewing, Weeping Radish selling to a construction company owner and Bells’ Brewing selling to Japan’s Kirin, to name just a few.
“Over the past 18 months, the craft brewing industry has seen an uptick of acquisitions, roll-ups, and mergers at a pace reminiscent of last decade’s M&A mayhem,” writes Dave Infante in a VinePair article.
What is missing from the recent transactions is any kind of meaningful reaction by the craft beer consumer base or by fellow industry members. “Rather than scorn for the sellouts, these deals — to macrobrewers, private equity firms, and industry outsiders — have received a decidedly more muted response,” writes Infante.
It seemed that the craft beer industry came unglued when the first round of buyouts occurred, triggered when Anheuser-Busch InBev bought Good Island Brewery in 2011. That reaction is not only muted today, it is almost totally absent.
How did a craft beer industry and community so opposed to selling out become so inert in the face of their beloved breweries getting sold off? Read the full story here.