Category: News From The Breweries
News stories from craft brewing companies
News Monster Lays Off 12 Employees at Cigar City – Will Move Production to Oskar Blues
In another consolidation move to maintain efficiencies in a contracting craft beer segment, 12 employees at Cigar City Brewing have been laid off, as the brewery’s owner, Monster Beverage Corp plans to move production of Cigar City beers to their Oskar Blues Brewery in North Carolina.
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News Boston Beer Reports Tough Year with Shipments Down 6% – Announces New CEO
Dave Burwick, CEO and president of Boston Beer Company has announced his retirement as of April 1st. He will continue to serve in an advisory role with the company through March 2026. The news comes after the company released its fourth quarter financial results which show shipments down by 6.2% for the full year 2023.
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News Sierra Nevada Hires Former Beam Suntory Exec as CEO
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has hired Pryce Greenow as the company’s new CEO and president. Greenow comes from the spirits industry where he most recently served as president of international and global sales officer at Beam Suntory from 2017 to February 2023.
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News Athletic Brewing Releases ‘Soul Sour’ to Raise Funds for Michael Jackson Foundation
Athletic Brewing Company, the largest non-alcoholic brewer in the U.S., announced the fourth annual release of Soul Sour in celebration of Black History Month. 100% of the profits from the 2024 release of Soul Sour will be donated to Sacred Heart University (SHU) and the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (MJF).
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News Smuttynose Owners Buy Wachusett Brewing
Finestkind Brewing, owners of Smuttynose Brewing Company in Newe Hampshire has purchased fellow New Hampshire brewery Wachusett Brewing. The latest craft-on-craft acquisition will help Smuttynose expand its portfolio and reach into additional markets.
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News Asahi Buys Wisconsin’s Octopi Brewing for Asahi Dry Production
As craft beer sales decline and excess brewing capacity increases, importers continue to look for domestic facilities to make beer in the US. Asahi Europe & International (AEI) has announced that they will purchase Octopi Brewing, a contract brewer based in Waunakee, WI to make Asahi Super Dry for the US market.
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News Industry Pioneer and Summit Brewing Founder Mark Stutrud to Retire
Summit Brewing Co. founder and godfather of the Minnesota craft brewing scene Mark Stutrud will be retiring as company CEO. He will continue to stay involved with the 37 year-old brewery as brand ambassador as Chief Strategy Officer, Brandon Bland takes over as CEO.
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News Anchor Steam IP and Brewery Up for Grabs Soon – Former Employees Still Hoping to Buy
One big question lingering since the closure of Anchor Brewing Company is where the intellectual property rights to Anchor Brewing and Anchor Steam beer would land. That is still unknown, but the bidding for both the IP and the brewery may be around the corner.
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News Craft on Craft Continues – Dorchester and Aeronaut Brewing Combine
A pair of Boston area breweries, Dorchester Brewing Company and Aeronaut Brewing Company have joined forces. Dorchester’s Matt Malloy will take charge of the combined company with plans to add as many as three other regional brewers into the new entity.
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News Goose Island Clybourn Brewpub to Close
The 35-year-old Goose Island brewpub on Clybourn Street in Chicago, which inspired the craft brewing scene in the region has closed. The brewpub, which opened in 1988 was a common stop for brewing professionals when visiting the Chicago area, along with a visit with father-son founders John and Greg Hall.
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News Tree House Shareholder Sues Founders Over Misuse of Funds
In a dreaded scenario for any brewery owner who has multiple shareholders, a minority shareholder who owns just 2% of Tree House Brewing Company has sued two of its founders in Superior Court, alleging a misuse of company funds.
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News Faubourg Ceases Operations at New Orleans Brewery
Faubourg Brewing in New Orleans, the fantastical brewery that New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson built from the ashes of the former Dixie Brewing, is shutting down operations. The closure comes just 18 months after a majority stake in Faubourg was sold to Made By The Water, a southeast-based company of craft breweries.
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News John Harris Sells Ecliptic Brand – Closes Brewery
Portland, Oregon’s Ecliptic Brewing, owned by renowned brewer John Harris has announced that the company will close, and the Ecliptic brand will be sold. Harris is without a doubt one of the most respected and well-known pioneering brewers in the country. After a long career in brewing dating back to 1980, he opened his own brewery, Ecliptic 15 years ago.
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News Smuttynose Acquires Five Boroughs Brewing in Latest Craft-on-Craft Deal
Brooklyn-based craft brewery Five Boroughs Brewing Co. has been acquired by Smuttynose Brewing Co. The acquisition is the latest craft-on-craft deal that allows the acquiring company access into new markets and greater efficiencies by consolidating production into one brewery.
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News Boston Beer Sues Ex-Employee for Allegedly Taking Proprietary Information to Competitor
Boston Beer Co. has filed a lawsuit against a former employee, charging that the employee took proprietary information before going to work for Downeast Cider despite signing a non-disclosure and non-compete agreement.
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News Smithsonian Obtains Important Items and Documents from Anchor Brewing
As yet, no buyer has step up to purchase the now-closed Anchor Brewing Co, leaving the intellectual property rights to Anchor Steam and other Anchor brands still unknown. But the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has recently acquired objects and archival materials from Anchor for its collections. The museum collected the company’s business records and a selection of items including brewing charts and photographs.
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News Cape May Brewing Ends Self-Distribution – Moves to MillerCoors Network
Cape May Brewing Company has announced that it will divest its distribution rights and cease self-distribution of its products through Cape Beverage Distributing. The move may be a rising trend among craft brewers who decide to focus their attention on the brewing side of the business and at the same time extract working capital by selling the distribution rights to beer wholesalers.
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