July 3, 2012 at 1:00 am
Assets of Michigan Brewing Co. sold
By Karl Henkel
The Detroit News
1 Comments
The assets of the former brewer of Kid Rock's Badass Beer have been acquired through auction by MillerCoors.
According to beer-insider website Beer Pulse, the Chicago-based joint venture acquired the equipment and brand trademarks of Michigan Brewing Co. The sale does not include Kid Rock's brand, which was made at the Webberville-based brewery.
"We bought some of the assets of the Michigan Brewing Co. at auction with the primary intention of acquiring their brewery equipment, which is in excellent condition," MillerCoors spokesman Peter Marino told Beer Pulse.
Michigan Brewing Co.'s brands included Michigan Nut Brown Ale, High Seas India Pale Ale and Screamin' Pumpkin Spiced Ale.
MillerCoors said the "rapid expansion" of its own Tenth and Blake Beer Co. brands, a craft-and-import division, could signal an opportunity to capitalize on its newly acquired assets.
"We have decided an asset purchase would provide us with added small-batch flexibility moving forward," the company said.
"We haven't decided what, if anything, we might do with the brands at this point."
MillerCoors did not purchase the 76,000-square-foot Webberville brewing facility, located east of Lansing.
An on-site restaurant drew customers in recent years to Michigan Brewing Co. Its craft beers won medals at the Great American Beer Festival. But founder Bobby Mason was evicted in April following foreclosure on the brewery.
Kid Rock's camp last month said it was looking for a new brewer for Badass Beer, but conceded that could take beyond summer.
From The Detroit News:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120703/BIZ/207030314#ixzz23ctDydij