AB acquired Wicked Weed

[Harry482]

Just read this from beer advocate. I was just at the brewery and fell in love with it. After seeing how successful it was, i cannot believe they would be so greedy to sell out like that! At least AB can't buy my home brewery.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

After seeing how successful it was, i cannot believe they would be so greedy to sell out like that!

Or, maybe, this move is what they had in mind the beginning.

"We have chosen to partner with The High End to position ourselves to make Wicked Weed what we imagined it could be when we first sat at a craft beer bar and talked about opening a brewery. "

 

[treacheroustexan]

As much as it sucks it's whatever at this point. Cash in and start over. I still drink Elysian, GI and Breckenridge. Good for them. I also read on another page they started with Fortune 500 type capital, so not really shocking.

 

[Harry482]

All this is true. The quality of the beer will suffer at some point - especially the sours. It's a big risk for them as well (locally anyway) - the hipsters in Asheville are not going to be happy.

 

[user 198378]

Specific financial details haven't been released yet. Any guesses on the exact $$?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Still subject to regulatory approval.

 

[arnobg]

My favorite brewery Wicked Weed announced what every craft beer lover hates...what a sad day.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1493822998.316264.jpg

 

[Homercidal]

Sounds like a solid plan for them. Most companies want to grow. Hopefully it won't come back to bite them in the ass later on.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Not EVERY Craft Beer lover hates what has happened. Some are rational enough to understand, and applaud, the benefit.

The deal isn't done yet anyway. Still needs regulatory approval.

Can we NOT have 9 threads on this in one day?

 

[burnsie8791]

I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capital for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capitol for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.

This. Most responses to this act are as petty as a 5th grader saying "I don't like you anymore because you like xxxx."

Boggles the mind.

 

[FoCobrewguy]

My guess is the original investor (who were wealthy) wanted to cash out more than Luke and Walt wanted to but who knows. Kind of like Elysian where 2 of 3 wanted out. As long as quality doesn't change I am okay with seeing taps of theirs in the big chains.

 

[arnobg]

I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capital for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.

This tells me you don't know much about this brewery and their attention to detail and use of high quality locally sourced ingredients. Look at Goose Island for example and their 2015 BCBS. The fact is quality WILL suffer.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Not EVERY Craft Beer lover hates what has happened. Some are rational enough to understand, and applaud, the benefit.

And some are rational enough to understand, and lament, the downsides, even while they understand the benefits.

Ultimately, whether the benefits outweigh the downsides, or vice versa, comes down to what said craft beer lover values, which means there is never a correct answer to if this is good or bad, no matter how rationally one looks at it.

 

[HopGobbler]

Another one bites the dust

 

[Murphys_Law]

They can buy my home brewery for good cash money if they like!

 

[Braufessor]

I never begrudge these people that "sell out." Running a brewery is incredibly hard work, long hours and modest pay. Think about it like this.... you have a job - maybe even a job you like - maybe even a job that other people appreciate you doing. Now, you are given two choices:
A.) Keep doing your job, every day for the pay you are getting.

or

B.) Sign a piece of paper and receive 10 (or 100) times more money than you could make working your job for the rest of your life. You can have the money now, and then go do whatever you want for the rest of your life..... including getting the same job you have now - just somewhere else.

Yeah - tough call.

 

[catdaddy66]

Take your profit from the sale and use part of it to open the next craft brewery.

Call it 'Wild Weed'...

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I have yet to see anywhere where this is a "sell out". At most, it appears to be a partnership. Allowing WW to utilize AB resources (marketing/distribution/capitol for expansion) to grow itself into a larger brand. The original owners don't appear to want "out", they want "in" for more. And AB is the vessel.

 

[jaspass]

Look at Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies. Just sayin'.

If it ends up anything like the Goose Island takeover, I don't feel quality has suffered there. In fact they have a huge barrel house and program now as a result. However I have noticed their marketing changed drastically, where now they trickle their supply out to market to create inflated demand. Take a look at their last Bourbon County Rare release as an example. Both one year and two years after its release they had it at my local grocery store. Must have been pretty rare to have a 3+ year supply on hand. Trickle it out, make people think it is the last time they can possibly get it, have a crowd wait in line for hours, then do it again later with the same supply you've been holding back on.

 

[zebradeltaone]

Look at Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies. Just sayin'.

If it ends up anything like the Goose Island takeover, I don't feel quality has suffered there. In fact they have a huge barrel house and program now as a result. However I have noticed their marketing changed drastically, where now they trickle their supply out to market to create inflated demand. Take a look at their last Bourbon County Rare release as an example. Both one year and two years after its release they had it at my local grocery store. Must have been pretty rare to have a 3+ year supply on hand. Trickle it out, make people think it is the last time they can possibly get it, have a crowd wait in line for hours, then do it again later with the same supply you've been holding back on.

@Jaspass, where are you located? I would love to find GI Rare at my grocery store.

 

[IslandLizard]

This deal just gives me a bad taste in my mouth.

Big beer, big money, only becoming bigger... I won't support it.

 

[hellesyeah]

WW Funkatorium is my favorite place in Asheville NC. Darn I hope the causal visitor won't see or know the difference. I heard form a friend that the global home brew market created over one billion dollars in revenue. That is enough $$ for the big boys to want some of.

 

[Grannyknot]

My guess is the original investor (who were wealthy) wanted to cash out more than Luke and Walt wanted to but who knows. Kind of like Elysian where 2 of 3 wanted out. As long as quality doesn't change I am okay with seeing taps of theirs in the big chains.

This would be my guess as well. I've met Luke a few times and really can't imagine this being in his business plan or something he would ever find necessary. They got a massive investment up front, along with several large scale expansions in just a few years. I assume the investor decided it was time to cash out. Fair play to them. Luke & his bro maybe should have bought them out before it got too big to afford. Or maybe they just had a total change in mentality and decided economies of scale and large distribution were key to future success. who knows.

I disagree with anyone who says the product will suffer. All their beers are fantastic, but they have really struggled with consistency in their sour/wild fermentations. A lot of my favorite beers were never made again simply because they couldn't replicate it. I think some of the lab technology that AB will bring it will help the consistency a lot.

Maybe their prices will get better too. I've never purchased their sour/wild beers outside of the brewpub or funkatorium just because of the price.

In the end, i'll always stop by when i'm in town. Luke is a great guy, their employees are fantastic, and this doesn't change that. I hate that they were sold, but like I said earlier, regardless of what press releases say, I'm guessing this was never Luke or Walt's goal. Imagine the backlash they are facing in a relatively small city in NC. Probably a crap day for them, no matter how fat their wallets are now.

 

[Harry482]

This deal just gives me a bad taste in my mouth.

Big beer, big money, only becoming bigger... I won't support it.

Couldnt agree more!

 

[jaspass]

@zebradeltaone, Chicago. It was carried at our Jewel grocery stores.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

God Forbid they treat a business like a business cash out and enjoy there lives.

If somebody offered me millions for my beer I'd be typing from a beach in Bora Bora right now and loving every bit of it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Look at Goose Island for example and their 2015 BCBS. The fact is quality WILL suffer.

How is AB to blame for infected beer that was subsequently recalled?

AB is renowned for controlling and preventing such things. Are you suggesting they infected the beer intentionally?

 

[Morrey]

I don't understand why people get so up in arms about this. Gives the brewery more capital for expansion, access to more and better ingredients and lets brewers focus on beer and not marketing, resource management and distribution. Most small breweries hate dealing with this stuff and are not good at it.

One major factor for me getting WW beer is their distribution network. I live a short 3 hour drive from Asheville NC, but my home state of SC seems to have a great issue allowing WW into SC. Not just WW but applies to many others as well. Maybe this merger will break down the distribution barrier. Remaining positive that they may even improve.

 

[cubalz]

I don't see the issue at all. If AB came to a brewery I owned and wanted to become a strategic partner, I would jump at the chance. It means a massive distribution network, deeper R & D pockets and the stability that comes with a massive company like AB backing you. The line between what a micro and macro brewery is continues to blur. Case in point: Goose Island

Really who cares who owns who, as long as the beer is good. I say, good for them!!