• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

U.S. Dept. of Justice clears Anheuser-Busch’s big, fat CBA wedding

September 21, 2020Keith Gribbins

Someone please help that bird.

The long romance of Anheuser-Busch and Craft Brew Alliance is one step closer to an official union. Last week, it was announced that beer, cider and botanical spritzer rollup Craft Brew Alliance (home to brands like Kona and Widmer Brothers) and Anheuser-Busch have entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Justice, allowing Anheuser-Busch to purchase CBA for an estimated $222 million. According to the press release:

The companies’ agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice comes after CBA shareholder approval of the proposed expanded partnership and CBA and A-B’s decision to sell CBA’s Kona Brewing operations in Hawaii to PV Brewing Partners.

After an awkward back and forth, Anheuser-Busch and CBA finally announced they would actually merge into an even bigger and more menacing beverage alcohol company last November. CBA would enter Anheuser-Busch’s Brewers Collective, a business unit focused on its craft portfolio.

In order to soften the importance of the acquisition, it was announced CBA would sell the Hawaiian headquarters of Kona Brewing Co. to PV Brewing Partners, a team fronted by Schnuck supermarket chain President and former Anheuser-Busch President David Peacock and VantEdge Partners, an investment firm based in Kansas City.

VantEdge owns, among other things, 260 quick-serve restaurants, including Dunkin’, Taco Bell and Jamba and is part of the investment group that owns the Kansas City Royals.

Craft-Brew-Alliance

CBA’s combined portfolio (brands like Kona Brewing Co., Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Cisco Brewers, Omission Brewing Co., Redhook Brewery, Square Mile Cider Co., Widmer Brothers Brewing and Wynwood Brewing Co.) made it the 13th largest brewer in the United States in 2019 by sales volume. Formed in 2008 via the merger of Widmer Brothers and Redhook, CBA is headquartered in Portland and operates breweries and brewpubs across America. The history of CBA and AB goes back to important moments like in 1994 when Widmer and Redhook sold minority stakes to A-B and 2011 when CBA sold its stake in Goose Island to A-B. I highly suggest you read this story.

Closing of the combination is expected to occur in the coming weeks. In connection with the closing, CBA shareholders will receive $16.50 in cash per share of Craft Brew Alliance common stock, as previously announced. I could post some quotes here from CBA and Anheuser-Busch execs, but meh, who wants to read that?

CBA and Anheuser-Busch have been in bed together for a quarter of a century, so this acquisition is no surprise, but it’s another reminder of the biggest beer company in the world growing even fatter and more aggressive.

Anheuser-Busch cuts Budweiser ad from Super Bowl LV but is still running four minutes of commercials
Unsurprisingly, Craft Brew Alliance shareholders approve Anheuser-Busch full acquisition
Beer money cans
Big brewers continue to lower pricing for craft beer, especially via bulk packaging like 24-packs
Kona Lifestyle
Hey Craft Brew Alliance, sell to Anheuser-Busch InBev or someone else, says Boston investors

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Higher learning: Eastern Washington University and No-Li Brewhouse launch Craft Beer Certificate
  • Texas’ Bishop Cider is in explode mode, acquires two breweries, expanding to seven locations
  • Athletic Brewing earns Certified B Corp status as it celebrates four years
  • 2022 Beer Branding Trends Part 2: Beyond Beer

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • 2022 Beer Branding Trends Part 2: Beyond Beer
    May 23, 2022
  • The-IBA-TeamIBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?
    May 19, 2022
  • 2022 beer branding trends part 1: reinvention
    May 17, 2022
  • satisfaction surveysAre brewery employees happy? Depends on the department
    May 16, 2022
  • Male hand closes hatch of brewery tankUnfiltered: Do I need to clean tanks between transfers?
    May 11, 2022
  • Hard seltzers: Achieve high alcohol fermentations in a clean and neutral way with the proper nutrient aids
    May 9, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....