Oskar Blues buys Perrin Brewing

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by kylelenk, Mar 27, 2015.

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  1. kylelenk

    kylelenk Initiate (0) Apr 17, 2012 Michigan

    COMSTOCK PARK, MI -- Big changes are afoot at Perrin Brewing Co.

    On Friday, March 27, the 3-year-old Alpine Township microbrewery announced its acquisition by Oskar Blues Brewing Co. of Longmont, Colo.

    Pending approval by the state regulators, Oskar Blues is buying 100 percent of the Michigan brewery in a deal orchestrated by a former co-owner of the state's largest beer wholesaler, who is taking over management at Perrin.

    Keith Klopcic, who left West Side Beer Distributing in January, will become the new president at Perrin Brewing Co. under a deal that's been fermenting since the Michigan and Colorado breweries teamed up for a collaboration beer in December.

    Klopcic replaces former brewery head Randy Perrin, a clothing manufacturer who is leaving the company after bankrolling the multi-million dollar operation that opened in fall 2012. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    "Other than that, it's the same company," said Klopcic. "Nothing changes."

    Perrin's acquisition by Oskar Blues, known for pioneering the increasingly popular practice of canning craft beer, is a relative rarity in the American craft beer industry.

    Independent breweries are being snatched-up at a quickening pace by large, multinational brewers such as MillerCoors and Budweiser parent Anheuser-Busch InBev, but craft breweries buying-out fellow craft beer makers is less common, although it has happened before.

    In a statement, Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis called the deal "a radical thing."

    "We at Oskar Blues love the Michigan craft beer scene and what the guys at Perrin are doing," Katechis said. "We feel that Perrin and Oskar Blues have the same mindset toward the craft industry and this partnership will allow us to share information and innovative ideas with one another."

    In December, the breweries teamed up on a lager called "Cornlaboration" that was sold only in Michigan, a state in which Oskar Blues began distributing in 2013.

    Cans of Oskar Blues' signature Dale's Pale Ale.OscarBlues.com
    Klopcic said Katechis began expressing interest in purchasing the West Michigan company after getting a personal look-see last year at the Perrin operation, which is sizable compared to most startup breweries.

    Oskar Blues, founded in Lyons, Colo., in 1997, has been on a growth spurt in recent years. The brewery, which is distributed in 42 states, parts of Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom, reached the 150,000 barrel production mark in 2014 after building a second production facility and restaurant in Brevard, N.C.

    By comparison, Perrin brewed about 14,000 barrels in 2014, distributed mostly on draft throughout Michigan. The 23,000-square-foot brewery only began bottling its first specialty products in late November after experiencing several years of false starts and growing pains associated with launching package distribution.

    Perrin already has more than 700 taps throughout Michigan, with 250 in the Grand Rapids area. Now, with Oskar Blues on board, brewery representatives say cans of Perrin's popular Grapefruit IPA are a definite possibility for distribution this summer.

    "It's a huge opportunity," said Klopcic. "Grapefruit is a hot flavor right now, and in all honesty, it's because of Perrin."

    Klopcic, who sold his interest in West Side Beer to his brother, Don, said taking over at Perrin was a plan that congealed only after he left the wholesale business.

    Dan Perrin and Jarred Sper will continue running the brewery alongside production manager and head brewer John Stewart and his team. Sper, who will be vice president of sales and marketing at Oskar Blues-owned Perrin, said the brewery is very excited by the acquisition deal.

    At Oskar Blues, "they practice what they preach," Sper said. "They are true artists who don't pull any punches."

    http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2015/03/oskar_blues_perrin_brew.html
     
    tkdchampxi, Fargrow and digitalflood like this.
  2. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    The wife asked it I had heard this, news to me!
     
  3. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,245) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Easier than building an East-Coast location?
     
  4. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    They've already built an east coast brewery in Brevard, NC - but it is easier than building a mid-West/Great Lakes brewery. :wink:

    Doesn't sound like it's going to be a Oskar Blues brewery, though, just owned by OB.
     
  5. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,282) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    OH NOES!!! Big guys buying up little guys! Boycotts! Pitchforks! Torches! Or, whatevs. Never heard of the smaller brewery. It does raise a question of how many of the bigger craft brewers looking at buying smaller craft breweries. Will the outcry be as loud as when the BMC brewers buy craft brewers?
     
  6. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    A guy I know in Grand Rapids said the word on the street was that Perrin was looking for a buyer.
     
  7. jlsims04

    jlsims04 Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2013 Illinois

    OMG no this is BS Boycott Oskar Blues how dare a Big Brewery snatch up a small guy just trying to get by. rabble rabble rabble.
     
    BBThunderbolt and abkayak like this.
  8. BRZvice

    BRZvice Initiate (0) Apr 7, 2012 Michigan

    Grapefruit IPA cans? please and thank you!
     
    Joshjv, aratcliffe and king75 like this.
  9. HeislerGold

    HeislerGold Initiate (0) Oct 19, 2013 Michigan

    So... can we get state-wide distribution of a Perrin Brewing Canundrum variety pack? No? Then this news does not pertain to me. :stuck_out_tongue:
     
    HattedClassic likes this.
  10. qchic

    qchic Maven (1,303) Jul 6, 2004 Maryland

    No.
     
  11. AlanMcKinnon

    AlanMcKinnon Initiate (0) Oct 14, 2014 Florida

    As long as no one loses their job unfairly I don't see a problem with this.
     
  12. mjshearer1

    mjshearer1 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Michigan

    Perrin's been looking for a buyer for a while. In no way is this a strong arm seizure of a brewery or anything ridiculous like that. The owner was a businessman who doesn't even like beer and was trying to catch on to the next big thing when they opened. It's caused some strife between ownership and the head brewers because ownership wasn't seeing the whole picture and process as they would try to look into to cutting costs in ingredient quality, which we all know would lead to a lesser product. They went through several head brewers because of things like this. Ultimately, being in the area and seeing Perrin open, grow, and expand through this side of the state, I think it's a great move. Oskar Blues has always done right in my book, and we in the area are just happy that AB didn't get to them first.

    Plus, I'll literally shit myself in glee if I can get BA Ten Fidy on tap 10 minutes away from me.
     
    HopSavant, GRDave, Gemini6 and 10 others like this.
  13. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I guess this would explain the somewhat random pairing of OB and Perrin at the recent Colorado Collaboration Fest.
     
    jmdrpi likes this.
  14. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,245) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Last I checked Oscar Blues doesn't lobby against laws that help out small breweries.

    So apples and oranges.
     
    the_mad_stork and cjgiant like this.
  15. jlsims04

    jlsims04 Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2013 Illinois

    Which Breweries have been taken over through strong arm sizure?
     
  16. jlsims04

    jlsims04 Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2013 Illinois


    Sarcasam
    -------------
    Your Head




    Cheers
     
  17. BSchofield

    BSchofield Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Heck yea!! If Perrins happy then I'm happy...as long as we can see some of that Grapefruit IPA...my Sculpin needs a mate!!
     
    tommyz likes this.
  18. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,245) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    No, I got your point. You're mocking all of those that get upset about the AB Inbev buyouts, but won't complain about this.

    I stated why it's different.
     
    the_mad_stork and Providence like this.
  19. mjshearer1

    mjshearer1 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Michigan

    It was hyperbole to illustrate the silliness of trying to compare this to the AB acquisitions.
     
  20. pinkgrenade

    pinkgrenade Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2011 California

    interesting! this is like green flash acquiring alpine. its good for both parties! and no one has to see the little guy perish in cases like these
     
    PaulyB83 and Ckoz like this.
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