I know we have a ton of collaborations, but has there ever been any major mergers in the craft world? Or do you think there will be any in the near future? A crazy thought entered my head on this boring Tuesday work day where Boston Beer Co and Sierra Nevada could merge and have the entire country blanketed even more than they already do (since one if east coast one is west coast) and give the big boys an even better run for their money.
Yes. Magic Hat and Pyramid merged, before being bought out by NAB. And then there is the Craft Brewers Alliance of Red Hook, Widmer and Kona (and formerly a fraction of Goose Island). Probably some others, but those are the two that pop to mind.
I think Sierra is already doing that on their own by opening a brewery in Asheville. With all the west coast breweries opening places on the east coast, I wonder who will be the first to do the opposite. Dogfish? Sam Adams?
Its not as advantageous. Lagunitas says their new brewery in Chicago can be funded by reduction in freight costs. But the population east of the empty plains is much larger than the population west of it. I think Sam Adams is probably the only eastern brewery with enough west coast volume to make it make sense.
There have been a few, but craft breweries are at an awkward size where it doesn't usually make much sense. The few that have gone down seemed a little head-scratching to me. (like Magic Hat and Pyramid)
